Chapter 17

        The Pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His Youth

 

   This Seventeenth Chapter, as summarized by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya, describes Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes from His sixteenth year until the time He accepted the renounced order of life. Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has already vividly described these pastimes in the Caitanya-bhagavata. Therefore Krsna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami describes them only briefly. Vivid descriptions of some portions of His pastimes are seen in this chapter, however, because Vrndavana dasa Thakura has not elaborately described them.

   In this chapter we shall find descriptions of the mango distribution festival and Lord Caitanya's discourses with Chand Kazi. Finally, the chapter shows that the same son of mother Yasoda, Lord Krsna, tasted four transcendental mellows of devotional service in His form of Sacinandana, the son of mother Saci. To understand Srimati Radharani's ecstatic love for Him, Lord Sri Krsna assumed the form of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The attitude of Srimati Radharani is considered the superexcellent devotional mentality. As Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Krsna Himself assumed the position of Srimati Radharani to taste Her ecstatic situation. No one else could do this.

   When Sri Krsna assumed the form of the four-armed Narayana, the gopis showed their respect, but they were not very much interested in Him. In the ecstatic love of the gopis, all worshipable forms but Krsna are rejected. Among all the gopis, Srimati Radharani has the highest ecstatic love. When Krsna in His form of Narayana saw Radharani, He could not keep His position as Narayana, and again He assumed the form of Krsna.

   The King of Vrajabhumi is Nanda Maharaja, and the same person in Navadvipa is Jagannatha Misra, the father of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Similarly, mother Yasoda is the Queen of Vrajabhumi, and in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya she is Sacimata. Therefore the son of Saci is the son of Yasoda. Sri Nityananda occupies an ecstatic position of parental love in servitude and fraternal attraction. Sri Advaita Prabhu exhibits the ecstasy of both fraternity and servitude. All the Lord's other associates, situated in their original love, engage in the service of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

   The same Absolute Truth who enjoys as Krsna, Syamasundara, who plays His flute and dances with the gopis, sometimes takes birth in a brahmana family and plays the part of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, accepting the renounced order of life. It appears contradictory that the same Krsna accepted the ecstasy of the gopis, and of course this is very difficult for an ordinary person to understand. But if we accept the inconceivable energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we can understand that everything is possible. There is no need of mundane arguments in this connection because mundane arguments are meaningless in regard to inconceivable potency.

   In the end of this Seventeenth Chapter Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, following in the footsteps of Srila Vyasadeva, has analyzed all the Adi-lila pastimes separately.

 

                                TEXT 1

 

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                      vande svairadbhuteham tam

                       caitanyam yat-prasadatah

                         yavanah sumanayante

                        krsna-nama-prajalpakah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   vande--let me offer my obeisances; svaira--completely independent; adbhuta--and uncommon; iham--whose activities; tam--unto Him; caitanyam--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; yat--of whom; prasadatah--by the mercy; yavanah--even the unclean; sumanayante--are transformed into gentlemen; krsna-nama--of the holy name of Lord Krsna; prajalpakah--taking to the chanting.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Let me offer my respectful obeisances to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by whose mercy even unclean yavanas become perfectly well-bred gentlemen by chanting the holy name of the Lord. Such is the power of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   There is a persistent misunderstanding between caste brahmanas and advanced Vaisnavas, or gosvamis, because caste brahmanas, or smartas, are of the opinion that one cannot become a brahmana unless he changes his body. As we have discussed several times, it is to be understood that by the supremely powerful potency of the Lord, as described by Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, everything is possible. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is as fully independent as Krsna. Therefore no one can interfere with His activities. If He wants, by His mercy He can convert even a yavana, an unclean follower of non-Vedic principles, into a perfectly well-behaved gentleman. This is actually happening in our propagation of the Krsna consciousness movement. The members of the present Krsna consciousness movement were not born in India, nor do they belong to the Vedic culture, but within the short time of four or five years they have become such wonderful devotees, simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, that even in India they are well received as perfectly well-behaved Vaisnavas wherever they go.

   Although less intelligent men cannot understand it, this is the special power of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Actually, the body of a Krsna conscious person changes in many ways. Even in the United States, when our devotees chant on the street, American ladies and gentlemen inquire from them whether they are actually Americans because no one could expect Americans to become such nice devotees all of a sudden. Even Christian priests are greatly surprised that all these boys from Jewish and Christian families have joined this Krsna consciousness movement; before joining, they never regarded any principles of religion seriously, but now they have become sincere devotees of the Lord. Everywhere people express this astonishment, and we take great pride in the transcendental behavior of our students. Such wonders are possible, however, only by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They are not ordinary or mundane.

 

                                TEXT 2

 

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                jaya jaya sri-caitanya jaya nityananda

               jayadvaitacandra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   jaya jaya--all glories; sri-caitanya--to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; jaya--all glories; nityananda--to Lord Nityananda Prabhu; jaya advaita-candra--all glories to Advaita Acarya; jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda--all glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   All glories to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityananda Prabhu! All glories to Advaita Acarya! And all glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya!

 

                                TEXT 3

 

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                  kaisora-lilara sutra karila ganana

                  yauvana-lilara sutra kari anukrama

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kaisora-lilara--of the activities before His youth; sutra--synopsis; karila--I have done; ganana--an enumeration; yauvana-lilara--of the pastimes of youth; sutra--synopsis; kari--I enumerate; anukrama--in chronological order.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   I have already given a synopsis of the kaisora-lila of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Now let me enumerate His youthful pastimes in chronological order.

 

                                TEXT 4

 

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                      vidya-saundarya-sad-vesa-

                       sambhoga-nrtya-kirtanaih

                       prema-nama-pradanais ca

                        gauro divyati yauvane

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   vidya--education; saundarya--beauty; sat-vesa--nice dress; sambhoga--enjoyment; nrtya--dancing; kirtanaih--by chanting; prema-nama--the holy name of the Lord, which induces one to become a devotee; pradanaih--by distributing; ca--and; gaurah--Lord Sri Gaurasundara; divyati--illuminated; yauvane--in His youth.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Exhibiting His scholarship, beauty and fine dress, Lord Caitanya danced, as He chanted and distributed the holy name of the Lord to awaken dormant love of Krsna. Thus Lord Sri Gaurasundara shone in His youthful pastimes.

 

                                TEXT 5

 

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                yauvana-pravese angera anga vibhusana

               divya vastra, divya vesa, malya-candana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   yauvana-pravese--on the entrance of His youth; angera--of the body; anga--limbs; vibhusana--ornaments; divya--transcendental; vastra--garments; divya--transcendental; vesa--dress; malya--garland; candana--(smeared with) sandalwood pulp.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   As He entered His youth, the Lord decorated Himself with ornaments, dressed Himself in fine cloth, garlanded Himself with flowers and smeared Himself with sandalwood.

 

                                TEXT 6

 

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                vidyara auddhatye kahon na kare ganana

                 sakala pandita jini' kare adhyapana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   vidyara auddhatye--because of pride in education; kahon--anyone; na--does not; kare--do; ganana--care; sakala--all; pandita--learned scholars; jini'--conquering; kare--does; adhyapana--studies.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   By dint of pride in His education, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, not caring for anyone else, defeated all kinds of learned scholars while executing His studies.

 

                                TEXT 7

 

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               vayu-vyadhi-cchale kaila prema parakasa

                bhakta-gana lana kaila vividha vilasa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   vayu-vyadhi--disease caused by disturbance of the air in the body; chale--on the plea of; kaila--made; prema--love of Godhead; parakasa--manifestation; bhakta-gana--the devotees; lana--taking with Him; kaila--did; vividha--varieties of; vilasa--pastimes.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In His youth, the Lord exhibited His ecstatic love of Krsna on the plea of disturbances of the bodily airs. Accompanied by His confidential devotees, He enjoyed various pastimes in this way.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   According to Ayur-vedic treatment, the entire physiological system is conducted by three elements, namely, vayu, pitta and kapha (air, bile and mucus). Secretions within the body transform into other secretions like blood, urine and stool, but if there are disturbances in the metabolism, the secretions turn into kapha (mucus) by the influence of the air within the body. According to the Ayur-vedic system, when the secretion of bile and formation of mucus disturb the air circulating within the body, fifty-nine varieties of disease may occur. One of such diseases is craziness.

   On the plea of disturbance of the bodily air and metabolism, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu acted as if crazy. Thus in His school He began to explain the grammar of verbs through Krsna consciousness. Explaining everything in grammar in relationship to Krsna, the Lord induced His students to refrain from worldly education, for it is better to become Krsna conscious and in this way attain the highest perfectional platform of education. On these grounds, Sri Jiva Gosvami later compiled the grammar entitled Hari-namamrta-vyakarana. People in general consider such explanations crazy. Therefore the Lord's purpose in His attitude of craziness was to explain that there is nothing within our experience but Krsna consciousness, for everything may be dovetailed with Krsna consciousness. These pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu have been very vividly described in the Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda, Chapter One.

 

                                TEXT 8

 

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                  tabeta karila prabhu gayate gamana

                  isvara-purira sange tathai milana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabeta--thereafter; karila--did; prabhu--Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; gayate--to Gaya; gamana--travel; isvara-purira sange--with Isvara Puri; tathai--there; milana--meeting.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Thereafter the Lord went to Gaya. There He met Srila Isvara Puri.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to Gaya to offer respectful oblations to His forefathers. This process is called pinda-dana. In Vedic society, after the death of a relative, especially one's father or mother, one must go to Gaya and there offer oblations to the lotus feet of Lord Visnu. Therefore hundreds and thousands of men gather in Gaya daily to offer such oblations, or sraddha. Following this principle, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu also went there to offer pinda to His dead father. Fortunately He met Isvara Puri there.

 

                                TEXT 9

 

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                diksa-anantare haila, premera prakasa

                  dese agamana punah premera vilasa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   diksa--initiation; anantare--immediately after; haila--became; premera--of love of Godhead; prakasa--exhibition; dese--in His home country; agamana--coming back; punah--again; premera--of love of God; vilasa--enjoyment.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In Gaya, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was initiated by Isvara Puri, and immediately afterwards He exhibited signs of love of Godhead. He again displayed such symptoms after returning home.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to Gaya, accompanied by many of His disciples, He became sick on the way. He had such a high fever that He asked His students to bring water that had washed the feet of brahmanas, and when they brought it the Lord drank it and was cured. Therefore everyone should respect the position of a brahmana, as indicated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Neither the Lord nor His followers displayed any disrespect to brahmanas.

   The followers of the Lord must be prepared to offer brahmanas all due respect. But preachers of Lord Caitanya's cult object if someone presents himself as a brahmana without having the necessary qualifications. The followers of Lord Caitanya cannot blindly accept that everyone born in a brahmana family is a brahmana. Therefore one should not indiscriminately follow the Lord's example of showing respect to brahmanas by drinking water that has washed their feet. Gradually the brahmana families have become degraded because of the contamination of Kali-yuga. Thus they misguide people by exploiting their sentiments.

 

                               TEXT 10

 

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                sacike prema-dana, tabe advaita-milana

                   advaita paila visvarupa-darasana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sacike--unto mother Sacidevi; prema-dana--giving love of Godhead; tabe--thereafter; advaita--with Advaita Acarya; milana--meeting; advaita--Advaita Acarya; paila--received; visva-rupa--of the universal form of the Lord; darasana--vision.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Thereafter the Lord delivered love of Krsna to His mother, Sacidevi, nullifying her offense at the feet of Advaita Acarya. Thus there was a meeting with Advaita Acarya, who later had a vision of the Lord's universal form.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   One day Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was sitting on the throne of Visnu in the house of Srivasa Prabhu, and in a mood of His own He said, "My mother has offended the lotus feet of Advaita Acarya. Unless she nullifies this offense at the lotus feet of a Vaisnava, it will not be possible for her to achieve love of Krsna." Hearing this, all the devotees went to bring Advaita Acarya there. While coming to see the Lord, Advaita Acarya was glorifying the characteristics of mother Sacidevi, and thus upon arriving He fell down on the ground in ecstasy. Then, under the instruction of Lord Caitanya, Sacidevi took advantage of this situation to touch Advaita Acarya's lotus feet. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very much pleased by His mother's action, and He said, "Now My mother's offense at the lotus feet of Advaita Acarya has been rectified, and she may have love of Krsna without difficulty." By this example Lord Caitanya taught everyone that although one may be very much advanced in Krsna consciousness, if one offends the lotus feet of a Vaisnava his advancement will not bear fruit. We should therefore be very much conscious not to offend a Vaisnava. Caitanya-caritamrta has described such an offense as follows:

 

                yadi vaisnava-aparadha uthe hati mata

                upade va chinde, tara sukhi' yaya pata

 

                                                  (Cc. Madhya 19.156)

   As a mad elephant may trample all the plants in a garden, so by committing one offense at the lotus feet of a Vaisnava one may spoil all the devotional service he has accumulated in his life.

   After this incident, one day Advaita Acarya Prabhu requested Caitanya Mahaprabhu to display the universal form He had very kindly shown Arjuna. Lord Caitanya agreed to this proposal, and Advaita Prabhu was fortunate enough to see the universal form of the Lord.

 

                               TEXT 11

 

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                prabhura abhiseka tabe karila srivasa

              khate vasi' prabhu kaila aisvarya prakasa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prabhura--of the Lord; abhiseka--worship; tabe--after that; karila--did; srivasa--of the name Srivasa; khate--on the cot; vasi'--sitting; prabhu--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kaila--did; aisvarya--opulence; prakasa--manifestation.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Srivasa Thakura then worshiped Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu by the process of abhiseka. Sitting on a cot, the Lord exhibited transcendental opulence.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Abhiseka is a special function for the installation of the Deity. In this ceremony the Deity is bathed with milk and water and then worshiped and given a change of dress. This abhiseka function was especially observed at the house of Srivasa. All the devotees, according to their means, worshiped the Lord with all kinds of paraphernalia, and the Lord gave benedictions to each devotee according to his desire.

 

                               TEXT 12

 

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                  tabe nityananda-svarupera agamana

               prabhuke miliya paila sad-bhuja-darsana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--thereafter; nityananda-svarupera--of the Personality of Godhead Nityananda; agamana--appearance; prabhuke--Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; miliya--meeting; paila--obtained; sat-bhuja-darsana--a vision of the six-armed Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After this function at the house of Srivasa Thakura, Nityananda Prabhu appeared, and when He met with Lord Caitanya He got the opportunity to see Him in His six-armed form.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The form of Sad-bhuja, the six-armed Lord Gaurasundara, is a representation of three incarnations. The form of Sri Ramacandra is symbolized by a bow and arrow, the form of Lord Sri Krsna is symbolized by a stick and flute like those generally held by a cowherd boy, and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is symbolized by a sannyasa-danda and kamandalu, or waterpot.

   Srila Nityananda Prabhu was born in the village of Ekacakra in the district of Birbhum as the son of Padmavati and Hadai Pandita. In His childhood He played like Balarama. When He was growing up, a sannyasi came to the house of Hadai Pandita, begging to have the pandita's son as his brahmacari assistant. Hadai Pandita immediately agreed and delivered his son to him, although the separation was greatly shocking, so much so that Hadai lost his life after the separation. Nityananda Prabhu traveled on many pilgrimages with the sannyasi. It is said that for many days He lived at Mathura with him, and at that time He heard about Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes in Navadvipa. Therefore He came down to Bengal to see the Lord. When Lord Nityananda came to Navadvipa, He was a guest at the house of Nandana Acarya. Understanding that Nityananda Prabhu had arrived, Lord Caitanya sent His devotees to Him, and thus there was a meeting between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu.

 

                               TEXT 13

 

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               prathame sad-bhuja tanre dekhaila isvara

              sankha-cakra-gada-padma-sarnga-venu-dhara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prathame--at first; sat-bhuja--six-armed; tanre--unto Him; dekhaila--showed; isvara--the Lord; sankha--conchshell; cakra--disc; gada--club; padma--lotus flower; sarnga--bow; venu--flute; dhara--carrying.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   One day Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu exhibited to Lord Nityananda Prabhu a six-armed form bearing a conchshell, disc, club, lotus flower, bow and flute.

 

                               TEXT 14

 

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               tabe catur-bhuja haila, tina anga vakra

               dui haste venu bajaya, duye sankha-cakra

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--thereafter; catuh-bhuja--four-armed; haila--became; tina--three; anga--body; vakra--curved; dui haste--in two hands; venu bajaya--blowing the flute; duye--in two (hands); sankha-cakra--conchshell and disc.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Thereafter the Lord showed Him His four-armed form, standing in a three-curved posture. With two hands He played upon a flute, and in the other two He carried a conchshell and disc.

 

                               TEXT 15

 

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                tabe ta' dvi-bhuja kevala vamsi-vadana

               syama-anga pita-vastra vrajendra-nandana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--thereafter; ta'--certainly; dvi-bhuja--two-handed; kevala--only; vamsi--flute; vadana--on the mouth; syama--bluish; anga--body; pita-vastra--yellow dress; vrajendra-nandana--the son of Nanda Maharaja.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Finally the Lord showed Nityananda Prabhu His two-armed form of Krsna, the son of Maharaja Nanda, simply playing on His flute, His bluish body dressed in yellow garments.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Sri Caitanya-mangala vividly elaborates upon this description.

 

                               TEXT 16

 

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                tabe nityananda-gosanira vyasa-pujana

                 nityanandavese kaila musala dharana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--thereafter; nityananda--of the name Nityananda; gosanira--of the Lord; vyasa-pujana--worshiping Vyasadeva or the spiritual master; nityananda-avese--in the ecstasy of becoming Nityananda; kaila--did; musala dharana--carrying a plowlike weapon called a musala.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Nityananda Prabhu then arranged to offer Vyasa-puja, or worship of the spiritual master, to Lord Sri Gaurasundara. But Lord Caitanya carried the plowlike weapon called musala in the ecstasy of being Nityananda Prabhu.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   By the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu arranged for Vyasa-puja of the Lord on the night of the full moon. He arranged for the Vyasa-puja, or guru-puja, through the agency of Vyasadeva. Since Vyasadeva is the original guru (spiritual master) of all who follow the Vedic principles, worship of the spiritual master is called Vyasa-puja. Nityananda Prabhu arranged for the Vyasa-puja, and sankirtana was going on, but when He tried to put a garland on the shoulder of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He saw Himself in Lord Caitanya. There is no difference between the spiritual positions of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu, or Krsna and Balarama. All of Them are but different manifestations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. During this special ceremony, all the devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu could understand that there is no difference between Lord Caitanya and Nityananda Prabhu.

 

                               TEXT 17

 

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              tabe saci dekhila, rama-krsna----dui bhai

                  tabe nistarila prabhu jagai-madhai

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--thereafter; saci--mother Sacidevi; dekhila--saw; rama-krsna--Lord Krsna and Lord Balarama; dui bhai--two brothers; tabe--thereafter; nistarila--delivered; prabhu--the Lord; jagai-madhai--the two brothers Jagai and Madhai.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Thereafter mother Sacidevi saw the brothers Krsna and Balarama in Their manifestation of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda. Then the Lord delivered the two brothers Jagai and Madhai.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   One night Sacidevi dreamt that the Deities in her house, Krsna and Balarama, had taken the forms of Caitanya and Nityananda and were fighting one another, as children do, to eat the naivedya, or offering to the Deities. On the next day, by the will of Lord Caitanya, Sacidevi invited Nityananda to take prasada at her house. Thus Visvambhara (Lord Caitanya) and Nityananda were eating together, and Sacidevi realized that They were none other than Krsna and Balarama. Seeing this, she fainted.

   Jagai and Madhai were two brothers born in Navadvipa in a respectable brahmana family who later became addicted to all kinds of sinful activities. By the order of Lord Caitanya, both Nityananda Prabhu and Haridasa Thakura used to preach the cult of Krsna consciousness door to door. In the course of such preaching they found Jagai and Madhai, two maddened drunken brothers, who, upon seeing them, began to chase them. On the next day, Madhai struck Nityananda Prabhu on the head with a piece of earthen pot, thus drawing blood. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard of this, He immediately came to the spot, ready to punish both brothers, but when the all-merciful Lord Gauranga saw Jagai's repentant behavior, He immediately embraced him. By seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face and embracing Him, both the sinful brothers were at once cleansed. Thus they received initiation into the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra from the Lord and were delivered.

 

                               TEXT 18

 

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              tabe sapta-prahara chila prabhu bhavavese

                yatha tatha bhakta-gana dekhila visese

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--thereafter; sapta-prahara--twenty-one hours; chila--remained; prabhu--the Lord; bhava-avese--in ecstasy; yatha--anywhere; tatha--everywhere; bhakta-gana--the devotees; dekhila--saw; visese--specifically.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After this incident, the Lord remained in an ecstatic position for twenty-one hours, and all the devotees saw His specific pastimes.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In the Deity's room there must be a bed for the Deity behind the Deity's throne. (This system should immediately be introduced in all our centers. It does not matter whether the bed is big or small; it should be of a size the Deity room can conveniently accommodate, but there must be at least a small bed.) One day in the house of Srivasa Thakura, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu sat down on the bed of Visnu, and all the devotees worshiped Him with the Vedic mantras of the Purusa-sukta, beginning with sahasra-sirsa purusah sahasraksah sahasra-pat. This veda-stuti should also be introduced, if possible, for installations of Deities. While bathing the Deity, all the priests and devotees must chant this Purusa-sukta and offer the appropriate paraphernalia for worshiping the Deity, such as flowers, fruits, incense, arati paraphernalia, naivedya, vastra and ornaments. All the devotees worshiped Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in this way, and the Lord remained in ecstasy for seven praharas, or twenty-one hours. He took this opportunity to show the devotees that He is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, who is the source of all other incarnations, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (10.8): aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate. All the different forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or visnu-tattva, emanate from the body of Lord Krsna. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu exposed all the private desires of the devotees, and thus all of them became fully confident that Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

   Some devotees call this exhibition of ecstasy by the Lord sata-prahariya bhava, or "the ecstasy of twenty-one hours," and others call it mahabhava-prakasa or maha-prakasa. There are other descriptions of this sata-prahariya bhava in the Caitanya-bhavagata, Chapter Nine, which mentions that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu blessed a maidservant named Duhkhi with the name Sukhi. He called for Kholaveca Sridhara, and showed him His maha-prakasa. Then He called for Murari Gupta and showed him His feature as Lord Ramacandra. He offered His blessings to Haridasa Thakura, and at this time He also asked Advaita Prabhu to explain the Bhagavad-gita as it is (gitara satya-patha) and showed special favor to Mukunda.

 

                               TEXT 19

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  varaha-avesa haila murari-bhavane

               tanra skandhe cadi' prabhu nacila angane

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   varaha-avesa--the ecstasy of becoming Varahadeva; haila--became; murari-bhavane--in the house of Murari Gupta; tanra skandhe--on the shoulders of Murari Gupta; cadi'--riding; prabhu--the Lord; nacila--danced; angane--in the yard.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   One day Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu felt the ecstasy of the boar incarnation and got up on the shoulders of Murari Gupta. Thus they both danced in Murari Gupta's courtyard.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   One day Caitanya Mahaprabhu began to cry out, "Sukara! Sukara!" Thus crying out for the boar incarnation of the Lord, He assumed His form as the boar incarnation and got up on the shoulders of Murari Gupta. He carried a small gadu, a small waterpot with a nozzle, and thus He symbolically picked up the earth from the depths of the ocean, for this is the pastime of Lord Varaha.

 

                               TEXT 20

 

                                 TEXT

 

               tabe suklambarera kaila tandula-bhaksana

              'harer nama' slokera kaila artha vivarana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--thereafter; suklambarera--of Suklambara Brahmacari; kaila--did; tandula--raw rice; bhaksana--eating; harer nama slokera--of the verse celebrated as such; kaila--did; artha--of the meaning; vivarana--explanation.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After this incident the Lord ate raw rice given by Suklambara Brahmacari and explained very elaborately the import of the "harer nama" sloka mentioned in the Brhan-naradiya Purana.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Suklambara Brahmacari resided in Navadvipa on the bank of the Ganges. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was dancing in ecstasy, he approached the Lord with a begging bag containing rice. The Lord was so pleased with His devotee that immediately He snatched the bag and began to eat the raw rice. No one forbade Him, and thus He finished the entire supply of rice.

 

                               TEXT 21

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        harer nama harer nama

                        harer namaiva kevalam

                      kalau nasty eva nasty eva

                       nasty eva gatir anyatha

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   hareh nama--the holy name of the Lord; hareh nama--the holy name of the Lord; hareh nama--the holy name of the Lord; eva--certainly; kevalam--only; kalau--in the Age of Kali; na asti--there is none; eva--certainly; na asti--there is none; eva--certainly; na asti--there is none; eva--certainly; gatih--destination; anyatha--otherwise.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.'

 

                               TEXT 22

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  kali-kale nama-rupe krsna-avatara

                 nama haite haya sarva-jagat-nistara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kali-kale--in this Age of Kali; nama-rupe--in the form of the holy name; krsna--Lord Krsna; avatara--incarnation; nama--holy name; haite--from; haya--becomes; sarva--all; jagat--of the world; nistara--deliverance.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "In this Age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, is the incarnation of Lord Krsna. Simply by chanting the holy name, one associates with the Lord directly. Anyone who does this is certainly delivered.

 

                               TEXT 23

 

                                 TEXT

 

              dardhya lagi' 'harer nama'-ukti tina-vara

                 jada loka bujhaite punah 'eva'-kara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   dardhya lagi'--in the matter of emphasizing; harer nama--of the holy name of Lord Hari; ukti--there is utterance; tina-vara--three times; jada loka--ordinary common people; bujhaite--just to make them understand; punah--again; eva-kara--the word eva, or "certainly."

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "This verse repeats the word 'eva' ['certainly'] three times for emphasis, and it also three times repeats 'harer nama' ['the holy name of the Lord'], just to make common people understand.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   To emphasize something to an ordinary person, one may repeat it three times, just as one might say, "You must do this! You must do this! You must do this!" Thus the Brhan-naradiya Purana repeatedly emphasizes the chanting of the holy name so that people may take it seriously and thus free themselves from the clutches of maya. It is our practical experience in the Krsna consciousness movement all over the world that many millions of people are factually coming to the spiritual stage of life simply by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra regularly, according to the prescribed principles. Therefore our request to all our students is that they daily chant at least sixteen rounds of this harer nama maha-mantra offenselessly, following the regulative principles. Thus their success will be assured without a doubt.

 

                               TEXT 24

 

                                 TEXT

 

                'kevala'-sabde punarapi niscaya-karana

                  jnana-yoga-tapa-karma-adi nivarana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   'kevala'-sabde--by the word kevala, or "only"; punarapi--again; niscaya-karana--final decision; jnana--cultivation of knowledge; yoga--practice of the mystic yoga system; tapa--austerity; karma--fruitive activities; adi--and so on; nivarana--prohibition.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "The use of the word 'kevala' ['only'] prohibits all other processes, such as cultivation of knowledge, practice of mystic yoga, and performance of austerities and fruitive activities.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Our Krsna consciousness movement stresses the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra only, whereas those who do not know the secret of success for this Age of Kali unnecessarily indulge in the cultivation of knowledge, the practice of mystic yoga or the performance of fruitive activities or useless austerities. They are simply wasting their time and misleading their followers. When we point this out very plainly to an audience, members of opposing groups become angry at us. But according to the injunctions of the sastras, we cannot make compromises with these so-called jnanis, yogis, karmis and tapasvis. When they say they are as good as we are, we must say that only we are good and that they are not good. This is not our obstinacy; it is the injunction of the sastras. We must not deviate from the injunctions of the sastras. This is confirmed in the next verse of Caitanya-caritamrta.

 

                               TEXT 25

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 anyatha ye mane, tara nahika nistara

                nahi, nahi, nahi----e tina 'eva'-kara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   anyatha--otherwise; ye--anyone who; mane--accepts; tara--of him; nahika--there is no; nistara--deliverance; nahi nahi nahi--there is nothing else, nothing else, nothing else; e--in this; tina--three; eva-kara--bearing the meaning of emphasis.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "This verse clearly states that anyone who accepts any other path cannot be delivered. This is the reason for the triple repetition 'nothing else, nothing else, nothing else,' which emphasizes the real process of self-realization.

 

                               TEXT 26

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 trna haite nica hana sada labe nama

                  apani nirabhimani, anye dibe mana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   trna--grass; haite--than; nica--lower; hana--becoming; sada--always; labe--chant; nama--the holy name; apani--personally; nirabhimani--without honor; anye--unto others; dibe--you should give; mana--all respect.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "To chant the holy name always, one should be humbler than the grass in the street and devoid of all desire for personal honor, but one should offer others all respectful obeisances.

 

                               TEXT 27

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 taru-sama sahisnuta vaisnava karibe

                bhartsana-tadane kake kichu na balibe

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   taru-sama--like a tree; sahisnuta--forbearance; vaisnava--devotee; karibe--should practice; bhartsana--rebuking; tadane--chastising; kake--unto anyone; kichu--something; na--not; balibe--will utter.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "A devotee engaged in chanting the holy name of the Lord should practice forbearance like that of a tree. Even if rebuked or chastised, he should not say anything to others to retaliate.

 

                               TEXT 28

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  katileha taru yena kichu na bolaya

                  sukaiya mare, tabu jala na magaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   katileha--even being cut; taru--the tree; yena--as; kichu--something; na--not; bolaya--says; sukaiya--drying up; mare--dies; tabu--still; jala--water; na--does not; magaya--ask for.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "For even if one cuts a tree, it never protests, and even if it is drying up and dying it does not ask anyone for water.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   This practice of forbearance (trnad api sunicena) is very difficult, but when one actually engages in chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, the quality of forbearance automatically develops. A person advanced in spiritual consciousness through the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra need not practice to develop it separately, for a devotee develops all good qualities simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra regularly.

 

                               TEXT 29

 

                                 TEXT

 

                ei-mata vaisnava kare kichu na magiba

                ayacita-vrtti, kimva saka-phala khaiba

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ei-mata--in this way; vaisnava--a devotee; kare--from anyone; kichu--anything; na--not; magiba--shall ask for; ayacita-vrtti--the profession of not asking for anything; kimva--or; saka--vegetables; phala--fruits; khaiba--shall eat.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Thus a Vaisnava should not ask anything from anyone else. If someone gives him something without being asked, he should accept it, but if nothing comes, a Vaisnava should be satisfied to eat whatever vegetables and fruits are easily available.

 

                               TEXT 30

 

                                 TEXT

 

               sada nama la-iba, yatha-labhete santosa

                  eita acara kare bhakti-dharma-posa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sada--always; nama--the holy name; la-iba--one should chant; yatha--inasmuch as; labhete--gains; santosa--satisfaction; eita--this; acara--behavior; kare--does; bhakti-dharma--of devotional service; posa--maintenance.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "One should strictly follow the principle of always chanting the holy name, and one should be satisfied with whatever he gets easily. Such devotional behavior solidly maintains one's devotional service.

 

                               TEXT 31

 

                                 TEXT

 

                         trnad api su-nicena

                         taror iva sahisnuna

                          amanina mana-dena

                        kirtaniyah sada harih

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   trnat api--than downtrodden grass; su-nicena--being lower; taroh--than a tree; iva--like; sahisnuna--with tolerance; amanina--without being puffed up by false pride; mana-dena--giving respect to all; kirtaniyah--to be chanted; sada--always; harih--the holy name of the Lord.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord."

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The grass is specifically mentioned in this verse because everyone tramples upon it yet the grass never protests. This example indicates that a spiritual master or leader should not be proud of his position; being always humbler than an ordinary common man, he should go on preaching the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra.

 

                               TEXT 32

 

                                 TEXT

 

              urdhva-bahu kari' kahon, suna, sarva-loka

               nama-sutre ganthi' para kanthe ei sloka

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   urdhva-bahu--raising my hands; kari'--doing so; kahon--I declare; suna--please hear; sarva-loka--all persons; nama--of the holy name; sutre--on the thread; ganthi--stringing; para--get it; kanthe--on the neck; ei--this; sloka--verse.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Raising my hands, I declare, "Everyone please hear me! String this verse on the thread of the holy name and wear it on your neck for continuous remembrance."

 

                               PURPORT

 

   When chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, in the beginning one may commit many offenses, which are called namabhasa and nama-aparadha. In this stage there is no possibility of achieving perfect love of Krsna by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Therefore one must chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra according to the principles of the above verse, trnad api su-nicena taror iva sahisnuna. One should note in this connection that chanting involves the activities of the upper and lower lips as well as the tongue. All three must be engaged in chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. The words "Hare Krsna" should be very distinctly pronounced and heard. Sometimes one mechanically produces a hissing sound instead of chanting with the proper pronunciation with the help of the lips and tongue. Chanting is very simple, but one must practice it seriously. Therefore the author of Caitanya-caritamrta, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, advises everyone to keep this verse always strung about his neck.

 

                               TEXT 33

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 prabhu-ajnaya kara ei sloka acarana

                  avasya paibe tabe sri-krsna-carana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prabhu--of the Lord; ajnaya--on the order; kara--do; ei sloka--of this verse; acarana--practice; avasya--certainly; paibe--he will get; tabe--afterwards; sri-krsna-carana--the lotus feet of Lord Krsna.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   One must strictly follow the principles given by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in this verse. If one simply follows in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya and the Gosvamis, certainly he will achieve the ultimate goal of life, the lotus feet of Sri Krsna.

 

                               TEXT 34

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 tabe prabhu srivasera grhe nirantara

                ratre sankirtana kaila eka samvatsara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--thereafter; prabhu--the Lord, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; srivasera--of Srivasa Thakura; grhe--in the home; nirantara--always; ratre--at night; sankirtana--congregational chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra; kaila--performed; eka samvatsara--one full year.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu regularly led congregational chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra in the house of Srivasa Thakura every night for one full year.

 

                               TEXT 35

 

                                 TEXT

 

                kapata diya kirtana kare parama avese

                 pasandi hasite aise, na paya pravese

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kapata--door; diya--closing; kirtana--chanting; kare--performed; parama--very high; avese--in an ecstatic condition; pasandi--nonbelievers; hasite--to laugh; aise--come; na--does not; paya--get; pravese--entrance.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   This ecstatic chanting was performed with the doors closed so that nonbelievers who came to make fun could not gain entrance.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra is open to everyone, but sometimes nonbelievers come to disturb the ceremony of chanting. It is indicated herein that under such circumstances the temple doors should be closed. Only bona fide chanters should be admitted; others should not. But when there is large-scale congregational chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, we keep our temples for everyone to join, and by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu this policy has given good results.

 

                               TEXT 36

 

                                 TEXT

 

             kirtana suni' bahire tara jvali' pudi' mare

                srivasere duhkha dite nana yukti kare

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kirtana suni'--after hearing the chanting; bahire--outside; tara--the nonbelievers; jvali'--burned; pudi'--to ashes; mare--die; srivasere--unto Srivasa Thakura; duhkha--troubles; dite--to give; nana--various; yukti--plans; kare--do.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Thus the nonbelievers almost burned to ashes and died in envy. To retaliate, they planned various ways to give trouble to Srivasa Thakura.

 

                             TEXTS 37-38

 

                                 TEXT

 

               eka-dina vipra, nama----'gopala capala'

                pasandi-pradhana sei durmukha, vacala

 

                   bhavani-pujara saba samagri lana

                 ratre srivasera dvare sthana lepana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eka-dina--one day; vipra--one brahmana; nama--named; gopala capala--of the name Gopala Capala; pasandi-pradhana--the chief of the nonbelievers; sei--he; durmukha--ferocious, using strong words; vacala--talkative; bhavani-pujara--for worshiping the goddess Bhavani; saba--all; samagri--ingredients, paraphernalia; lana--taking; ratre--at night; srivasera--of Srivasa Thakura; dvare--on the door; sthana--the place; lepana--smearing.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   One night while kirtana was going on inside Srivasa Thakura's house, a brahmana named Gopala Capala, the chief of the nonbelievers, who was talkative and very rough in his speech, placed all the paraphernalia for worshiping the goddess Durga outside Srivasa Thakura's door.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   This brahmana, Gopala Capala, wanted to defame Srivasa Thakura by proving that he was actually a sakta, or a worshiper of Bhavani, the goddess Durga, but was externally posing as a Vaisnava. In Bengal there is perpetual competition between the devotees of Goddess Kali and the devotees of Lord Krsna. Generally Bengalis, especially those who are meat-eaters and drunkards, are very much attached to worshiping the goddesses Durga, Kali, Sitala and Candi. Such devotees, who are known as saktas, or worshipers of the sakti-tattva, are always envious of Vaisnavas. Since Srivasa Thakura was a well-known and respected Vaisnava in Navadvipa, Gopala Capala wanted to reduce his prestige by bringing him down to the platform of the saktas. Therefore outside Srivasa Thakura's door he placed various paraphernalia for worshiping Bhavani, the wife of Lord Siva, such as a red flower, a plantain leaf, a pot of wine, and reddish sandalwood paste. In the morning, when Srivasa Thakura saw all this paraphernalia in front of his door, he called for the respectable gentlemen of the neighborhood and showed them that at night he was worshiping Bhavani. Very much sorry, these gentlemen called for a sweeper to cleanse the place and purify it by sprinkling water and cow dung there. This incident concerning Gopala Capala is not mentioned in the Caitanya-bhagavata.

 

                               TEXT 39

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  kalara pata upare thuila oda-phula

             haridra, sindura ara rakta-candana, tandula

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kalara pata--a banana leaf; upare--upon it; thuila--placed; oda-phula--a particular type of flower; haridra--turmeric; sindura--vermilion; ara--and; rakta-candana--red sandalwood; tandula--rice.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   On the upper portion of a plantain leaf he placed such paraphernalia for worship as oda-phula, turmeric, vermilion, red sandalwood and rice.

 

                               TEXT 40

 

                                 TEXT

 

               madya-bhanda-pase dhari' nija-ghare gela

                 pratah-kale srivasa taha ta' dekhila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   madya-bhanda--a pot of wine; pase--by the side of; dhari'--placing; nija-ghare--to his own home; gela--went; pratah-kale--in the morning; srivasa--Srivasa Thakura; taha--all those things; ta'--certainly; dekhila--saw.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   He placed a pot of wine beside all this, and in the morning when Srivasa Thakura opened his door he saw this paraphernalia.

 

                               TEXT 41

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  bada bada loka saba anila bolaiya

                  sabare kahe srivasa hasiya hasiya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   bada bada--respectable; loka--persons; saba--all; anila--brought them; bolaiya--causing to be called; sabare--to everyone; kahe--addresses; srivasa--Srivasa Thakura; hasiya hasiya--while smiling.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Srivasa Thakura called for all the respectable gentlemen of the neighborhood and smilingly addressed them as follows.

 

                               TEXT 42

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 nitya ratre kari ami bhavani-pujana

                 amara mahima dekha, brahmana-sajjana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   nitya ratre--every night; kari--I do; ami--I; bhavani-pujana--worship of Bhavani, the wife of Lord Siva; amara--my; mahima--glories; dekha--you see; brahmana-sat-jana--all respectable brahmanas.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Gentlemen, every night I worship the goddess Bhavani. Since the paraphernalia for the worship is present here, now all you respectable brahmanas and members of the higher castes can understand my position."

 

                               PURPORT

 

   According to the Vedic system there are four castes--the brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras--and below them are the pancamas, who are lower than the sudras. The higher castes--the brahmanas, the ksatriyas and even the vaisyas--were known as brahmana-saj-jana. The brahmanas especially were known as sajjana, or respectable gentlemen who guided the entire society. If there were disputes in the village, people would approach these respectable brahmanas to settle them. Now it is very difficult to find such brahmanas and saj-janas, and thus every village and town is so disrupted that there is no peace and happiness anywhere. To revive a fully cultured civilization, the scientific division of society into brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras must be introduced all over the world. Unless some people are trained as brahmanas, there cannot be peace in human society.

 

                               TEXT 43

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  tabe saba sista-loka kare hahakara

                 aiche karma hetha kaila kon duracara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--thereafter; saba--all; sista-loka--gentlemen; kare--exclaimed; haha-kara--alas, alas; aiche--such; karma--activities; hetha--here; kaila--did; kon--who; duracara--sinful person.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Then all the assembled gentlemen exclaimed, "What is this? What is this? Who has performed such mischievous activities? Who is that sinful man?"

 

                               TEXT 44

 

                                 TEXT

 

                    hadike aniya saba dura karaila

                 jala-gomaya diya sei sthana lepaila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   hadike--a sweeper; aniya--calling; saba--all; dura karaila--caused to be thrown far; jala--water; gomaya--cow dung; diya--mixing; sei--that; sthana--place; lepaila--caused to be smeared over.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   They called for a sweeper [hadi], who threw all the items of worship far away and cleansed the place by mopping it with a mixture of water and cow dung.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The men in Vedic society who engage in public sanitary activities like picking up stool and sweeping the street are called hadis. Sometimes they are untouchable, especially when engaged in their profession, yet such hadis also have the right to become devotees. This is established by Sri Bhagavad-gita (9.32), where the Lord declares:

 

                      mam hi partha vyapasritya

                       ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah

                     striyo vaisyas tatha sudras

                       te 'pi yanti param gatim

 

   "O son of Prtha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth--women, vaisyas [ merchants], as well as sudras [workers]--can approach the supreme destination."

   There are many untouchables of the lower caste in India, but according to Vaisnava principles everyone is welcome to accept this Krsna consciousness movement on the spiritual platform of life and thus be freed from trouble. Equality or fraternity on the material platform is impossible.

   When Lord Caitanya declares, trnad api su-nicena taror iva sahisnuna, He indicates that one must be above the material conception of life. When one thoroughly understands that he is not the material body but a spiritual soul, he is even humbler than a man of the lower castes, for he is spiritually elevated. Such humility, in which one thinks himself lower than the grass, is called su-nicatva, and being more tolerant than a tree is called sahisnutva, forbearance. Being situated in devotional service, not caring for the material conception of life, is called amanitva, indifference to material respect; yet a devotee thus situated is called mana-da, for he is prepared to give honor to others without hesitation.

   Mahatma Gandhi started the hari-jana movement to purify the untouchables, but he was a failure because he thought that one could become a hari-jana, a personal associate of the Lord, through some kind of material adjustment. That is not possible. Unless one fully realizes that he is not the body but a spiritual soul, there is no question of his becoming a hari-jana. Those who do not follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His disciplic succession cannot distinguish between matter and spirit, and therefore all their ideas are but a mixed-up hodgepodge of problems. They are virtually lost in the bewildering network of Mayadevi.

 

                               TEXT 45

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  tina dina rahi' sei gopala-capala

               sarvange ha-ila kustha, vahe rakta-dhara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tina dina--three days; rahi'--remaining in that way; sei--that; gopala-capala--of the name Gopala Capala; sarva-ange--all over the body; ha-ila--became visible; kustha--leprosy; vahe--discharging; rakta-dhara--a flow of blood.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After three days, leprosy attacked Gopala Capala, and blood oozed from sores all over his body.

 

                               TEXT 46

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 sarvanga bedila kite, kate nirantara

                 asahya vedana, duhkhe jvalaye antara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sarva-anga--all over the body; bedila--became covered; kite--by insects; kate--biting; nirantara--always; asahya--unbearable; vedana--pain; duhkhe--in unhappiness; jvalaye--burns; antara--without cessation.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Incessantly covered with germs and insects biting him all over his body, Gopala Capala felt unbearable pain. His entire body burned in distress.

 

                               TEXT 47

 

                                 TEXT

 

                ganga-ghate vrksa-tale rahe ta' vasiya

                 eka dina bale kichu prabhuke dekhiya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ganga-ghate--on the bank of the Ganges; vrksa-tale--underneath a tree; rahe--remains; ta'--certainly; vasiya--sitting; eka dina--one day; bale--says; kichu--something; prabhuke--the Lord; dekhiya--seeing.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Since leprosy is an infectious disease, Gopala Capala left the village to sit down on the bank of the Ganges underneath a tree. One day, however, he saw Caitanya Mahaprabhu passing by and spoke to Him as follows.

 

                               TEXT 48

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  grama-sambandhe ami tomara matula

             bhagina, mui kustha-vyadhite hanachi vyakula

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   grama-sambandhe--in a village relationship; ami--I (am); tomara--Your; matula--maternal uncle; bhagina--nephew; mui--I; kustha-vyadhite--by the disease of leprosy; hanachi--have become; vyakula--too much afflicted.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "My dear nephew, I am Your maternal uncle in our village relationship. Please see how greatly this attack of leprosy has afflicted me.

 

                               TEXT 49

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  loka saba uddharite tomara avatara

                 muni bada dukhi, more karaha uddhara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   loka--people; saba--all; uddharite--to deliver; tomara--Your; avatara--incarnation; muni--I (am); bada--very; dukhi--unhappy; more--unto me; karaha--please do; uddhara--deliverance.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "As an incarnation of God, You are delivering so many fallen souls. I am also a greatly unhappy fallen soul. Kindly deliver me by Your mercy."

 

                               PURPORT

 

   It appears that although Gopala Capala was sinful, talkative and insulting, he nevertheless had the qualification of simplicity. Thus he believed Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who had come to deliver all fallen souls, and he appealed for his own deliverance, seeking the mercy of the Lord. He did not know, however, that the deliverance of the fallen does not consist of curing their bodily diseases, although it is also a fact that when a man is delivered from the material clutches his material bodily diseases are automatically cured. Gopala Capala simply wanted to be delivered from the bodily sufferings of leprosy, but Sri Caitanya, although accepting his sincere appeal, wanted to inform him of the real cause of suffering.

 

                               TEXT 50

 

                                 TEXT

 

              eta suni' mahaprabhura ha-ila kruddha mana

                 krodhavese bale tare tarjana-vacana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eta--thus; suni'--hearing; mahaprabhura--of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; ha-ila--there was; kruddha--angry; mana--mind; krodha-avese--out of intense anger; bale--says; tare--unto him; tarjana--chastising; vacana--words.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Hearing this, Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared greatly angry, and in that angry mood He spoke some words chastising him.

 

                               TEXT 51

 

                                 TEXT

 

              are papi, bhakta-dvesi, tore na uddharimu

                 koti-janma ei mate kidaya khaoyaimu

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   are--O; papi--you sinful person; bhakta-dvesi--envious of devotees; tore--you; na uddharimu--I shall not deliver; koti-janma--for ten million births; ei mate--in this way; kidaya--by the germs; khaoyaimu--I shall cause you to be bitten.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "O sinful person, envious of pure devotees, I shall not deliver you! Rather, I shall have you bitten by these germs for many millions of years.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   We should note herein that all our sufferings in this material world, especially from disease, are due to our past sinful activities. And of all sinful activities, actions directed against a pure devotee out of sheer envy are considered extremely severe. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted Gopala Capala to understand the cause of his suffering. Any person who disturbs a pure devotee engaged in broadcasting the holy name of the Lord is certainly punished like Gopala Capala. This is the instruction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. As we shall see, one who offends a pure devotee can never satisfy Caitanya Mahaprabhu unless and until he sincerely regrets his offense and thus rectifies it.

 

                               TEXT 52

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  srivase karaili tui bhavani-pujana

                 koti janma habe tora raurave patana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   srivase--unto Srivasa Thakura; karaili--you have caused to do; tui--you; bhavani-pujana--worshiping the goddess Bhavani; koti janma--for ten million births; habe--there will be; tora--your; raurave--in hell; patana--fall down.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "You have made Srivasa Thakura appear to have been worshiping the goddess Bhavani. Simply for this offense, you will have to fall down into hellish life for ten million births.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   There are many tantric followers who practice the black art of worshiping the goddess Bhavani in a crematorium, wishing to eat meat and drink wine. Such fools also consider this bhavani-puja as good as worship of Lord Krsna in devotional service. Such abominable tantric activities performed by so-called svamis and yogis are herein condemned, however, by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He declares that such bhavani-puja for drinking wine and eating meat quickly plunges one into hellish life. The method of worship itself is already hellish, and its results must also be hellish and nothing more.

   Many rascals say that whatever way one accepts, one will ultimately reach Brahman. Yet we can see from this verse how such persons reach Brahman. Brahman spreads everywhere, but appreciation of Brahman in different objects leads to different results. In the Bhagavad-gita (4.11) the Lord says, ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham: "I reward everyone according to his surrender unto Me." Mayavadis certainly realize Brahman in certain aspects, but realization of Brahman in the aspects of wine, women and meat is not the same realization of Brahman that devotees achieve by chanting, dancing and eating prasada. Mayavadi philosophers, being educated in paltry knowledge, think all sorts of Brahman realization one and the same and do not consider varieties. But although Krsna is everywhere, by His inconceivable potency He is simultaneously not everywhere. Thus the Brahman realization of the tantric cult is not the same Brahman realization as that of pure devotees. Unless one reaches the highest point of Brahman realization, Krsna consciousness, he is punishable. All people except Krsna conscious devotees are to some proportion pasandis, or demons, and thus they are punishable by the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, as stated below.

 

                               TEXT 53

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  pasandi samharite mora ei avatara

                pasandi samhari' bhakti karimu pracara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   pasandi--demons, atheists; samharite--to kill; mora--My; ei--this; avatara--incarnation; pasandi--atheist; samhari'--killing; bhakti--devotional service; karimu--I shall do; pracara--preaching.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "I have appeared in this incarnation to kill the demons [pasandis] and, after killing them, to preach the cult of devotional service."

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Lord Caitanya's mission is the same as that of Lord Krsna, as He states in the Bhagavad-gita (4.7-8):

 

                        yada yada hi dharmasya

                        glanir bhavati bharata

                       abhyutthanam adharmasya

                        tadatmanam srjamy aham

 

                         paritranaya sadhunam

                         vinasaya ca duskrtam

                       dharma-samsthapanarthaya

                         sambhavami yuge yuge

 

   "Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion--at that time I descend Myself. In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium"

   As explained here, the real purpose of an incarnation of Godhead is to kill the atheists and maintain the devotees. He does not say, like so many rascal incarnations, that both atheists and devotees are on the same platform. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, or Lord Sri Krsna, the real Personality of Godhead, does not advocate such an idea.

   Atheists are punishable, whereas devotees are to be protected. To maintain this principle is the mission of all avataras, or incarnations. One must therefore identify an incarnation by His activities, not by popular votes or mental concoctions. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave protection to devotees and killed many demons in the course of His preaching work. He specifically mentioned that the Mayavadi philosophers are the greatest demons. Therefore He warned all others not to hear the Mayavada philosophy. Mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa. Simply by hearing the Mayavada interpretation of the sastras, one is doomed (Cc. Madhya 6.169).

 

                               TEXT 54

 

                                 TEXT

 

               eta bali' gela prabhu karite ganga-snana

                sei papi duhkha bhoge, na yaya parana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eta bali'--saying this; gela--went away; prabhu--the Lord; karite--to take; ganga-snana--a bath in the Ganges; sei--that; papi--sinful man; duhkha--pains; bhoge--suffers; na--not; yaya--go away; parana--the life.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After saying this, the Lord left to take His bath in the Ganges, and that sinful man did not give up his life but continued to suffer.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   It appears that an offender to a Vaisnava continues to suffer and does not give up his life. We have actually seen that a great vaisnava-aparadhi is continuously suffering so much that it is difficult for him to move, and yet he does not die.

 

                             TEXTS 55-56

 

                                 TEXT

 

              sannyasa kariya yabe prabhu nilacale gela

                  tatha haite yabe kuliya grame aila

 

                 tabe sei papi prabhura la-ila sarana

                   hita upadesa kaila ha-iya karuna

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sannyasa kariya--after accepting the renounced order of life; yabe--when; prabhu--Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nilacale--to Jagannatha Puri; gela--went; tatha haite--from there; yabe--when; kuliya--of the name Kuliya; grame--to the village; aila--came back; tabe--at that time; sei--that; papi--sinful man; prabhura--of the Lord; la-ila--took; sarana--shelter; hita--beneficial; upadesa--advice; kaila--gave; ha-iya--becoming; karuna--merciful.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   When Sri Caitanya, after accepting the renounced order of life, went to Jagannatha Puri and then came back to the village of Kuliya, upon His return that sinful man took shelter at the Lord's lotus feet. The Lord, being merciful to him, gave him instructions for his benefit.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, in his Anubhasya, has given the following note in connection with the village Kuliya. The village originally known as Kuliya has developed into what is now the city of Navadvipa. In various authorized books like Bhakti-ratnakara, Caitanya-carita-mahakavya, Caitanya-candrodaya-nataka and Caitanya-bhagavata it is mentioned that the village Kuliya is on the western side of the Ganges. Even now, within the area known as Koladvipa, there is a place known as kuliara ganja and a place called kuliara daha, both within the jurisdiction of the present municipality of Navadvipa. In the time of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu there were two villages, named Kuliya and Pahadapura, on the western side of the Ganges, both belonging to the jurisdiction of Bahiradvipa. At that time the place on the eastern side of the Ganges now known as Antardvipa was known as Navadvipa. At Sri Mayapur that place is still known as Dvipera Matha. There is another place of the name Kuliya near Kancadapada, but it is not the same Kuliya mentioned here. It cannot be accepted as aparadha-bhanjanera pata, or the place where the offense was excused, for that occurred in the above-mentioned Kuliya on the western side of the Ganges. For business reasons many envious persons oppose excavation of the real place, and sometimes they advertise unauthorized places as the authorized one.

 

                             TEXTS 57-58

 

                                 TEXT

 

                srivasa panditera sthane ache aparadha

                tatha yaha, tenho yadi karena prasada

 

                   tabe tora habe ei papa-vimocana

                  yadi punah aiche nahi kara acarana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   srivasa panditera--of Srivasa Thakura; sthane--at the lotus feet; ache--there is; aparadha--offense; tatha--there; yaha--go; tenho--he; yadi--if; karena--does; prasada--blessings; tabe--then; tora--your; habe--there will be; ei--this; papa-vimocana--immunity from sinful reaction; yadi--if; punah--again; aiche--such; nahi kara--you do not commit; acarana--behavior.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "You have committed an offense at the lotus feet of Srivasa Thakura," the Lord said. "First you must go there and beg for his mercy, and then if he gives you his blessings and you do not commit such sins again, you will be freed from these reactions."

 

                               TEXT 59

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 tabe vipra la-ila asi srivasa sarana

                  tanhara krpaya haila papa-vimocana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--after that; vipra--the brahmana (Gopala Capala); la-ila--took shelter; asi--coming; srivasa--Srivasa Thakura; sarana--shelter of his lotus feet; tanhara krpaya--by his mercy; haila--became; papa-vimocana--free from all sinful reaction.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Then the brahmana, Gopala Capala, went to Srivasa Thakura and took shelter of his lotus feet, and by Srivasa Thakura's mercy he was freed from all sinful reactions.

 

                               TEXT 60

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  ara eka vipra aila kirtana dekhite

               dvare kapata,----na paila bhitare yaite

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ara--another; eka--one; vipra--brahmana; aila--came; kirtana--chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra; dekhite--to see; dvare--in the gateway; kapata--the door (being closed); na paila--did not get; bhitare--inside; yaite--to go.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Another brahmana also came to see the kirtana performance, but the door was closed, and he could not enter the hall.

 

                               TEXT 61

 

                                 TEXT

 

               phiri' gela vipra ghare mane duhkha pana

               ara dina prabhuke kahe gangaya laga pana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   phiri' gela--went back; vipra--the brahmana; ghare--to his home; mane--within his mind; duhkha--unhappiness; pana--getting; ara dina--the next day; prabhuke--unto the Lord; kahe--says; gangaya--on the bank of the Ganges; laga--touch; pana--getting.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   He returned home with an unhappy mind, but on the next day he met Lord Caitanya on the bank of the Ganges and spoke to Him.

 

                               TEXT 62

 

                                 TEXT

 

               sapiba tomare muni, panachi mano-duhkha

                paita chindiya sape pracanda durmukha

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sapiba--I shall curse; tomare--You; muni--I; panachi--I have; manah-duhkha--mentally very much aggrieved; paita--sacred thread; chindiya--breaking; sape--cursing; pracanda--fiercely; durmukha--one who speaks harshly.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   That brahmana was expert in talking harshly and cursing others. Thus he broke his sacred thread and declared, "I shall now curse You, for Your behavior has greatly aggrieved me."

 

                               TEXT 63

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  samsara-sukha tomara ha-uka vinasa

               sapa suni' prabhura citte ha-ila ullasa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   samsara-sukha--material happiness; tomara--Your; ha-uka--may it become; vinasa--all vanquished; sapa suni'--hearing this curse; prabhura--of the Lord; citte--within His mind; ha-ila--there was; ullasa--jubilation.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The brahmana cursed the Lord, "You shall be bereft of all material happiness!" When the Lord heard this, He felt great jubilation within Himself.

 

                               TEXT 64

 

                                 TEXT

 

               prabhura sapa-varta yei sune sraddhavan

                brahma-sapa haite tara haya paritrana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prabhura--of the Lord; sapa-varta--the incident of the curse; yei--anyone who; sune--hears; sraddhavan--with affection; brahma-sapa--cursing by a brahmana; haite--from; tara--his; haya--becomes; paritrana--deliverance.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Any faithful person who hears of this brahmana's cursing Lord Caitanya is delivered from all brahminical curses.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   One should know with firm conviction that the Lord, being transcendental, is never subject to any curse or benediction. Only ordinary living entities are subjected to curses and the punishments of Yamaraja. As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is beyond such punishments and benedictions.When one understands this fact with faith and love, he personally becomes free from all curses uttered by brahmanas or anyone else. This incident is not mentioned in the Caitanya-bhagavata.

 

                               TEXT 65

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 mukunda-dattere kaila danda-parasada

                 khandila tahara cittera saba avasada

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   mukunda-dattere--unto Mukunda Datta; kaila--did; danda--punishment; parasada--benediction; khandila--vanquished; tahara--his; cittera--of the mind; saba--all kinds of; avasada--depressions.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu blessed Mukunda Datta with punishment and in that way vanquished all his mental depression.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Mukunda Datta was once forbidden to enter the association of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu because of his mixing with the Mayavadi impersonalists. When Lord Caitanya manifested His maha-prakasa, He called all the devotees one after another and blessed them, while Mukunda Datta stood outside the door. The devotees informed the Lord that Mukunda Datta was waiting outside, but the Lord replied, "I shall not soon be pleased with Mukunda Datta, for he explains devotional service among devotees, but then he goes to Mayavadis to hear from them the Yoga-vasistha-ramayana, which is full of Mayavada philosophy. For this I am greatly displeased with him." Hearing the Lord speak in that way, Mukunda Datta, standing outside, was exceedingly glad that the Lord would at some time be pleased with him, although He was not pleased at that moment. But when the Lord understood that Mukunda Datta was going to give up the association of the Mayavadis for good, He was pleased, and He at once called to see Mukunda. Thus He delivered him from the association of the Mayavadis and gave him the association of pure devotees.

 

                               TEXT 66

 

                                 TEXT

 

               acarya-gosanire prabhu kare guru-bhakti

                 tahate acarya bada haya duhkha-mati

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   acarya-gosanire--unto Advaita Acarya; prabhu--the Lord; kare--does; guru-bhakti--offering respects like a spiritual master; tahate--in that way; acarya--Advaita Acarya; bada--very; haya--becomes; duhkha-mati--aggrieved.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Lord Caitanya respected Advaita Acarya as His spiritual master, but Advaita Acarya Prabhu was greatly aggrieved by such behavior.

 

                               TEXT 67

 

                                 TEXT

 

              bhangi kari' jnana-marga karila vyakhyana

                krodhavese prabhu tare kaila avajnana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   bhangi kari'--doing it in fun; jnana-marga--the path of philosophical speculation; karila--did; vyakhyana--explanation; krodha-avese--in the mood of anger; prabhu--the Lord; tare--to Him; kaila--did; avajnana--disrespect.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Thus He whimsically began to explain the path of philosophical speculation, and the Lord, in His anger, seemingly disrespected Him.

 

                               TEXT 68

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  tabe acarya-gosanira ananda ha-ila

                 lajjita ha-iya prabhu prasada karila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--at that time; acarya-gosanira--of Advaita Acarya; ananda--pleasure; ha-ila--aroused; lajjita--ashamed; ha-iya--becoming; prabhu--the Lord; prasada--benediction; karila--offered.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   At that time Advaita Acarya was greatly pleased. The Lord understood this, and He was somewhat ashamed, but He offered Advaita Acarya His benediction.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Advaita Acarya was a disciple of Madhavendra Puri, Isvara Puri's spiritual master. Therefore Isvara Puri, the spiritual master of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, was Advaita Acarya's Godbrother. As such, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu treated Advaita Acarya as His spiritual master, but Sri Advaita Acarya did not like this behavior of Lord Caitanya, for He wanted to be treated as His eternal servant. Advaita Prabhu's aspiration was to be a servant of the Lord, not His spiritual master. He therefore devised a plan to antagonize the Lord. He began to explain the path of philosophical speculation in the midst of some unfortunate Mayavadis, and when Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard about this, He immediately went there and in a very angry mood began to beat Advaita Acarya. At that time, Advaita Acarya, greatly pleased, began to dance, saying, "Just see how My desire has now been fulfilled! Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to treat Me honorably for so long, but now He is treating Me neglectfully. This is My reward. His affection for Me is so great that He wanted to save Me from the hands of the Mayavadis." Hearing this statement, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was somewhat ashamed, but He was very much pleased with Advaita Acarya.

 

                               TEXT 69

 

                                 TEXT

 

               murari-gupta-mukhe suni' rama-guna-grama

                 lalate likhila tanra 'ramadasa' nama

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   murari-gupta--of Murari Gupta; mukhe--from the mouth; suni'--hearing; rama--of Lord Ramacandra; guna-grama--glories; lalate--on the forehead; likhila--wrote; tanra--of Murari Gupta; rama-dasa--the eternal servant of Lord Ramacandra; nama--the name.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Murari Gupta was a great devotee of Lord Ramacandra. When Lord Caitanya heard Lord Ramacandra's glories from his mouth, He immediately wrote on his forehead "ramadasa" [the eternal servant of Lord Ramacandra].

 

                               TEXT 70

 

                                 TEXT

 

                sridharera lauha-patre kaila jala-pana

                 samasta bhaktere dila ista vara-dana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sridharera--of Sridhara; lauha-patre--from the iron pot; kaila--did; jala-pana--drinking of water; samasta--all; bhaktere--to the devotees; dila--gave; ista--desired; vara-dana--benediction.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Once Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to the house of Sridhara after kirtana and drank water from his damaged iron pot. Then He bestowed His benediction upon all the devotees according to their desires.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   After the mass nagara-sankirtana in protest against the magistrate Chand Kazi, the Kazi was converted to a devotee. Then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu returned with His sankirtana party to the house of Sridhara, and Chand Kazi followed Him. All the devotees rested there for some time and drank water from Sridhara's damaged iron pot. The Lord accepted the water because the pot belonged to a devotee. Chand Kazi then returned home. The place where they rested is still situated on the northeastern side of Mayapur, and it is known as kirtana-visrama-sthana, "the resting place of the kirtana party."

 

                               TEXT 71

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  haridasa thakurere karila prasada

               acarya-sthane matara khandaila aparadha

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   haridasa thakurere--unto Haridasa Thakura; karila--did; prasada--benediction; acarya-sthane--in the home of Advaita Acarya; matara--of Sacimata; khandaila--vanquished; aparadha--the offense.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After this incident the Lord blessed Haridasa Thakura and vanquished the offense of His mother at the home of Advaita Acarya.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   On the maha-prakasa day, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced Haridasa Thakura and informed him that he was none other than an incarnation of Prahlada Maharaja. When Visvarupa took sannyasa, Sacimata thought that Advaita Acarya had persuaded Him to do so. Therefore she accused Him of this, which was an offense at Advaita Acarya's lotus feet. Later Lord Caitanya induced His mother to take the dust of Advaita Acarya's lotus feet, and thus her vaisnava-aparadha was nullified.

 

                               TEXT 72

 

                                 TEXT

 

                bhakta-gane prabhu nama-mahima kahila

                 suniya paduya tahan artha-vada kaila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   bhakta-gane--unto the devotees; prabhu--the Lord; nama-mahima--glories of the holy name; kahila--explained; suniya--hearing; paduya--the students; tahan--there; artha-vada--interpretation; kaila--did.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Once the Lord explained the glories of the holy name to the devotees, but some ordinary students who heard Him fashioned their own interpretation.

 

                               TEXT 73

 

                                 TEXT

 

             name stuti-vada suni' prabhura haila duhkha

             sabare nisedhila,----ihara na dekhiha mukha

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   name--in the holy name of the Lord; stuti-vada--exaggeration; suni'--hearing; prabhura--of the Lord; haila--became; duhkha--aggrieved; sabare--unto everyone; nisedhila--warned; ihara--of him; na--do not; dekhiha--see; mukha--face.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   When a student interpreted the glories of the holy name as a prayer of exaggeration, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, greatly unhappy, immediately warned everyone not to see the student's face henceforward.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained the glories of the transcendental potency of the Lord's holy name, the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, one unfortunate student said that such glorification of the holy name was an exaggeration in the sastras to induce people to take to it. In this way the student interpreted the glories of the holy name. This is called artha-vada, and it is one of the ten offenses at the lotus feet of the holy name of the Lord. There are many kinds of offenses, but the offense known as nama-aparadha, an offense at the lotus feet of the holy name, is extremely dangerous. The Lord therefore warned everyone not to see the face of the offender. He immediately took a bath in the Ganges with all His clothes to teach everyone to avoid such a nama-aparadha. The holy name is identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no difference between the person God and His holy name. This is the absolute position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore one who distinguishes between the Lord and His name is called a pasandi, or nonbeliever, an atheistic demon. Glorification of the holy name is glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should never attempt to distinguish between the Lord and His name or interpret the glories of the holy name as mere exaggerations.

 

                               TEXT 74

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 sagane sacele giya kaila ganga-snana

                bhaktira mahima tahan karila vyakhyana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sa-gane--with His followers; sa-cele--without leaving the clothes; giya--going; kaila--did; ganga-snana--bathing in the Ganges; bhaktira--of devotional service; mahima--glories; tahan--there; karila--did; vyakhyana--explanation.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Without even changing His garments, Lord Caitanya took a bath in the Ganges with His companions. There He explained the glories of devotional service.

 

                               TEXT 75

 

                                 TEXT

 

               jnana-karma-yoga-dharme nahe krsna vasa

               krsna-vasa-hetu eka----prema-bhakti-rasa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   jnana--the path of speculative knowledge; karma--fruitive activities; yoga--the process of controlling the senses; dharme--in the activities, in such an occupation; nahe--is not; krsna--Lord Krsna; vasa--pleased; krsna--of Lord Krsna; vasa--for the pleasure; hetu--reason; eka--one; prema--love; bhakti--devotional service; rasa--such a mellow.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "By following the paths of speculative philosophical knowledge, fruitive activity or mystic yoga to control the senses, one cannot satisfy Krsna, the Supreme Lord. Unalloyed devotional love for Krsna is the only cause for the Lord's satisfaction.

 

                               TEXT 76

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        na sadhayati mam yogo

                      na sankhyam dharma uddhava

                      na svadhyayas tapas tyago

                       yatha bhaktir mamorjita

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   na--never; sadhayati--causes to remain satisfied; mam--Me; yogah--the process of control; na--nor; sankhyam--the process of gaining philosophical knowledge about the Absolute Truth; dharmah--such an occupation; uddhava--My dear Uddhava; na--nor; svadhyayah--study of the Vedas; tapah--austerities; tyagah--renunciation, acceptance of sannyasa, or charity; yatha--as much as; bhaktih--devotional service; mama--unto Me; urjita--developed.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "[The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, said:] 'My dear Uddhava, neither through astanga-yoga [the mystic yoga system to control the senses], nor through impersonal monism or an analytical study of the Absolute Truth, nor through study of the Vedas, nor through practice of austerities, nor through charity, nor through acceptance of sannyasa can one satisfy Me as much as one can by developing unalloyed devotional service unto Me.' "

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Karmis, jnanis, yogis, tapasvis and students of Vedic literature who do not have Krsna consciousness simply beat around the bush and do not get any final profit because they have no clear knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nor do they have faith in approaching Him by discharging devotional service, although everywhere such service is repeatedly emphasized, as it is in this verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.14.20). The Bhagavad-gita (Bg. 18.55) also declares, bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah: "One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service." If one wants to understand the Supreme Personality factually, he must take to the path of devotional service and not waste time in profitless philosophical speculation, fruitive activity, mystic yogic practice or severe austerity and penance. Elsewhere in the Bhagavad-gita (12.5) the Lord confirms, kleso 'dhikataras tesam avyaktasakta-cetasam: "For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome." People who are attached to the impersonal feature of the Lord are obliged to take great trouble, yet nevertheless they cannot understand the Absolute Truth. As explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.11), brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. Unless one understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original source of both Brahman and Paramatma, one is still in darkness about the AbsoluteTruth.

 

                               TEXT 77

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 murarike kahe tumi krsna vasa kaila

                  suniya murari sloka kahite lagila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   murarike--unto Murari; kahe--says; tumi--you; krsna--Lord Krsna; vasa--satisfied; kaila--made; suniya--hearing; murari--of the name Murari; sloka--verse; kahite--to speak; lagila--began.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Lord Caitanya then praised Murari Gupta, saying, "You have satisfied Lord Krsna." Hearing this, Murari Gupta quoted a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam.

 

                               TEXT 78

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       kvaham daridrah papiyan

                       kva krsnah sri-niketanah

                      brahma-bandhur iti smaham

                       bahubhyam parirambhitah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kva--whereas; aham--I (am); daridrah--very poor; papiyan--sinful; kva--whereas; krsnah--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sri-niketanah--the shelter of the goddess of fortune; brahma-bandhuh--a caste brahmana without brahminical qualifications; iti--thus; sma--certainly; aham--I (am); bahubhyam--by the arms; parirambhitah--embraced.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'Since I am but a poor, sinful brahma-bandhu, not brahminically qualified although born in a brahmana family, and You, Lord Krsna, are the shelter of the goddess of fortune, it is simply wonderful, my dear Lord Krsna, that You have embraced me with Your arms.' "

 

                               PURPORT

 

   This is a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.81.16) spoken by Sudama Vipra in the presence of Lord Sri Krsna. This and the previous verse quoted from Srimad-Bhagavatam clearly indicate that although Krsna is so great that it is not possible for anyone to satisfy Him, He exhibits His greatness by being personally satisfied even with one who is disqualified from so many angles of vision. Sudama Vipra was born in a family of brahmanas, and he was a learned scholar and a class friend of Krsna's, yet he considered himself unfit to be strictly called a brahmana. He called himself a brahma-bandhu, meaning "one born in a brahmana family but not brahminically qualified." Because of His great respect for brahmanas, however, Krsna embraced Sudama Vipra, although he was not a regular brahmana but a brahma-bandhu, or friend of a brahmana family. Murari Gupta could not be called even a brahma-bandhu because he was born of a vaidya family and according to the social structure was therefore considered a sudra. But Krsna bestowed special mercy upon Murari Gupta because he was a beloved devotee of the Lord, as stated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The purport of Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's elaborate discussion of this subject is that no qualification in this material world can satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, yet everything becomes successful simply through development of devotional service to the Lord.

   The members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness cannot even call themselves brahma-bandhus. Therefore our only means for satisfying Krsna is to pursue the injunctions of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who says:

 

                yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa

                 amara ajnaya guru hana tara' ei desa

 

   "Whomever you meet, instruct him on the teachings of Krsna. In this way, on My order, become a spiritual master and deliver the people of this country." (Cc. Madhya 7.128) Simply trying to follow the orders of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we speak to the people of the world about Bhagavad-gita As It Is. This will make us qualified to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna.

 

                               TEXT 79

 

                                 TEXT

 

                eka-dina prabhu saba bhakta-gana lana

               sankirtana kari' vaise srama-yukta hana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eka-dina--one day; prabhu--the Lord; saba--all; bhakta-gana--devotees; lana--taking into company; sankirtana--chanting the Hare Krsna mantra; kari'--doing so; vaise--sat; srama-yukta--feeling fatigued; hana--thus being.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   One day the Lord performed sankirtana with all His devotees, and when they were greatly fatigued they sat down.

 

                               TEXT 80

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  eka amra-bija prabhu angane ropila

                tat-ksane janmila vrksa badite lagila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eka--one; amra-bija--seed of a mango; prabhu--the Lord; angane--in the yard; ropila--sowed; tat-ksane--immediately; janmila--fructified; vrksa--a tree; badite--to grow; lagila--began.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Lord then sowed a mango seed in the yard, and immediately the seed fructified into a tree and began to grow.

 

                               TEXT 81

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 dekhite dekhite vrksa ha-ila phalita

                  pakila aneka phala, sabei vismita

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   dekhite dekhite--as people were seeing; vrksa--the tree; ha-ila--became; phalita--fully grown with fruits; pakila--ripened; aneka--many; phala--fruits; sabei--every one of them; vismita--struck with wonder.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   As people looked on, the tree became fully grown, with fruits that fully ripened. Thus everyone was struck with wonder.

 

                               TEXT 82

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 sata dui phala prabhu sighra padaila

                 praksalana kari' krsne bhoga lagaila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sata--hundred; dui--two; phala--fruits; prabhu--the Lord; sighra--very soon; padaila--caused to be picked up; praksalana--washing; kari'--doing; krsne--to Lord Krsna; bhoga--offering; lagaila--made it so.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Lord immediately picked about two hundred fruits, and after washing them He offered them to Krsna to eat.

 

                               TEXT 83

 

                                 TEXT

 

               rakta-pita-varna,----nahi asthi-valkala

                eka janera peta bhare khaile eka phala

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   rakta-pita-varna--the mangoes were red and yellow in color; nahi--there was none; asthi--seed; valkala--or skin; eka--one; janera--man's; peta--belly; bhare--filled up; khaile--if he would eat; eka--one; phala--fruit.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The fruits were all red and yellow, with no seed inside and no skin outside, and eating one fruit would immediately fill a man's belly.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In India a mango is considered best when it is red and yellow, its seed is very small, its skin is very thin, and it is so palatable that if a person eats one fruit he will be satisfied. The mango is considered the king of all fruits.

 

                               TEXT 84

 

                                 TEXT

 

                dekhiya santusta haila sacira nandana

                 sabake khaoyala age kariya bhaksana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   dekhiya--seeing this; santusta--satisfied; haila--became; sacira--of mother Saci; nandana--son; sabake--everyone; khaoyala--made to eat; age--in the beginning; kariya--doing; bhaksana--eating Himself.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Seeing the quality of the mangoes, the Lord was greatly satisfied, and thus after eating first, He fed all the other devotees.

 

                               TEXT 85

 

                                 TEXT

 

                asthi-valkala nahi,----amrta-rasamaya

                  eka phala khaile rase udara puraya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   asthi--seed; valkala--skin; nahi--there is none; amrta--nectar; rasa-maya--full of juice; eka--one; phala--fruit; khaile--if one eats; rase--with the juice; udara--belly; puraya--fulfilled.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The fruits had no seeds or skins. They were full of nectarean juice and were so sweet that a man would be fully satisfied by eating only one.

 

                               TEXT 86

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  ei-mata pratidina phale bara masa

              vaisnava khayena phala,----prabhura ullasa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ei-mata--in this way; prati-dina--every day; phale--fruit grew; bara--twelve; masa--months; vaisnava--the Vaisnavas; khayena--eat; phala--the fruits; prabhura--the Lord's; ullasa--satisfaction.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In this way, fruits grew on the tree every day throughout the twelve months of the year, and the Vaisnavas used to eat them, to the Lord's great satisfaction.

 

                               TEXT 87

 

                                 TEXT

 

                   ei saba lila kare sacira nandana

                 anya loka nahi jane vina bhakta-gana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ei saba--all these; lila--pastimes; kare--performed; sacira--of mother Saci; nandana--son; anya loka--other people; nahi--do not; jane--know; vina--except; bhakta-gana--the devotees.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   These are confidential pastimes of the son of Saci. Other than devotees, no one knows of this incident.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Nondevotees cannot believe this incident, yet the place where the tree grew still exists in Mayapur. It is called Amra-ghatta or Ama-ghata.

 

                               TEXT 88

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  ei mata bara-masa kirtana-avasane

                 amra-mahotsava prabhu kare dine dine

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ei mata--in this way; bara-masa--for twelve months; kirtana--chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra; avasane--at the end; amra-maha-utsava--festival of eating mangoes; prabhu--the Lord; kare--performs; dine dine--every day.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In this way the Lord Performed sankirtana every day, and at the end of sankirtana there was a mango-eating festival every day for twelve months.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   On principle, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu would distribute prasada at the end of kirtana performances. Similarly, the members of the Krsna consciousness movement must distribute some prasada to the audience after performing kirtana.

 

                               TEXT 89

 

                                 TEXT

 

                kirtana karite prabhu aila megha-gana

                  apana-icchaya kaila megha nivarana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kirtana--sankirtana; karite--performing; prabhu--the Lord; aila--there was; megha-gana--bunches of clouds; apana-icchaya--by self-will; kaila--made; megha--of the clouds; nivarana--stopping.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Once while Caitanya Mahaprabhu was performing kirtana, clouds assembled in the sky, and the Lord, by His own will, immediately stopped them from pouring rain.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In this connection Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that once when Lord Caitanya was performing sankirtana a short way from the village, some clouds appeared overhead. By the supreme will of the Lord, the clouds were asked to disperse, and they did. Because of this incident, that place is still known as Meghera-cara. Since the course of the Ganges has now changed, the village of the name Belapukhuriya, which was formerly situated in a different place, called Taranavasa, has now become known as the Meghera-cara. The Madhya-khanda of the Caitanya-mangala also relates that once at the end of the day, when evening clouds assembled overhead and thundered threateningly, all the Vaisnavas were very much afraid. But the Lord took His karatalas in His hands and personally began chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, looking up towards the sky as if to direct the demigods in the higher planets. Thus all the assembled clouds dispersed, and as the sky became clear, with the moon rising, the Lord began dancing very happily with His jubilant and satisfied devotees.

 

                               TEXT 90

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 eka-dina prabhu srivasere ajna dila

             'brhat sahasra-nama' pada, sunite mana haila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eka-dina--one day; prabhu--the Lord; srivasere--unto Srivasa Thakura; ajna--order; dila--gave; brhat--great; sahasra-nama--one thousand names; pada--read; sunite--to hear; mana--mind; haila--wanted.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   One day the Lord ordered Srivasa Thakura to read the Brhat-sahasra-nama [the thousand names of Lord Visnu], for He wanted to hear them at that time.

 

                               TEXT 91

 

                                 TEXT

 

                   padite aila stave nrsimhera nama

                suniya avista haila prabhu gauradhama

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   padite--while reading; aila--came; stave--in the prayer; nrsimhera--of Lord Nrsimha; nama--the holy name; suniya--hearing; avista--absorbed; haila--became; prabhu--Lord; gaura-dhama--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   As he read the thousand names of the Lord, in due course the holy name of Lord Nrsimha appeared. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard the holy name of Lord Nrsimha, He became fully absorbed in thought.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The Caitanya-mangala, Madhya-khanda, describes this incident as follows: Srivasa Pandita was performing the sraddha ceremony of his father, and as is customary, he was hearing the thousand names of Lord Visnu. At that time Gaurahari (Lord Caitanya) appeared on the scene, and He also began to hear the thousand names of Visnu with full satisfaction. When He thus heard the holy name of Lord Nrsimha, Lord Caitanya became absorbed in thought, and He became angry like Nrsimha Prabhu in His angry mood. His eyes became red, His hairs stood on end, all the parts of His body trembled, and He made a thundering sound. All of a sudden He took up a club, and people became greatly afraid, thinking, "We do not know what kind of offense we have now committed!" But then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu adjusted His thoughts and sat down on His seat.

 

                               TEXT 92

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 nrsimha-avese prabhu hate gada lana

                  pasandi marite yaya nagare dhaiya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   nrsimha-avese--in the ecstatic mood of Lord Nrsimha; prabhu--the Lord; hate--in His hand; gada--club; lana--taking; pasandi--the atheists; marite--to kill; yaya--goes; nagare--in the city; dhaiya--running.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In the mood of Lord Nrsimhadeva, Lord Caitanya ran through the city streets, club in hand, ready to kill all the atheists.

 

                               TEXT 93

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  nrsimha-avesa dekhi' maha-tejomaya

               patha chadi' bhage loka pana bada bhaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   nrsimha-avesa--the ecstasy of Lord Nrsimhadeva; dekhi'--seeing; maha-tejo-maya--very fierce; patha chadi'--giving up the road; bhage--run away; loka--all people; pana--getting; bada--very; bhaya--afraid.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Seeing Him appearing very fierce in the ecstasy of Lord Nrsimha, people ran from the street and fled here and there, afraid of His anger.

 

                               TEXT 94

 

                                 TEXT

 

               loka-bhaya dekhi' prabhura bahya ha-ila

                  srivasa-grhete giya gada phelaila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   loka-bhaya--the fearful people; dekhi'--seeing this; prabhura--of the Lord; bahya--external sense; ha-ila--appeared; srivasa-grhete--in the house of Srivasa Pandita; giya--going there; gada--the club; phelaila--threw away.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Seeing the people so afraid, the Lord came to His external senses and thus returned to the house of Srivasa Thakura and threw away the club.

 

                               TEXT 95

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 srivase kahena prabhu kariya visada

                loka bhaya paya,----mora haya aparadha

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   srivase--unto Srivasa Thakura; kahena--says; prabhu--the Lord; kariya--becoming; visada--morose; loka--people; bhaya paya--become afraid; mora--My; haya--there is; aparadha--offense.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Lord became morose and said to Srivasa Thakura, "When I adopted the mood of Lord Nrsimhadeva, people were greatly afraid. Therefore I stopped, since causing fear among people is an offense."

 

                               TEXT 96

 

                                 TEXT

 

                srivasa balena,----ye tomara nama laya

                  tara koti aparadha saba haya ksaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   srivasa balena--Srivasa Pandita said; ye--anyone who; tomara--Your; nama--holy name; laya--takes; tara--his; koti--ten million; aparadha--offenses; saba--all; haya--become; ksaya--vanquished.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Srivasa Thakura replied, "Anyone who takes Your holy name vanquishes ten million of his offenses immediately.

 

                               TEXT 97

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 aparadha nahi, kaile lokera nistara

                ye toma' dekhila, tara chutila samsara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   aparadha--offense; nahi--did not; kaile--committed; lokera--of the people; nistara--liberation; ye--anyone who; toma'--You; dekhila--saw; tara--his; chutila--became free; samsara--material bondage.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "There was no offense in Your appearing as Nrsimhadeva. Rather, any man who saw You in that mood was immediately liberated from the bondage of material existence."

 

                               TEXT 98

 

                                 TEXT

 

                   eta bali' srivasa karila sevana

                 tusta hana prabhu aila apana-bhavana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eta bali'--saying this; srivasa--Srivasa Thakura; karila--did; sevana--worship; tusta--satisfied; hana--becoming; prabhu--the Lord; aila--came back; apana-bhavana--to His own home.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After saying this, Srivasa Thakura worshiped the Lord, who was then greatly satisfied and returned to His own home.

 

                               TEXT 99

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 ara dina siva-bhakta siva-guna gaya

                 prabhura angane nace, damaru bajaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ara dina--another day; siva-bhakta--a devotee of Lord Siva; siva-guna--the qualities of Lord Siva; gaya--chants; prabhura--of Lord Caitanya; angane--in the courtyard; nace--dances; damaru--a kind of musical instrument; bajaya--plays on it.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   On another day a great devotee of Lord Siva, chanting of Lord Siva's qualities, came to Lord Caitanya's house, where he began dancing in the courtyard and playing his damaru [a musical instrument].

 

                               TEXT 100

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  mahesa-avesa haila sacira nandana

               tara skandhe cadi nrtya kaila bahu-ksana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   mahesa-avesa--in the mood of Lord Siva; haila--became; sacira--of mother Saci; nandana--son; tara skandhe--on his shoulder; cadi--getting on; nrtya--dance; kaila--did; bahu-ksana--for a long time.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Then Lord Caitanya, adopting the mood of Lord Siva, got on the man's shoulders, and thus they danced together for a long time.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu adopted the mood of Lord Siva, for He is Siva also. According to the philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, Lord Siva is not different from Lord Visnu, but still Lord Siva is not Lord Visnu, just as yogurt is nothing but milk and yet is not milk nevertheless. One cannot get the benefit of milk by drinking yogurt. Similarly, one cannot get salvation by worshiping Lord Siva. If one wants salvation, one must worship Lord Visnu. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (9.4): mat-sthani sarva-bhutani na caham tesv avasthitah. Everything is resting on the Lord, for everything is His potential energy, yet He is not everywhere. Lord Caitanya's adopting the mood of Lord Siva is not extraordinary, but one should not therefore think that by worshiping Lord Siva one is worshiping Lord Caitanya. That would be a mistake.

 

                               TEXT 101

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  ara dina eka bhiksuka aila magite

               prabhura nrtya dekhi nrtya lagila karite

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ara--another; dina--day; eka--one; bhiksuka--beggar; aila--came; magite--to beg; prabhura--of the Lord; nrtya--dancing; dekhi--seeing; nrtya--dancing; lagila--began; karite--to perform.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   On another day a mendicant came to beg alms from the Lord's house, but when he saw the Lord dancing, he also began to dance.

 

                               TEXT 102

 

                                 TEXT

 

                prabhu-sange nrtya kare parama ullase

               prabhu tare prema dila, prema-rase bhase

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prabhu-sange--along with the Lord; nrtya kare--was dancing; parama--very; ullase--in satisfaction; prabhu--the Lord; tare--him; prema--love of Godhead; dila--delivered; prema-rase--in the mellows of love of God; bhase--began to float.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   He danced with the Lord because he was favored by love of Krsna. Thus he flowed in the mellows of love of Godhead.

 

                               TEXT 103

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 ara dine jyotisa sarva-jna eka aila

               tahare sammana kari' prabhu prasna kaila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ara dine--some other day; jyotisa--an astrologer; sarva-jna--who knows everything; eka--one; aila--came there; tahare--unto him; sammana kari'--giving all honor; prabhu--the Lord; prasna--question; kaila--put.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   On another day an astrologer came who was supposed to know everything--past, present and future. Thus Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu received him with all honor and put this question before him.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Brahmanas generally used to become astrologers, Ayur-vedic physicians, teachers and priests. Although highly learned and respectable, such brahmanas went from door to door to distribute their knowledge. A brahmana would first go to a householder's home to give information about the functions to be performed on a particular tithi, or date, but if there were sickness in the family, the family members would consult the brahmana as a physician, and the brahmana would give instruction and some medicine. Often, since the brahmanas were expert in astrology, people would also be greatly inquisitive about their past, present and future.

   Although the brahmana appeared at Lord Caitanya's house as a beggar, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu received him with great respect because he was a qualified brahmana who knew the astrological science perfectly. Although brahmanas would go door to door just like beggars, they were honored as very respectable guests. This was the system in Hindu society five hundred years ago, during the time of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This system was current even one hundred years ago; even fifty or sixty years ago, when we were children, such brahmanas would visit householders like humble beggars, and people would derive great benefit from the mercy of such brahmanas. The greatest benefit was that a householder could save a great deal of money from being spent on doctor bills because the brahmanas, aside from explaining the past, present and future, could ordinarily cure all kinds of diseases simply by giving instructions and some medicine. Thus no one was bereft of the benefit of a first-class physician, astrologer and priest. The important members of ISKCON should give careful attention to our Dallas school, where children are being taught Sanskrit and English to become perfect brahmanas. If they are actually trained as perfect brahmanas, they can save society from rogues and ruffians; indeed, people can live happily under the protection of qualified brahmanas. Therefore the Bhagavad-gita (4.13) gives special stress to the division of society (catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah). Unfortunately some people are now claiming to be brahmanas simply by birthright, with no qualifications. Therefore the entire society is in chaos.

 

                               TEXT 104

 

                                 TEXT

 

                ke achilun ami purva janme kaha gani'

              ganite lagila sarva-jna prabhu-vakya suni'

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ke achilun ami--who I was; purva janme--in My previous birth; kaha--please say; gani'--by your astrological calculation; ganite--to calculate; lagila--began; sarva-jna--a man who knows past, present and future; prabhu-vakya--the words of Lord Caitanya; suni'--hearing.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Please tell Me who I was in My previous birth," the Lord said. "Please tell Me by your astrological computations." Hearing the words of the Lord, the astrologer immediately began to calculate.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Through astrology one can know past, present and future. Modern Western astrologers have no knowledge of the past or future, nor can they perfectly say anything about the present. Herein we find, however, that after hearing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's order, the astrologer immediately began his calculations. This was not a facade; he actually knew how to ascertain one's past life through astrology. A still-existing treatise called the Bhrgu-samhita describes a system by which anyone can immediately get information about what he was in the past and what he is going to be in the future. The brahmanas who went door to door as if beggars had perfect command of such vast knowledge. Thus the highest knowledge was easily available even to the poorest man in society. The poorest man could inquire from an astrologer about his past, present and future, with no need for business agreements or exorbitant payments. The brahmana would give him all the benefit of his knowledge without asking remuneration, and the poor man, in return, would offer a handful of rice, or anything he had in his possession, to satisfy the brahmana. In a perfect human society, perfect knowledge in any science--medical, astrological, ecclesiastical and so on--is available even to the poorest man, with no anxiety over payment. In the present day, however, no one can get justice, medical treatment, astrological help or ecclesiastical enlightenment without money, and since people are generally poor, they are bereft of the benefits of all these great sciences.

 

                               TEXT 105

 

                                 TEXT

 

           gani' dhyane dekhe sarva-jna,----maha-jyotirmaya

             ananta vaikuntha-brahmanda----sabara asraya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   gani'--by calculation; dhyane--by meditation; dekhe--sees; sarva-jna--knower of everything; maha-jyotir-maya--highly effulgent body; ananta--unlimited; vaikuntha--spiritual world; brahmanda--planets; sabara--of all of them; asraya--shelter.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Through calculation and meditation, the all-knowing astrologer saw the greatly effulgent body of the Lord, which is the resting place of all the unlimited Vaikuntha planets.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Here we get some information of the Vaikuntha world, or spiritual world. Vaikuntha means "without anxiety." In the material world, everyone is full of anxiety, but another world, where there is no anxiety, is described in the Bhagavad-gita (8.20):

 

                      paras tasmat tu bhavo 'nyo

                      'vyakto 'vyaktat sanatanah

                        yah sa sarvesu bhutesu

                        nasyatsu na vinasyati

 

   "Yet there is another unmanifest nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it is."

   As there are many planets within the material world, there are many millions of planets, called Vaikunthalokas, in the spiritual world. All these Vaikunthalokas, or superior planets, rest on the effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As stated in the Brahma-samhita (yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti-), the Brahman effulgence emanating from the body of the Supreme Lord creates innumerable planets in both the spiritual and material worlds; thus these planets are creations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The astrologer saw Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be the very same Personality of Godhead. We can just imagine how learned he was, yet he was traveling door to door, just like an ordinary beggar, for the highest benefit of human society.

 

                               TEXT 106

 

                                 TEXT

 

              parama-tattva, para-brahma, parama-isvara

           dekhi' prabhura murti sarva-jna ha-ila phanphara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   parama-tattva--the Supreme Truth; para-brahma--the Supreme Brahman; parama-isvara--the Supreme Lord; dekhi'--seeing; prabhura--of the Lord; murti--form; sarva-jna--the all-knowing astrologer; ha-ila--became; phanphara--confused.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Seeing Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be the same Absolute Truth, the Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead, the astrologer was confused.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Herein it is clearly indicated that the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Brahman, is, in the ultimate issue, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore a person is the beginning of all things. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (10.8), mattah sarvam pravartate: everything begins from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Lord is the supreme living entity. Therefore whatever exists, whether matter or spirit, is all but an emanation from the Supreme Person, or supreme life. The modern scientists' theory that life begins from matter is nonsense. Both matter and life begin from life. Unfortunately the scientists do not know this scientific fact; they are drifting in the darkness of their so-called knowledge.

 

                               TEXT 107

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  balite na pare kichu, mauna ha-ila

               prabhu punah prasna kaila, kahite lagila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   balite--to say; na pare--is not able; kichu--anything; mauna--silent; ha-ila--became; prabhu--the Lord; punah--again; prasna--question; kaila--put; kahite--to speak; lagila--began.

   Struck with wonder, the astrologer remained silent, unable to speak. But when the Lord again put the question before him, he replied as follows.

 

                               TEXT 108

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 purva janme chila tumi jagat-asraya

                paripurna bhagavan----sarvaisvaryamaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   purva janme--in the previous birth; chila--were; tumi--You; jagat--universe; asraya--shelter; paripurna--with full potencies; bhagavan--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sarva-aisvarya-maya--full of all opulences.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "My dear sir, in Your previous birth You were the shelter of all creation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full of all opulences.

 

                               TEXT 109

 

                                 TEXT

 

                purve yaiche chila tumi ebeha se-rupa

               durvijneya nityananda----tomara svarupa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   purve--in the past; yaiche--as much as; chila--You were; tumi--You; ebeha--now also; se-rupa--the same thing; durvijneya--inconceivable; nityananda--eternal happiness; tomara--Your; svarupa--identity.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "You are now the same Personality of Godhead that You were in Your previous birth. Your identity is inconceivable eternal happiness."

 

                               PURPORT

 

   By the power of astrological science one can even ascertain the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everything is to be identified by its symptoms. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is identified by the symptoms mentioned in the sastras. It is not that anyone and everyone can become God without proof from sastras.

 

                               TEXT 110

 

                                 TEXT

 

             prabhu hasi' kaila,----tumi kichu na janila

                   purve ami achilan jatite goyala

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prabhu--the Lord; hasi'--smiling; kaila--said; tumi--you; kichu--anything; na--not; janila--know; purve--in the past; ami--I; achilan--was; jatite--by caste; goyala--cowherd.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   When the astrologer was speaking so highly of Him, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stopped him and began to smile. "My dear sir," He said, "I think you do not know very clearly what I was, for I know that in My previous birth I was a cowherd boy.

 

                               TEXT 111

 

                                 TEXT

 

                gopa-grhe janma chila, gabhira rakhala

                sei punye hailan ebe brahmana-chaoyala

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   gopa-grhe--in the house of a cowherd; janma--birth; chila--there was; gabhira--of the cows; rakhala--protector; sei punye--by those pious activities; hailan--became; ebe--now; brahmana--of a brahmana; chaoyala--son.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "In My last birth I was born in the family of cowherd men, and I gave protection to the calves and cows. Because of such pious activities, I have now become the son of a brahmana."

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The words of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the greatest authority, herein clearly indicate that one becomes pious simply by keeping cows and protecting them. Unfortunately, people have become such rascals that they do not even care about the words of an authority. People generally consider cowherd men lowly members of society, but herein Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms that they are so pious that in their next lives they are going to be brahmanas. The caste system has a specific purpose. If this scientific system is followed, human society will get the greatest benefit. Heeding this instruction by the Lord, people should serve cows and calves and in return get ample quantities of milk. There is no loss in serving the cows and calves, but modern human society has become so degraded that instead of giving protection to the cows and serving them, people are killing them. How can they expect peace and prosperity in human society while committing such sinful activities? It is impossible.

 

                               TEXT 112

 

                                 TEXT

 

               sarva-jna kahe ami taha dhyane dekhilan

               tahate aisvarya dekhi' phanphara ha-ilan

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sarva-jna--the all-knowing astrologer; kahe--says; ami--I; taha--that; dhyane--in meditation; dekhilan--saw; tahate--there; aisvarya--opulence; dekhi'--by seeing; phanphara--confused; ha-ilan--became.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The astrologer said, "What I saw in meditation was full of opulence, and therefore I was confused.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   It appears that the astrologer not only was a knower of past, present and future through astrological calculation, but was a great meditator as well. Therefore he was a great devotee and could see Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be the same personality as Krsna. He was puzzled, however, about whether Krsna and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu were actually the same person.

 

                               TEXT 113

 

                                 TEXT

 

                    sei-rupe ei-rupe dekhi ekakara

                 kabhu bheda dekhi, ei mayaya tomara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sei-rupe--in that form; ei-rupe--in this form; dekhi--I see; eka-akara--one form; kabhu--sometimes; bheda--difference; dekhi--I see; ei--this; mayaya tomara--Your maya.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "I am certain that Your form and the form I saw in my meditation are one and the same. If I see any difference, this is an act of Your illusory energy."

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Sri-krsna-caitanya radha-krsna nahe anya: in the vision of a perfect devotee, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is a combination of Radha and Krsna. One who sees Lord Caitanya to be different from Krsna is under the illusory energy of the Lord. It appears that the astrologer was already an advanced devotee, and when he came into the presence of the Supreme Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he became perfectly self-realized and could see that the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are one and the same Supreme Person.

 

                               TEXT 114

 

                                 TEXT

 

                ye hao, se hao tumi, tomake namaskara

                prabhu tare prema diya kaila puraskara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ye hao--whatever You are; se hao tumi--whatever You may be; tomake--unto You; namaskara--my obeisances; prabhu--the Lord; tare--unto him; prema--love of Godhead; diya--delivered; kaila--did; puraskara--honor.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The all-knowing astrologer concluded, "Whatever You may be or whoever You may be, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You!" By His causeless mercy, the Lord then gave him love of Godhead, thus rewarding him for his service.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The incident of Lord Caitanya's meeting the all-knowing astrologer is not mentioned in the Caitanya-bhagavata, but we cannot therefore say that it did not take place. On the contrary, we must accept the statement of Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami that whatever the Caitanya-bhagavata did not mention he has especially mentioned in Caitanya-caritamrta.

 

                               TEXT 115

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 eka dina prabhu visnu-mandape vasiya

                'madhu ana', 'madhu ana' balena dakiya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eka dina--one day; prabhu--the Lord; visnu-mandape--in the corridor of a Visnu temple; vasiya--sitting; madhu ana--bring honey; madhu ana--bring honey; balena--says; dakiya--calling loudly.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   One day the Lord sat down in the corridor of a Visnu temple and began calling very loudly, "Bring some honey! Bring some honey!"

 

                               TEXT 116

 

                                 TEXT

 

               nityananda-gosani prabhura avesa janila

                ganga-jala-patra ani' sammukhe dharila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   nityananda-gosani--Lord Nityananda Prabhu; prabhura--of the Lord; avesa--ecstasy; janila--could understand; ganga-jala--Ganges water; patra--pot; ani'--bringing; sammukhe--in front; dharila--placed it.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Nityananda Prabhu Gosani, understanding the ecstatic mood of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, brought a pot of Ganges water as a token and put it before Him.

 

                               TEXT 117

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  jala pana kariya nace hana vihvala

                  yamunakarsana-lila dekhaye sakala

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   jala--water; pana kariya--after drinking; nace--dances; hana--becoming; vihvala--ecstatic; yamuna-akarsana--attracting the river Yamuna; lila--pastimes; dekhaye--sees; sakala--everyone.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After drinking the water, Lord Caitanya became so ecstatic that He began to dance. Thus everyone saw the pastime of attracting the river Yamuna.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Yamunakarsana-lila is the pastime of attracting Yamuna. One day, Sri Baladeva wanted the Yamuna River to come before Him, and when the river Yamuna refused, He took His plow, wanting to dig a canal so that Yamuna would be obliged to come there. Since Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the original form of Baladeva, in His ecstasy He asked everyone to bring honey. In this way, all the devotees standing there saw the yamunakarsana-lila. In this lila, Baladeva was accompanied by His girlfriends. After drinking a honey beverage called Varuni, He wanted to jump into the Yamuna and swim with the girls. It is stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.65.25--30, 33) that Lord Baladeva asked Yamuna to come near, and when the river disobeyed the, order of the Lord, He became angry and thus wanted to snatch her near to Him with His plow. Yamuna, however, very much afraid of Lord Balarama's anger, immediately came and surrendered unto Him, praying to the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and admitting her fault. She was then excused. This is the sum and substance of the yamunakarsana-lila. The incident is also described in the prayer of Jayadeva Gosvami concerning the ten incarnations:

 

               vahasi vapusi visade vasanam jaladabham

                   halahati-bhiti-milita-yamunabham

           kesava dhrta-haladhara-rupa jaya jagad-isa hare

 

                               TEXT 118

 

                                 TEXT

 

                   mada-matta-gati baladeva-anukara

                 acarya sekhara tanre dekhe ramakara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   mada-matta--being intoxicated by drinking Varuni; gati--movement; baladeva--Lord Baladeva; anukara--imitating; acarya--Advaita Acarya; sekhara--at the head; tanre--Him; dekhe--sees; rama-akara--in the form of Balarama.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   When the Lord, in His ecstasy of Baladeva, was moving as if intoxicated by the beverage, Advaita Acarya, the chief of the acaryas [acarya sekhara], saw Him in the form of Balarama.

 

                               TEXT 119

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 vanamali acarya dekhe sonara langala

                 sabe mili' nrtya kare avese vihvala

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   vanamali acarya--of the name Vanamali Acarya; dekhe--sees; sonara--made of gold; langala--plow; sabe--all; mili'--meeting together; nrtya--dance; kare--perform; avese--in ecstasy; vihvala--overwhelmed.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Vanamali Acarya saw a golden plow in the hand of Balarama, and the devotees all assembled together and danced, overwhelmed by ecstasy.

 

                               TEXT 120

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  ei-mata nrtya ha-ila cari prahara

             sandhyaya ganga-snana kari' sabe gela ghara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ei-mata--in this way; nrtya--dancing; ha-ila--was performed; cari--four; prahara--a period of time lasting three hours; sandhyaya--in the evening; ganga-snana--taking bath in the Ganges; kari'--finishing; sabe--all; gela--returned; ghara--home.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In this way they danced continuously for twelve hours, and in the evening they all took bath in the Ganges and then returned to their homes.

 

                               TEXT 121

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 nagariya loke prabhu yabe ajna dila

                 ghare ghare sankirtana karite lagila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   nagariya--citizens; loke--all the people; prabhu--the Lord; yabe--when; ajna--order; dila--gave; ghare ghare--in each and every home; sankirtana--chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra; karite--to perform; lagila--began.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Lord ordered all the citizens of Navadvipa to chant the Hare Krsna mantra, and in each and every home they began performing sankirtana regularly.

 

                               TEXT 122

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 'haraye namah, krsna yadavaya namah

                 gopala govinda rama sri-madhusudana'

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   haraye namah--I offer my respectful obeisances to Lord Hari; krsna--O Krsna; yadavaya--unto the descendant of the Yadu dynasty; namah--all obeisances; gopala--of the name Gopala; govinda--of the name Govinda; rama--of the name Rama; sri-madhusudana--of the name Sri Madhusudana.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   [All the devotees sang this popular song along with the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.] "Haraye namah, krsna yadavaya namah. gopala govinda rama sri-madhusudana."

 

                               TEXT 123

 

                                 TEXT

 

                mrdanga-karatala sankirtana-mahadhvani

             'hari' 'hari'----dhvani vina anya nahi suni

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   mrdanga--drum; karatala--hand bells; sankirtana--chanting of the holy name of the Lord; maha-dhvani--great vibration; hari--the Lord; hari--the Lord; dhvani--sound; vina--except; anya--another; nahi--not; suni--one can hear.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   When the sankirtana movement thus started, no one in Navadvipa could hear any sound other than the words "Hari! Hari!" and the beating of the mrdanga and clashing of hand bells.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The International Society for Krishna Consciousness now has its world center in Navadvipa, Mayapur. The managers of this center should see that twenty-four hours a day there is chanting of the holy names of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, with the addition of haraye namah, krsna yadavaya namah, for this song was a favorite of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's. But all such sankirtana must be preceded by the chanting of the holy names of the five tattvas--sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda. We are already accustomed to chant these two mantras--sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda and Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Now, after these, the other two lines--namely, haraye namah, krsna yadavaya namah. gopala govinda rama sri-madhusudana--should be added, especially in Mayapur. Chanting of these six lines should go on so perfectly well that no one there hears any vibration other than the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. That will make the center spiritually all-perfect.

 

                               TEXT 124

 

                                 TEXT

 

                suniya ye kruddha haila sakala yavana

                  kaji-pase asi' sabe kaila nivedana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   suniya--by hearing; ye--that; kruddha--angry; haila--became; sakala--all; yavana--Muslims; kaji-pase--in the court of the Kazi, or magistrate; asi'--coming; sabe--all; kaila--made; nivedana--petition.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Hearing the resounding vibration of the Hare Krsna mantra, the local Muslims, greatly angry, submitted a complaint to the Kazi.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The phaujadara, or city magistrate, was called the kaji (Kazi). The jamidaras (Zamindars), or landholders (mandaleras), levied taxes on the land, but keeping law and order and punishing criminals was the duty entrusted to the Kazi. Both the Kazi and the landholders were under the control of the governor of Bengal, which at that time was known as Suba-bangala. The districts of Nadia, Islampura and Bagoyana were all under the Zamindar named Hari Hoda or his descendant known as Krsnadasa Hoda. It is said that Chand Kazi was the spiritual master of Nawab Hussain Shah. According to one opinion his name was Maulana Sirajuddina, and according to another his name was Habibara Rahamana. Descendants of Chand Kazi are still living in the vicinity of Mayapur. People still go see the tomb of Chand Kazi, which is underneath a campaka tree and is known as Chand Kazi's samadhi.

 

                               TEXT 125

 

                                 TEXT

 

               krodhe sandhya-kale kaji eka ghare aila

                 mrdanga bhangiya loke kahite lagila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   krodhe--in anger; sandhya-kale--in the evening; kaji--the Chand Kazi; eka ghare--in one home; aila--came; mrdanga--drum; bhangiya--breaking; loke--unto the people; kahite--to speak; lagila--began.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Chand Kazi angrily came to one home in the evening, and when he saw kirtana going on, he broke a mrdanga and spoke as follows.

 

                               TEXT 126

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  eta-kala keha nahi kaila hinduyani

                 ebe ye udyama calao kara bala jani'

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eta-kala--so long; keha--anyone; nahi--not; kaila--performed; hinduyani--regulative principles of the Hindus; ebe--now; ye--that; udyama--endeavor; calao--you propagate; kara--whose; bala--strength; jani'--I want to know.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "For so long you did not follow the regulative principles of the Hindu religion, but now you are following them with great enthusiasm. May I know by whose strength you are doing so?

 

                               PURPORT

 

   It appears that from the aggression of Baktiyar Khiliji in Bengal until the time of Chand Kazi, Hindus, or the followers of the Vedic principles, were greatly suppressed. Like the Hindus in present-day Pakistan, practically no one could execute the Hindu religious principles freely. Chand Kazi referred to this condition of Hindu society. Formerly the Hindus had not been straightforward in executing their Hindu principles, but now they were freely chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Therefore it must have been by the strength of someone else that they were so daring.

   Actually, that was the fact. Although the members of the so-called Hindu society had followed the social customs and formulas, they had practically forgotten to execute their religious principles strictly. But with the presence of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu they actually began following the regulative principles according to His order. That order is still existing, and anywhere and everywhere, in all parts of the world, one can execute it. That order is to become a spiritual master under the direction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by following the regulative principles, chanting daily at least sixteen rounds of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, and preaching the cult of Krsna consciousness all over the world. If we adhere to the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we shall get spiritual strength without a doubt, and we shall be free to preach this cult of the Hare Krsna movement and not be hampered by anyone.

 

                               TEXT 127

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 keha kirtana na kariha sakala nagare

                 aji ami ksama kari' yaitechon ghare

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   keha--anyone; kirtana--chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra; na--do not; kariha--perform; sakala nagare--in the whole town; aji--today; ami--I; ksama kari'--excusing; yaitechon--am returning; ghare--home.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "No one should perform sankirtana on the streets of the city. Today I am excusing the offense and returning home.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Such orders stopping sankirtana in the streets of the world's great cities have been imposed upon members of the Hare Krsna movement. We have hundreds of centers all over the world, and we have been specifically persecuted in Australia. In most cities of the Western world we have been arrested many times by the police, but we are nevertheless executing the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by chanting on the streets of all the important cities, like New York, London, Chicago, Sydney, Melbourne, Paris and Hamburg. We must remember that such incidents took place in the past, five hundred years ago, and the fact that they are still going on indicates that our sankirtana movement is really authorized, for if sankirtana were an insignificant material affair, demons would not object to it. The demons of the time tried to obstruct the sankirtana movement started by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Similar demons are trying to obstruct the sankirtana movement we are executing all over the world, and this proves that our sankirtana movement is still pure and genuine, following in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

                               TEXT 128

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  ara yadi kirtana karite laga paimu

                 sarvasva dandiya tara jati ye la-imu

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ara--again; yadi--if; kirtana--chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra; karite--to do; laga--contact; paimu--I shall take; sarva-sva--all possessions; dandiya--chastising; tara--his; jati--caste; ye--that; la-imu--I shall take.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "The next time I see someone performing such sankirtana, I shall certainly chastise him by not only confiscating all his property but also converting him into a Muslim."

 

                               PURPORT

 

   To convert a Hindu into a Muslim was an easy affair in those days. If a Muslim simply sprinkled water on the body of a Hindu, it was supposed that the Hindu had already become a Muslim. During the transition of the British in Bangladesh during the last Hindu-Muslim riots, many Hindus were converted into Muslims by having cows' flesh forcibly pushed into their mouths. Hindu society was so rigid at the time of Lord Caitanya that if a Hindu were converted into a Muslim, there was no chance of his being reformed. In this way the Muslim population in India increased. None of the Muslims came from outside; social customs somehow or other forced Hindus to become Muslims, with no chance of returning to Hindu society. Emperor Aurangzeb also inaugurated a tax that Hindus had to pay because of their being Hindus. Thus all the poor Hindus of the lower class voluntarily became Muslims to avoid the tax. In this way the Muslim population in India increased. Chand Kazi threatened to convert the people into Muslims by the simple process of sprinkling water on their bodies.

 

                               TEXT 129

 

                                 TEXT

 

                eta bali' kaji gela,----nagariya loka

                prabhu-sthane nivedila pana bada soka

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eta bali'--thus saying; kaji--the magistrate; gela--returned; nagariya loka--the citizens in general; prabhu-sthane--before the Lord; nivedila--submitted; pana--getting; bada--very; soka--shock.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After saying this, the Kazi returned home, and the devotees, greatly shocked that they were forbidden to chant Hare Krsna, submitted their grief to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

                               TEXT 130

 

                                 TEXT

 

               prabhu ajna dila----yaha karaha kirtana

                   muni samharimu aji sakala yavana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prabhu--the Lord; ajna dila--ordered; yaha--go; karaha--and perform; kirtana--sankirtana, chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra; muni--I; samharimu--shall kill; aji--today; sakala--all; yavana--the Muslims.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Lord Caitanya ordered, "Go peform sankirtana! Today I shall kill all the Muslims!"

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Gandhi is known for having started the movement of nonviolent civil disobedience in India, but about five hundred years before him, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu started His movement of nonviolent civil disobedience to the order of Chand Kazi. It is not necessary to commit violence to stop the opposition from hindering a movement, for one can kill their demoniac behavior with reason and argument. Following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, whenever there are obstacles the Hare Krsna movement should kill the opposition with reason and argument and thus stop their demoniac behavior. If we became violent in every case, it would be difficult for us to manage our affairs. We should therefore follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who disobeyed the order of Chand Kazi but subdued him with reason and argument.

 

                               TEXT 131

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 ghare giya saba loka karaye kirtana

             kajira bhaye svacchanda nahe, camakita mana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ghare giya--returning home; saba--all; loka--citizens; karaye--performed; kirtana--sankirtana; kajira--of the Kazi; bhaye--from fear; svacchanda--carefree; nahe--not; camakita--always full of anxieties; mana--the mind.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Returning home, all the citizens began performing sankirtana, but because of the order of the Kazi, they were not carefree but always full of anxiety.

 

                               TEXT 132

 

                                 TEXT

 

               ta-sabhara antare bhaya prabhu mane jani

                 kahite lagila loke sighra daki' ani'

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ta-sabhara--of all of them; antare--in the mind; bhaya--fear; prabhu--the Lord; mane--in the mind; jani--understanding; kahite--to speak; lagila--began; loke--to the people; sighra--very soon; daki'--calling; ani'--bringing them.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Understanding the anxiety within the people's minds, the Lord called them together and spoke to them as follows.

 

                               TEXT 133

 

                                 TEXT

 

                   nagare nagare aji karimu kirtana

                sandhya-kale kara sabhe nagara-mandana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   nagare--from town; nagare--to town; aji--today; karimu--I shall perform; kirtana--chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra; sandhya-kale--in the evening; kara--do; sabhe--all; nagara--of the city; mandana--decoration.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "In the evening I shall perform sankirtana in each and every town. Therefore you should all decorate the city in the evening.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   At that time, Navadvipa was composed of nine small cities, so the words nagare nagare are significant. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to perform kirtana in each of these neighboring towns. He ordered the city decorated for the function.

 

                               TEXT 134

 

                                 TEXT

 

                sandhyate deuti sabe jvala ghare ghare

                 dekha, kona kaji asi' more mana kare

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sandhyate--in the evening; deuti--lamps; sabe--everyone; jvala--light up; ghare ghare--in each and every home; dekha--just wait and see; kona--which kind; kaji--magistrate; asi'--coming; more--unto Me; mana kare--orders Me to stop.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "In the evening, burn torchlights in every home. I shall give protection to everyone. Let us see what kind of Kazi comes to stop our kirtana."

 

                               TEXT 135

 

                                 TEXT

 

                eta kahi' sandhya-kale cale gauraraya

                kirtanera kaila prabhu tina sampradaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eta kahi'--saying this; sandhya-kale--in the evening; cale--went out; gaura-raya--Gaurasundara; kirtanera--of performing sankirtana; kaila--made; prabhu--the Lord; tina--three; sampradaya--parties.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In the evening Lord Gaurasundara went out and formed three parties to perform kirtana.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   This is a scheme for performing kirtana in a procession. During Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's time, one party was composed of twenty-one men: four people playing mrdangas, one leading the chanting, and sixteen others striking karatalas, responding to the leading chanter. If many men join the sankirtana movement, they may follow in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and form different parties according to the time and the number of men available.

 

                               TEXT 136

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  age sampradaye nrtya kare haridasa

               madhye nace acarya-gosani parama ullasa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   age--in front; sampradaye--in the party; nrtya--dancing; kare--does; haridasa--Thakura Haridasa; madhye--in the middle; nace--dances; acarya-gosani--Sri Advaita Acarya; parama--very; ullasa--happy.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In the front party danced Thakura Haridasa, and in the middle party danced Advaita Acarya with great jubilition.

 

                               TEXT 137

 

                                 TEXT

 

               pache sampradaye nrtya kare gauracandra

               tanra sange naci' bule prabhu nityananda

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   pache--at the rear; sampradaye--in the party; nrtya--dancing; kare--does; gauracandra--Lord Gauranga; tanra--His; sange--along with; naci'--dancing; bule--moves; prabhu--Lord; nityananda--of the name Nityananda.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Lord Gaurasundara Himself danced in the rear party, and Sri Nityananda Prabhu moved with Lord Caitanya's dancing.

 

                               TEXT 138

 

                                 TEXT

 

                vrndavana-dasa iha 'caitanya-mangale'

               vistari' varniyachena, prabhu-krpa-bale

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   vrndavana-dasa--Vrndavana dasa Thakura; iha--this; caitanya-mangale--in his book named Caitanya-mangala; vistari'--elaborately; varniyachena--has described; prabhu--of the Lord; krpa-bale--by the strength of mercy.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   By the grace of the Lord, Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has elaborately described this incident in his Caitanya-mangala.

 

                               TEXT 139

 

                                 TEXT

 

                ei mata kirtana kari' nagare bhramila

               bhramite bhramite sabhe kaji-dvare gela

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ei mata--in this way; kirtana--congregational chanting; kari'--executing; nagare--in the city; bhramila--circumambulated; bhramite bhramite--while thus moving; sabhe--all of them; kaji-dvare--at the door of the Kazi; gela--reached.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Peforming kirtana in this way, circumambulating through every nook and corner of the city, they finilly reached the door of the Kazi.

 

                               TEXT 140

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 tarja-garja kare loka, kare kolahala

                gauracandra-bale loka prasraya-pagala

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tarja-garja--murmuring in anger; kare--do; loka--the people; kare--do; kolahala--roaring; gauracandra--of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; bale--by the power; loka--people; prasraya-pagala--became mad by such indulgence.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Murmuring in anger and making a roaring sound, the people, under the protection of Lord Caitanya, became mad through such indulgence.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The Kazi had issued an order not to perform kirtana, congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord. But when this was brought up to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He ordered civil disobedience to the Kazi's order. Lord Caitanya and all His devotees, naturally enthusiastic although agitated, must have made a great noise with their loud cries.

 

                               TEXT 141

 

                                 TEXT

 

                kirtanera dhvanite kaji lukaila ghare

                 tarjana garjana suni' na haya bahire

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kirtanera--of the sankirtana movement; dhvanite--by the sound; kaji--the Chand Kazi; lukaila--hid himself; ghare--in the room; tarjana--murmuring; garjana--protesting; suni'--hearing; na--does not; haya--come out; bahire--outside.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The loud sound of the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra certainly made the Kazi very much afraid, and he hid himself within his room. Hearing the people thus protesting, murmuring in great anger, the Kazi would not come out of his home.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The Kazi's order not to perform sankirtana could stand only as long as there was no civil disobedience. Under the leadership of the Supreme Lord, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the chanters, increasing in number, disobeyed the order of the Kazi. Thousands assembled together and formed parties, chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and making a tumultuous sound of protest. Thus the Kazi was very much afraid, as naturally one should be under such circumstances.

   In the present day also, people all over the world may join together in the Krsna consciousness movement and protest against the present degraded governments of the world's godless societies, which are based on all kinds of sinful activities. Srimad-Bhagavatam states that in the Age of Kali, thieves, rogues and fourth-class people who have neither education nor culture capture the seats of governments to exploit the citizens. This is a symptom of Kali-yuga that has already appeared. People cannot feel secure about their lives and property, yet the so-called governments continue, and government ministers get fat salaries, although they are unable to do anything good for society. The only remedy for such conditions is to enhance the sankirtana movement under the banner of Krsna consciousness and protest against the sinful activities of all the world's governments.

   The Krsna consciousness movement is not a sentimental religious movement; it is a movement for the reformation of all the anomalies of human society. If people take to it seriously, discharging this duty scientifically, as ordered by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the world will see peace and prosperity instead of being confused and hopeless under useless governments. There are always rogues and thieves in human society, and as soon as a weak government is unable to execute its duties, these rogues and thieves come out to do their business. Thus the entire society becomes a hell unfit for gentlemen to live in. There is an immediate need for a good government--a government by the people, with Krsna consciousness. Unless the masses of people become Krsna conscious, they cannot be good men. The Krsna consciousness movement that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu started by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra still has its potency. Therefore people should understand it seriously and scientifically and spread it all over the world.

   The sankirtana movement started by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is described in the Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda, Twenty-third Chapter, beginning with verse 241, which states, "My dear Lord, let my mind be fixed at Your lotus feet." Following Lord Caitanya's chanting, all the devotees reproduced the same sound He chanted. In this way the Lord proceeded, leading the entire party on the strand roads by the bank of the Ganges. When the Lord came to His own ghata, or bathing place, He danced more and more. Then He proceeded to Madhai's ghata. In this way Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Lord, who was known as Visvambhara, danced all over the banks of the Ganges. Then He proceeded to Barakona-ghata, the Nagariya-ghata, and, traveling through Ganganagara, reached Simuliya, a quarter at one end of the town. All these places surround Sri Mayapur. After reaching Simuliya, the Lord proceeded towards the Kazi's house, and in this way He reached the door of Chand Kazi.

 

                               TEXT 142

 

                                 TEXT

 

              uddhata loka bhange kajira ghara-puspavana

                 vistari' varnila iha dasa-vrndavana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   uddhata--agitated; loka--persons; bhange--break; kajira--of the Kazi; ghara--house; puspa-vana--flower garden; vistari'--elaborately; varnila--described; iha--this; dasa-vrndavana--Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Naturally some of the people who were very much agitated began to retaliate the Kazi's actions by wrecking his house and flower garden. Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has elaborately described this incident.

 

                               TEXT 143

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 tabe mahaprabhu tara dvarete vasila

                 bhavya-loka pathaiya kajire bolaila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--thereafter; mahaprabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tara dvarete--at the Kazi's door; vasila--sat down; bhavya-loka--respectable persons; pathaiya--sending; kajire--unto the Kazi; bolaila--had them call.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Thereafter, when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu reached the Kazi's house, He sat down by the doorway and sent some respectable persons to call for the Kazi.

 

                               TEXT 144

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 dura ha-ite aila kaji matha noyaiya

                 kajire vasaila prabhu sammana kariya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   dura ha-ite--from a distant place; aila--came; kaji--the Kazi; matha--head; noyaiya--bowed down; kajire--unto the Kazi; vasaila--gave a seat; prabhu--the Lord; sammana--respect; kariya--offering.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   When the Kazi came, his head bowed down, the Lord gave him proper respect and a seat.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Some of the men in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's civil disobedience movement were agitated because they could not control their minds. But the Lord was thoroughly peaceful, sober and unagitated. Therefore when the Kazi came down to see Him, the Lord offered him proper respect and a seat because he was a respectable government officer. Thus the Lord taught us by His personal behavior. In pushing on our sankirtana movement of Krsna consciousness, we might have to face difficult days, but we should always follow in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and do the needful according to the time and circumstances.

 

                               TEXT 145

 

                                 TEXT

 

            prabhu balena,----ami tomara ailama abhyagata

                ami dekhi' lukaila,----e-dharma kemata

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prabhu balena--the Lord said; ami--I; tomara--your; ailama--have come; abhyagata--guest; ami--Me; dekhi'--seeing; lukaila--you disappeared; e-dharma kemata--what kind of etiquette is this.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In a friendly way, the Lord said, "Sir, I have come to your house as your guest, but upon seeing Me you hid yourself in your room. What kind of etiquette is this?"

 

                               TEXT 146

 

                                 TEXT

 

                kaji kahe----tumi aisa kruddha ha-iya

                  toma santa karaite rahinu lukaiya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kaji kahe--the Kazi replied; tumi--You; aisa--have come; kruddha--angry; ha-iya--being; toma--You; santa--pacified; karaite--to make; rahinu--I remained; lukaiya--hiding out of sight.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Kazi replied, "You have come to my house in a very angry mood. To pacify You, I did not come before You immediately but kept myself hidden.

 

                               TEXT 147

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  ebe tumi santa haile, asi, mililan

               bhagya mora,----toma hena atithi pailan

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ebe--now; tumi--You; santa--pacified; haile--have become; asi'--coming; mililan--I have met (You); bhagya mora--it is my great fortune; toma--You; hena--like; atithi--guest; pailan--I have received.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Now that You have become pacified, I have come to You. It is my good fortune to receive a guest like Your Honor.

 

                               TEXT 148

 

                                 TEXT

 

             grama-sambandhe 'cakravarti' haya mora caca

           deha-sambandhe haite haya grama-sambandha sanca

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   grama-sambandhe--in our neighborhood relationship; cakravarti--Your grandfather Nilambara Cakravarti; haya--becomes; mora--my; caca--uncle; deha-sambandhe--in a bodily relationship; haite--than; haya--becomes; grama-sambandha--neighborhood relationship; sanca--more powerful.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "In our village relationship, Nilambara Cakravarti Thakura was my uncle. Such a relationship is stronger than a bodily relationship.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In India, even in the interior villages, all the Hindu and Muslim communities used to live very peacefully by establishing a relationship between them. The young men called the elderly members of the village by the name caca or kaka, "uncle," and men of the same age called each other dada, "brother." The relationship was very friendly. There were even invitations from Muslim houses to Hindu houses and from Hindu houses to Muslim houses. Both the Hindus and the Muslims accepted the invitations to go to one another's houses to attend ceremonial functions. Even until fifty or sixty years ago, the relationship between Hindus and Muslims was very friendly, and there were no disturbances. We do not find any Hindu-Muslim riots in the history of India, even during the days of the Muslims' rule over the country. Conflict between Hindus and Muslims was created by polluted politicians, especially foreign rulers, and thus the situation gradually became so degraded that India was divided into Hindustan and Pakistan. Fortunately, the remedy to unite not only the Hindus and Muslims but all communities and all nations can still be implemented by the Hare Krsna movement on the strong basic platform of love of Godhead.

 

                               TEXT 149

 

                                 TEXT

 

                nilambara cakravarti haya tomara nana

                 se-sambandhe hao tumi amara bhagina

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   nilambara cakravarti--of the name Nilambara Cakravarti; haya--becomes; tomara--Your; nana--maternal grandfather; se-sambandhe--by such a relationship; hao--become; tumi--You; amara--my; bhagina--nephew (the son of my sister).

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Nilambara Cakravarti is Your maternal grandfather, and by this relationship You are thus my nephew.

 

                               TEXT 150

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 bhaginara krodha mama avasya sahaya

                  matulera aparadha bhagina na laya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   bhaginara--of the nephew; krodha--anger; mama--maternal uncle; avasya--certainly; sahaya--tolerates; matulera--of the maternal uncle; aparadha--offense; bhagina--the nephew; na--does not; laya--accept.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "When a nephew is very angry, his maternal uncle is tolerant, and when the maternal uncle commits an offense, the nephew does not take it very seriously."

 

                               TEXT 151

 

                                 TEXT

 

                ei mata dunhara katha haya thare-thore

                 bhitarera artha keha bujhite na pare

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ei mata--in this way; dunhara--of both of them; katha--conversation; haya--took place; thare-thore--with different indications; bhitarera--inner; artha--meaning; keha--anyone; bujhite--to understand; na pare--is not able.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In this way the Kazi and the Lord talked with each other with various indications, but no outsider could understand the inner meaning of their conversation.

 

                               TEXT 152

 

                                 TEXT

 

          prabhu kahe,----prasna lagi' ailama tomara sthane

               kaji kahe,----ajna kara, ye tomara mane

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prabhu kahe--the Lord said; prasna lagi'--just to inquire from you; ailama--I have come; tomara sthane--at your place; kaji kahe--the Kazi replied; ajna kara--just order me; ye--whatever; tomara mane--(is) in Your mind.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Lord said, "My dear uncle, I have come to your home just to ask you some questions."

   "Yes," the Kazi replied, "You are welcome. Just tell me what is in Your mind."

 

                               TEXT 153

 

                                 TEXT

 

          prabhu kahe,----go-dugdha khao, gabhi tomara mata

                  vrsa anna upajaya, tate tenho pita

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prabhu kahe--the Lord said; go-dugdha khao--you drink cows' milk; gabhi--the cow (is); tomara--your; mata--mother; vrsa--the bull; anna--grains; upajaya--produces; tate--therefore; tenho--he; pita--(is) your father.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Lord said, "You drink cows' milk; therefore the cow is your mother. And the bull produces grains for your maintenance; therefore he is your father.

 

                               TEXT 154

 

                                 TEXT

 

                pita-mata mari' khao----eba kon dharma

                  kon bale kara tumi e-mata vikarma

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   pita-mata--father and mother; mari'--killing; khao--you eat; eba--this; kon--what kind of; dharma--religion; kon bale--on what strength; kara--do; tumi--you; e-mata--such; vikarma--sinful activities.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Since the bull and cow are your father and mother, how can you kill and eat them? What kind of religious principle is this? On what strength are you so daring that you commit such sinful activities?"

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Everyone can understand that we drink the milk of cows and take the help of bulls in producing agricultural products. Therefore, since our real father gives us food grains and our mother gives us milk with which to live, the cow and bull are considered our father and mother. According to Vedic civilization, there are seven mothers, of which the cow is one. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu challenged the Muslim Kazi, "What kind of religious principle do you follow by killing your father and mother to eat them?" In any civilized human society, no one would dare kill his father and mother for the purpose of eating them. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu challenged the system of Muslim religion as patricide and matricide. In the Christian religion also, a principal commandment is "Thou shalt not kill." Nevertheless, Christians violate this rule; they are very expert in killing and in opening slaughterhouses. In our Krsna consciousness movement, our first provision is that no one should be allowed to eat any kind of flesh. It does not matter whether it is cows' flesh or goats' flesh, but we especially stress the prohibition against cows' flesh because according to sastra the cow is our mother. Thus the Muslims' cow-killing was challenged by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

                               TEXT 155

 

                                 TEXT

 

               kaji kahe,----tomara yaiche veda-purana

                taiche amara sastra----ketava 'korana'

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kaji kahe--the Kazi replied; tomara--Your; yaiche--as much as; veda-purana--the Vedas and Puranas; taiche--similarly; amara--our; sastra--scripture; ketava--the holy book; korana--the Koran.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Kazi replied, "As You have Your scriptures called the Vedas and Puranas, we have our scripture, known as the holy Koran.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Chand Kazi agreed to talk with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu on the strength of the scriptures. According to the Vedic scripture, if one can support his position by quoting from the Vedas, his argument is perfect. Similarly, when the Muslims support their position with quotations from the Koran, their arguments are also authorized. When Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu raised the question of the Muslims' cow-killing and bull-killing, Chand Kazi came to the standard of understanding from his scriptures.

 

                               TEXT 156

 

                                 TEXT

 

           sei sastre kahe,----pravrtti-nivrtti-marga-bheda

               nivrtti-marge jiva-matra-vadhera nisedha

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sei sastre--in the scripture (the Koran); kahe--it is ordered; pravrtti--of attachment; nivrtti--of detachment; marga--ways; bheda--difference; nivrtti--of detachment; marge--on the path; jiva-matra--of any living entity; vadhera--of killing; nisedha--prohibition.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "According to the Koran, there are two ways of advancement--through increasing the propensity to enjoy and decreasing the propensity to enjoy. On the path of decreasing attachment [nivrtti-marga], the killing of animals is prohibited.

 

                               TEXT 157

 

                                 TEXT

 

              pravrtti-marge go-vadha karite vidhi haya

              sastra-ajnaya vadha kaile nahi papa-bhaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   pravrtti-marge--on the path of attachment; go-vadha--the killing of cows; karite--to execute; vidhi--regulative principles; haya--there are; sastra-ajnaya--on the order of the scripture; vadha--killing; kaile--if one commits; nahi--there is no; papa-bhaya--fear of sinful activities.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "On the path of material activities, there is regulation for killing cows. If such killing is done under the guidance of scripture, there is no sin."

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The word sastra is derived from the dhatu, or verbal root, sas. Sas-dhatu pertains to controlling or ruling. A government's ruling through force or weapons is called sastra. Thus whenever there is ruling, either by weapons or by injunctions, the sas-dhatu is the basic principle. Between sastra (ruling through weapons) and sastra (ruling through the injunctions of the scriptures), the better is sastra. Our Vedic scriptures are not ordinary lawbooks of human common sense; they are the statements of factually liberated persons unaffected by the imperfectness of the senses.

   Sastra must be correct always, not sometimes correct and sometimes incorrect. In the Vedic scriptures, the cow is described as a mother. Therefore she is a mother for all time; it is not, as some rascals say, that in the Vedic age she was a mother but she is not in this age. If sastra is an authority, the cow is a mother always; she was a mother in the Vedic age, and she is a mother in this age also.

   If one acts according to the injunctions of sastra, he is freed from the reactions of sinful activity. For example, the propensities for eating flesh, drinking wine and enjoying sex life are all natural to the conditioned soul.The path of such enjoyment is called pravrtti-marga. The sastra says, pravrttir esam bhutanam nivrttis tu maha-phala: one should not be carried away by the propensities of defective conditioned life; one should be guided by the principles of the sastras. A child's propensity is to play all day long, but it is the injunction of the sastras that the parents should take care to educate him. The sastras are there just to guide the activities of human society. But because people do not refer to the instructions of sastras, which are free from defects and imperfections, they are therefore misguided by so-called educated teachers and leaders who are full of the deficiencies of conditioned life.

 

                               TEXT 158

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  tomara vedete ache go-vadhera vani

                 ataeva go-vadha kare bada bada muni

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tomara vedete--in Your Vedic literature; ache--there is; go-vadhera--for cow-killing; vani--injunction; ataeva--therefore; go-vadha--cow-killing; kare--does; bada bada--very, very great; muni--sages.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   As a learned scholar, the Kazi challenged Caitanya Mahaprabhu, "In Your Vedic scriptures there is an injunction for killing a cow. On the strength of this injunction, great sages peformed sacrifices involving cow-killing."

 

                               TEXT 159

 

                                 TEXT

 

              prabhu kahe,----vede kahe go-vadha nisedha

                 ataeva hindu-matra na kare go-vadha

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prabhu kahe--the Lord replied; vede--in the Vedas; kahe--is enjoined; go-vadha--cow-killing; nisedha--prohibition; ataeva--therefore; hindu--Hindu; matra--any; na--does not; kare--execute; go-vadha--cow-killing.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Refuting the Kazi's statement, the Lord immediately replied, "The Vedas clearly enjoin that cows should not be killed. Therefore every Hindu, whoever he may be, avoids indulging in cow-killing.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In the Vedic scriptures there are concessions for meat-eaters. It is said that if one wants to eat meat, he should kill a goat before the goddess Kali and then eat its meat. Meat-eaters are not allowed to purchase meat or flesh from a market or slaughterhouse. There are no sanctions for maintaining regular slaughterhouses to satisfy the tongues of meat-eaters. As far as cow-killing is concerned, it is completely forbidden. Since the cow is considered a mother, how could the Vedas allow cow-killing? Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu pointed out that the Kazi's statement was faulty. In the Bhagavad-gita (18.44) there is a clear injunction that cows should be protected: krsi-goraksya-vanijyam vaisya-karma svabhava-jam. "The duty of vaisyas is to produce agricultural products, trade and give protection to cows." Therefore it is a false statement that the Vedic scriptures contain injunctions permitting cow-killing.

 

                               TEXT 160

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  jiyaite pare yadi, tabe mare prani

                   veda-purane ache hena ajna-vani

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   jiyaite--to rejuvenate; pare--one is able; yadi--if; tabe--then; mare--can kill; prani--living being; veda-purane--in the Vedas and Puranas; ache--there are; hena--such; ajna-vani--orders and injunctions.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "In the Vedas and Puranas there are injunctions declaring that if one can revive a living being, be can kill it for experimental purposes.

 

                               TEXT 161

 

                                 TEXT

 

                   ataeva jarad-gava mare muni-gana

                veda-mantre siddha kare tahara jivana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ataeva--therefore; jarad-gava--old cows; mare--killed; muni-gana--sages; veda-mantre--by the power of Vedic hymns; siddha--rejuvenated; kare--makes; tahara--his; jivana--life.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Therefore the great sages sometimes killed old cows, and by chanting Vedic hymns they again brought them to life for perfection.

 

                               TEXT 162

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  jarad-gava hana yuva haya ara-vara

                  tate tara vadha nahe, haya upakara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   jarad-gava--old, invalid cows; hana--becoming; yuva--young; haya--become; ara-vara--again; tate--in that action; tara--his; vadha--killing; nahe--is not; haya--there is; upakara--benefit.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "The killing and rejuvenation of such old and invalid cows was not truly killing but an act of great benefit.

 

                               TEXT 163

 

                                 TEXT

 

                kali-kale taiche sakti nahika brahmane

                 ataeva go-vadha keha na kare ekhane

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kali-kale--in the Age of Kali; taiche--such; sakti--power; nahika--there is none; brahmane--in the brahmanas; ataeva--therefore; go-vadha--killing of cows; keha--anyone; na--does not; kare--execute; ekhane--at the present.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Formerly there were powerful brahmanas who could make such experiments using Vedic hymns, but now, because of the Kali-yuga, brahmanas are not so powerful. Therefore the killing of cows and bulls for rejuvenation is forbidden.

 

                               TEXT 164

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        asvamedham gavalambham

                       sannyasam pala-paitrkam

                         devarena sutotpattim

                        kalau panca vivarjayet

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   asva-medham--a sacrifice offering a horse; gava-alambham--a sacrifice of cows; sannyasam--the renounced order of life; pala-paitrkam--an offering of oblations of flesh to the forefathers; devarena--by a husband's brother; suta-utpattim--begetting children; kalau--in the Age of Kali; panca--five; vivarjayet--one must give up.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'In this Age of Kali, five acts are forbidden: the offering of a horse in sacrifice, the offering of a cow in sacrifice, the acceptance of the order of sannyasa, the offering of oblations of flesh to the forefathers, and a man's begetting children in his brother's wife.'

 

                               PURPORT

 

   This is a quotation from the Brahma-vaivarta Purana (Krsna-janma-khanda 185.180).

 

                               TEXT 165

 

                                 TEXT

 

               tomara jiyaite nara,----vadha-matra sara

                 naraka ha-ite tomara nahika nistara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tomara--you Muslims; jiyaite--bring to life; nara--cannot; vadha-matra--killing only; sara--the essence; naraka ha-ite--from hell; tomara--your; nahika--there is not; nistara--deliverance.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Since you Muslims cannot bring killed animals back to life, you are responsible for killing them. Therefore you are going to hell; there is no way for your deliverance.

 

                               TEXT 166

 

                                 TEXT

 

               go-ange yata loma, tata sahasra vatsara

                go-vadhi raurava-madhye pace nirantara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   go-ange--on the body of the cow; yata--as many; loma--hairs; tata--so many; sahasra--a thousand; vatsara--years; go-vadhi--the killer of a cow; raurava-madhye--in a hellish condition of life; pace--decomposes; nirantara--always.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Cow-killers are condemned to rot in hellish life for as many thousands of years as there are hairs on the body of the cow.

 

                               TEXT 167

 

                                 TEXT

 

            toma-sabara sastra-karta----seha bhranta haila

               na jani' sastrera marma aiche ajna dila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   toma-sabara--of all of you; sastra-karta--compilers of scripture; seha--they also; bhranta--mistaken; haila--became; na jani'--without knowing; sastrera marma--the essence of scriptures; aiche--such; ajna--order; dila--gave.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "There are many mistakes and illusions in your scriptures. Their compilers, not knowing the essence of knowledge, gave orders that were against reason and argument."

 

                               TEXT 168

 

                                 TEXT

 

              suni' stabdha haila kaji, nahi sphure vani

                  vicariya kahe kaji parabhava mani'

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   suni'--by hearing; stabdha--stunned; haila--became; kaji--the Kazi; nahi--does not; sphure--utter; vani--words; vicariya--after due consideration; kahe--said; kaji--the Kazi; parabhava--defeat; mani'--accepting.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After hearing these statements by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Kazi, his arguments stunned, could not put forward any more words. Thus, after due consideration, the Kazi accepted defeat and spoke as follows.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In our practical preaching work we meet many Christians who talk about statements of the Bible. When we question whether God is limited or unlimited, Christian priests say that God is unlimited. But when we question why the unlimited God should have only one son and not unlimited sons, they are unable to answer. Similarly, from a scientific point of view, the answers of the Old Testament, New Testament and Koran to many questions have changed. But a sastra cannot change at a person's whim. All sastras must be free from the four defects of human nature. The statements of sastras must be correct for all time.

 

                               TEXT 169

 

                                 TEXT

 

               tumi ye kahile, pandita, sei satya haya

               adhunika amara sastra, vicara-saha naya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tumi--You; ye--whatever; kahile--have said; pandita--O Nimai Pandita; sei--that; satya--truth; haya--is certainly; adhunika--of modern days; amara--our; sastra--scripture; vicara--logic; saha--with; naya--they are not.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "My dear Nimai Pandita, what You have said is all true. Our scriptures have developed only recently, and they are certainly not logical and philosophical.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The sastras of the yavanas, or meat-eaters, are not eternal scriptures. They have been fashioned recently, and sometimes they contradict one another. The scriptures of the yavanas are three: the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Koran. Their compilation has a history; they are not eternal like the Vedic knowledge. Therefore although they have their arguments and reasonings, they are not very sound and transcendental. As such, modern people advanced in science and philosophy deem these scriptures unacceptable.

   Sometimes Christian priests come to us inquiring, "Why are our followers neglecting our scriptures and accepting yours?" But when we ask them, "Your Bible says, 'Do not kill.' Why then are you killing so many animals daily?" they cannot answer. Some of them imperfectly answer that the animals have no souls. But then we ask them, "How do you know that animals have no souls? Animals and children are of the same nature. Does this mean that the children of human society also have no souls?" According to the Vedic scriptures, within the body is the owner of the body, the soul. In the Bhagavad-gita (2.13) it is said:

 

                       dehino 'smin yatha dehe

                        kaumaram yauvanam jara

                       tatha dehantara-praptir

                       dhiras tatra na muhyati

 

   "As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change."

   Because the soul is within the body, the body changes through so many forms. There is a soul within the body of every living entity, whether animal, tree, bird or human being, and the soul is transmigrating from one type of body to another. When the scriptures of the yavanas--namely, the Old Testament, New Testament and Koran--cannot properly answer inquisitive followers, naturally those advanced in scientific knowledge and philosophy lose faith in such scriptures. The Kazi admitted this while talking with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Kazi was a very intelligent person. He had full knowledge of his position, as stated in the following verse.

 

                               TEXT 170

 

                                 TEXT

 

                kalpita amara sastra,----ami saba jani

                  jati-anurodhe tabu sei sastra mani

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kalpita--imagined; amara--our; sastra--scripture; ami--I; saba--everything; jani--know; jati--by community; anurodhe--being obliged; tabu--still; sei--that; sastra--scripture; mani--I accept.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "I know that our scriptures are full of imagination and mistaken ideas, yet because I am a Muslim I accept them for the sake of my community, despite their insufficient support.

 

                               TEXT 171

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  sahaje yavana-sastre adrdha vicara

                hasi' tahe mahaprabhu puchena ara-vara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sahaje--naturally; yavana-sastre--in the scriptures of the meat-eaters; adrdha--unsound; vicara--judgment; hasi'--smiling; tahe--from him; mahaprabhu--Caitanya Mahaprabhu; puchena--inquired; ara-vara--again.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "The reasoning and arguments in the scriptures of the meat-eaters are not very sound," the Kazi concluded. Upon hearing this statement, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu smiled and inquired from him as follows.

 

                               TEXT 172

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 ara eka prasna kari, suna, tumi mama

               yathartha kahibe, chale na vanchibe ama'

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ara eka--one more; prasna--inquiry; kari--am putting; suna--hear; tumi--you; mama--maternal uncle; yatha-artha--as it is true; kahibe--you should speak; chale--by tricks; na vanchibe--you should not cheat; ama'--Me.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "My dear maternal uncle, I wish to ask you another question. Please tell Me the truth. Do not try to cheat Me with tricks.

 

                               TEXT 173

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  tomara nagare haya sada sankirtana

                vadya-gita-kolahala, sangita, nartana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tomara nagare--in your city; haya--there is; sada--always; sankirtana--chanting of the holy name of the Lord; vadya--musical sounds; gita--song; kolahala--tumultuous roaring; sangita--singing; nartana--dancing.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "In your city there is always congregational chanting of the holy name. A tumultuous uproar of music, singing and dancing is always going on.

 

                               TEXT 174

 

                                 TEXT

 

              tumi kaji----hindu-dharma-virodhe adhikari

                 ebe ye na kara mana bujhite na pari

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tumi--you; kaji--the magistrate; hindu-dharma--the religious principles of the Hindus; virodhe--in opposing; adhikari--have the right; ebe--now; ye--that; na kara mana--you do not forbid; bujhite--to understand; na pari--I am not able.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "As a Muslim magistrate, you have the right to oppose the performance of Hindu ceremonies, but now you do not forbid them. I cannot understand the reason why."

 

                               TEXT 175

 

                                 TEXT

 

              kaji bale----sabhe tomaya bale 'gaurahari'

                 sei name ami tomaya sambodhana kari

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kaji bale--the Kazi said; sabhe--all; tomaya--You; bale--address; gaurahari--by the name Gaurahari; sei name--by that name; ami--I; tomaya--You; sambodhana--address; kari--do.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Kazi said, "Everyone calls You Gaurahari. Please let me address You by that name.

 

                               TEXT 176

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 suna, gaurahari, ei prasnera karana

                 nibhrta hao yadi, tabe kari nivedana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   suna--kindly hear; gaurahari--O Gaurahari; ei prasnera--of this question; karana--reason; nibhrta--solitary; hao--You become; yadi--if; tabe--then; kari--I shall make; nivedana--submission.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Kindly listen, O Gaurahari! If You come to a private place, I shall then explain the reason."

 

                               TEXT 177

 

                                 TEXT

 

             prabhu bale,----e loka amara antaranga haya

               sphuta kari' kaha tumi, na kariha bhaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prabhu bale--the Lord said; e loka--all these men; amara--My; antaranga--confidential associates; haya--are; sphuta kari'--making it clear; kaha--speak; tumi--you; na--do not; kariha bhaya--be afraid.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Lord replied, "All these men are My confidential associates. You may speak frankly. There is no reason to be afraid of them."

 

                            TEXTS 178-179

 

                                 TEXT

 

              kaji kahe,----yabe ami hindura ghare giya

                kirtana karilun mana mrdanga bhangiya

 

                 sei ratre eka simha maha-bhayankara

               nara-deha, simha-mukha, garjaye vistara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kaji kahe--the Kazi replied; yabe--when; ami--I; hindura--of a Hindu; ghare--in the house; giya--going there; kirtana--chanting of the holy name; karilun--made; mana--prohibition; mrdanga--the drum; bhangiya--breaking; sei ratre--on that night; eka--one; simha--lion; maha-bhayan-kara--very fearful; nara-deha--having a body like a human being's; simha-mukha--having a face like a lion's; garjaye--was roaring; vistara--very loudly.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Kazi said, "When I went to the Hindu's house, broke the drum and forbade the performance of congregational chanting, in my dreams that very night I saw a greatly fearful lion, roaring very loudly, His body like a human being's and His face like a lion's.

 

                               TEXT 180

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 sayane amara upara lapha diya cadi'

                 atta atta hase, kare danta-kadamadi

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sayane--in a sleeping condition; amara--me; upara--upon; lapha diya--jumping; cadi'--mounting; atta atta--rough and hard; hase--laughs; kare--does; danta--teeth; kadamadi--gnashing.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "While I was asleep, the lion jumped on my chest, laughing fiercely and gnashing His teeth.

 

                               TEXT 181

 

                                 TEXT

 

                mora buke nakha diya ghora-svare bale

                  phadimu tomara buka mrdanga badale

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   mora--my; buke--on the chest; nakha--nails; diya--placing; ghora--roaring; svare--in a voice; bale--says; phadimu--I shall bifurcate; tomara--your; buka--chest; mrdanga--for the drum; badale--in exchange.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Placing its nails on my chest, the lion said in a grave voice, 'I shall immediately bifurcate your chest as you broke the mrdanga drum!

 

                               TEXT 182

 

                                 TEXT

 

              mora kirtana mana karis, karimu tora ksaya

                ankhi mudi' kanpi ami pana bada bhaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   mora--My; kirtana--congregational chanting; mana karis--you are forbidding; karimu--I shall do; tora--your; ksaya--destruction; ankhi--eyes; mudi'--closing; kanpi--I was trembling; ami--I; pana--getting; bada--very great; bhaya--fear.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'You have forbidden the performance of My congregational chanting. Therefore I must destroy you!' Being much afraid of Him, I closed my eyes and trembled.

 

                               TEXT 183

 

                                 TEXT

 

                bhita dekhi' simha bale ha-iya sadaya

                 tore siksa dite kailu tora parajaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   bhita dekhi'--seeing me so afraid; simha--the lion; bale--says; ha-iya--becoming; sa-daya--merciful; tore--unto you; siksa--lesson; dite--to give; kailu--I have done; tora--your; parajaya--defeat.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Seeing me so afraid, the lion said, 'I have defeated you just to teach you a lesson, but I must be merciful to you.

 

                               TEXT 184

 

                                 TEXT

 

                   se dina bahuta nahi kaili utpata

                teni ksama kari' na karinu pranaghata

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   se dina--on that day; bahuta--very much; nahi--not; kaili--you did; utpata--disturbance; teni--therefore; ksama kari'--forgiving; na karinu--I did not execute; prana-aghata--the taking of your life.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'On that day you did not create a very great disturbance. Therefore I have excused you and not taken your life.

 

                               TEXT 185

 

                                 TEXT

 

                aiche yadi punah kara, tabe na sahimu

                  savamse tomare mari yavana nasimu

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   aiche--similarly; yadi--if; punah--again; kara--you do; tabe--then; na sahimu--I shall not tolerate; sa-vamse--along with your family; tomare--you; mari--killing; yavana--the meat-eaters; nasimu--I shall vanquish.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'But if you perform such activities again, I shall not be tolerant. At that time I shall kill you, your entire family and all the meat-eaters.'

 

                               TEXT 186

 

                                 TEXT

 

               eta kahi' simha gela, amara haila bhaya

                  ei dekha, nakha-cihna amora hrdaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eta--thus; kahi'--saying; simha--the lion; gela--returned; amara--my; haila--there was; bhaya--fear; ei dekha--just see this; nakha-cihna--the nail marks; amora hrdaya--on my heart.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "After saying this, the lion left, but I was very afraid of Him. Just see the marks of His nails on my heart!"

 

                               TEXT 187

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  eta bali' kaji nija-buka dekhaila

                suni' dekhi' sarva-loka ascarya manila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eta bali'--saying this; kaji--the Kazi; nija-buka--his chest; dekhaila--showed; suni'--hearing; dekhi'--seeing; sarva-loka--everyone; ascarya--wonderful incident; manila--accepted.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After this description, the Kazi showed his chest. Having heard him and seen the marks, all the people there accepted the wonderful incident.

 

                               TEXT 188

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 kaji kahe,----iha ami kare na kahila

                    sei dina amara eka piyada aila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kaji kahe--the Kazi said; iha--this; ami--I; kare--to others; na kahila--did not tell; sei dina--on that day; amara--my; eka--one; piyada--orderly; aila--came to see me.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Kazi continued, "I did not speak to anyone about this incident, but on that very day one of my orderlies came to see me.

 

                               TEXT 189

 

                                 TEXT

 

              asi' kahe,----gelun muni kirtana nisedhite

                  agni ulka mora mukhe lage acambite

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   asi'--coming to me; kahe--he said; gelun--went; muni--I; kirtana--congregational chanting; nisedhite--to stop; agni ulka--flames of fire; mora--my; mukhe--in the face; lage--come in contact; acambite--all of a sudden.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "After coming to me, the orderly said, 'When I went to stop the congregational chanting, suddenly flames struck my face.

 

                               TEXT 190

 

                                 TEXT

 

                pudila sakala dadi, mukhe haila vrana

                  yei peyada yaya, tara ei vivarana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   pudila--burned; sakala--all; dadi--beard; mukhe--on the face; haila--there was; vrana--blisters; yei--any; peyada--orderly; yaya--goes; tara--his; ei--this; vivarana--description.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'My beard was burned, and there were blisters on my cheeks.' Every orderly who went gave the same description.

 

                               TEXT 191

 

                                 TEXT

 

               taha dekhi' rahinu muni maha-bhaya pana

              kirtana na varjiha, ghare rahon ta' vasiya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   taha dekhi'--seeing that; rahinu--remained; muni--I; maha-bhaya--great fear; pana--getting; kirtana--the congregational chanting; na--not; varjiha--stop; ghare--at home; rahon--remain; ta'--certainly; vasiya--sitting.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "After seeing this, I was very afraid. I asked them not to stop the congregational chanting but to go sit down at home.

 

                               TEXT 192

 

                                 TEXT

 

              tabe ta' nagare ha-ibe svacchande kirtana

                suni' saba mleccha asi' kaila nivedana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe ta'--thereafter; nagare--in the city; ha-ibe--there would be; svacchande--without disturbance or anxiety; kirtana--congregational chanting; suni',--hearing this; saba--all; mleccha--meat-eaters; asi'--coming; kaila--submitted; nivedana--petition.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Then all the meat-eaters, hearing that there would be unrestricted congregational chanting in the city, came to submit a petition.

 

                               TEXT 193

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  nagare hindura dharma badila apara

               'hari' 'hari' dhvani ba-i nahi suni ara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   nagare--in the city; hindura--of the Hindus; dharma--religion; badila--has increased; apara--unlimitedly; hari hari--of the Lord's name, Hari, Hari; dhvani--the vibration; ba-i--except; nahi--do not; suni--we hear; ara--anything else.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'The religion of the Hindus has increased unlimitedly. There are always vibrations of "Hari! Hari!" We do not hear anything but this.'

 

                               TEXT 194

 

                                 TEXT

 

            ara mleccha kahe,----hindu 'krsna krsna' bali'

               hase, kande, nace, gaya, gadi yaya dhuli

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ara--another; mleccha--meat-eater; kahe--said; hindu--Hindus; krsna krsna bali'--saying "Krsna, Krsna"; hase--laugh; kande--cry; nace--dance; gaya--chant; gadi yaya dhuli--roll in the dust.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "One meat-eater said, 'The Hindus say, "Krsna, Krsna," and they laugh, cry, dance, chant and fall on the ground, smearing their bodies with dirt.

 

                               TEXT 195

 

                                 TEXT

 

               'hari' 'hari' kari' hindu kare kolahala

                patasaha sunile tomara karibeka phala

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   hari hari kari'--saying "Hari, Hari"; hindu--the Hindus; kare--make; kolahala--tumultuous sound; patasaha--the king; sunile--if hearing; tomara--your; karibeka--will do; phala--punishment.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'Vibrating "Hari, Hari," the Hindus make a tumultuous sound. If the king [patasaha] hears it, certainly he will punish you.'

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Patasaha refers to the king. Nawab Hussain Shah, whose full name was Ala Uddin Saiyad Husen Sa, was at that time (A.D. 1498-1521) the independent King of Bengal. Formerly he was the servant of the cruel Nawab of the Habsi dynasty named Mujahphara Khan, but somehow or other he assassinated his master and became the King. After gaining the throne of Bengal (technically called Masnada), he declared himself Saiyad Husen Ala Uddin Seriph Mukka. There is a book called Riyaja Us-salatina, whose author, Golam Husen, says that Nawab Hussain Shah belonged to the family of Mukka Seriph. To keep his family's glory, he took the name Seriph Mukka. Generally, however, he is known as Nawab Hussain Shah. After his death, his eldest son, Nasaratsa, became King of Bengal (A.D. 1521-1533). This King also was very cruel. He committed many atrocities against the Vaisnavas. As a result of his sinful activities, one of his servants from the Khoja group killed him while he was praying in the mosque.

 

                               TEXT 196

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  tabe sei yavanere ami ta' puchila

               hindu 'hari' bale, tara svabhava janila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--then; sei--that; yavanere--from the meat-eaters; ami--I; ta'--certainly; puchila--inquired; hindu--the Hindu; hari bale--says Hari; tara--his; svabhava--nature; janila--I know.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "I then inquired from these yavanas, 'I know that these Hindus by nature chant "Hari, Hari."

 

                               TEXT 197

 

                                 TEXT

 

                   tumita yavana hana kene anuksana

                 hindura devatara nama laha ki karana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tumita--but you; yavana--meat-eaters; hana--being; kene--why; anuksana--always; hindura--of the Hindus; devatara--of the God; nama--the name; laha--you take; ki--what; karana--the reason.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'The Hindus chant the name Hari because that is the name of their God. But you are Muslim meat-eaters. Why do you chant the name of the Hindus' God?'

 

                               TEXT 198

 

                                 TEXT

 

              mleccha kahe,----hindure ami kari parihasa

               keha keha----krsnadasa, keha----ramadasa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   mleccha--the meat-eater; kahe--says; hindure--unto a Hindu; ami--I; kari--do; parihasa--joking; keha keha--some of them; krsnadasa--of the name Krsnadasa; keha--some of them; ramadasa--of the name Ramadasa.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "The meat-eater replied, 'Sometimes I joke with the Hindus. Some of them are called Krsnadasa, and some are called Ramadasa.

 

                               TEXT 199

 

                                 TEXT

 

              keha----haridasa, sada bale 'hari' 'hari'

                 jani kara ghare dhana karibeka curi

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   keha--some of them; haridasa--of the name Haridasa; sada--always; bale--says; hari hari--the name of the Lord, "Hari, Hari"; jani--I understand; kara--someone's; ghare--at home; dhana--wealth; karibeka--will do; curi--theft.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'Some of them are called Haridasa. They always chant "Hari, Hari," and thus I thought they would steal the riches from someone's house.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Another meaning of "Hari, Hari" is "I am stealing. I am stealing."

 

                               TEXT 200

 

                                 TEXT

 

               sei haite jihva mora bale 'hari' 'hari'

               iccha nahi, tabu bale,----ki upaya kari

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sei haite--from that time; jihva--tongue; mora--my; bale--says; hari hari--the vibration "Hari, Hari"; iccha--desire; nahi--there is none; tabu--still; bale--says; ki--what; upaya--means; kari--I may do.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'Since that time, my tongue also always vibrates the sound "Hari, Hari." I have no desire to say it, but still my tongue says it. I do not know what to do.'

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Sometimes demoniac nonbelievers, not understanding the potency of the holy name, make fun of the Vaisnavas when the Vaisnavas chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. This joking is also beneficial for such persons. Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sixth Canto, Second Chapter, verse 14, indicates that the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, even in joking, in the course of ordinary discussion, in indicating something extraneous, or in negligence, is called namabhasa, which is chanting that is almost on the transcendental stage. This namabhasa stage is better than namaparadha. Namabhasa awakens the supreme remembrance of Lord Visnu. When one remembers Lord Visnu, he becomes free from material enjoyment. Thus he gradually comes forward toward the transcendental service of the Lord and becomes eligible to chant the holy name of the Lord in the transcendental position.

 

                            TEXTS 201-202

 

                                 TEXT

 

              ara mleccha kahe, suna----ami ta' ei-mate

                hinduke parihasa kainu se dina ha-ite

 

                jihva krsna-nama kare, na mane varjana

               na jani, ki mantrausadhi jane hindu-gana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ara--another; mleccha--meat-eater; kahe--said; suna--please hear; ami--I; ta'--certainly; ei-mate--in this way; hinduke--to a Hindu; parihasa--joking; kainu--did; se--that; dina--day; ha-ite--from; jihva--the tongue; krsna-nama--the holy name of Lord Krsna; kare--chants; na--does not; mane--accept; varjana--renunciation; na--not; jani--I know; ki--what; mantra-ausadhi--hymns and herbs; jane--know; hindu-gana--the Hindus.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Another meat-eater said, 'Sir, please hear me. Since the day I joked with some Hindus in this way, my tongue chants the Hare Krsna hymn and cannot give it up. I do not know what mystic hymns and herbal potions these Hindus know.'

 

                               TEXT 203

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 eta suni' ta'-sabhare ghare pathaila

               hena-kale pasandi hindu panca-sata aila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eta suni'--after hearing all this; ta'-sabhare--all of them; ghare--back home; pathaila--sent; hena-kale--at that time; pasandi--nonbeliever; hindu--Hindus; panca-sata--five or seven; aila--came.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "After hearing all this, I sent all the mlecchas back to their homes. Five or seven nonbelieving Hindus then approached me.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The word pasandi refers to nonbelievers engaged in fruitive activities and to idolatrous worshipers of many demigods. Pasandis do not believe in one God, the Supreme Personality, Lord Visnu; they think that all the demigods have the same potency as Him. The definition of a pasandi is given in the tantra-sastra:

 

                        yas tu narayanam devam

                       brahma-rudradi-daivataih

                       samatvenaiva vikseta sa

                        pasandi bhaved dhruvam

 

   "A pasandi is one who considers the great demigods such as Lord Brahma and Lord Siva equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana." (Hari-bhakti-vilasa 1.17)

   The Supreme Personality of Godhead is asamaurdhva; in other words, no one can be equal to or greater than Him. But pasandis do not believe this. They worship any kind of demigod, thinking it all right to accept whomever they please as the Supreme Lord. The pasandis were against the Hare Krsna movement of Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and now we see practically that they also do not like our humble attempts to spread Krsna consciousness all over the world. On the contrary, these pasandis say that we are spoiling the Hindu religion because people all over the world are accepting Lord Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to the version of Bhagavad-gita As It Is. The pasandis condemn this movement, and sometimes they accuse Vaisnavas from foreign countries of being not bona fide. Even so-called Vaisnavas--pseudo followers of the Vaisnava cult--do not agree with our activities in making Vaisnavas in the Western countries. Such pasandis existed even during the time of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and they still continue to exist. Despite all the activities of these pasandis, however, the prediction of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu will triumph: prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama. sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama. "In every town and village, the chanting of My name will be heard." No one can check the spread of the Krsna consciousness movement because upon this movement is the benediction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

                               TEXT 204

 

                                 TEXT

 

             asi' kahe,----hindura dharma bhangila nimai

                ye kirtana pravartaila, kabhu suni nai

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   asi'--coming there; kahe--they said; hindura--of the Hindus; dharma--religious principles; bhangila--has broken; nimai--Nimai Pandita; ye--that; kirtana--congregational chanting; pravartaila--has introduced; kabhu--at any time; suni--we heard; nai--never.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Coming to me, the Hindus complained, 'Nimai Pandita has broken the Hindu religious principles. He has introduced the sankirtana system, which we never heard from any scripture.

 

                               TEXT 205

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 mangalacandi visahari kari' jagarana

              ta'te vadya, nrtya, gita,----yogya acarana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   mangala-candi--of the religious performance for worship of Mangalacandi; visahari--of the religious performance for worship of Visahari; kari'--observing; jagarana--night vigil; ta'te--in that ceremony; vadya--musical performance; nrtya--dancing; gita--chanting; yogya--suitable; acarana--custom.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'When we keep a nightlong vigil to observe religious performances for the worship of Mangalacandi and Visahari, playing on musical instruments, dancing and chanting are certainly fitting customs.

 

                               TEXT 206

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  purve bhala chila ei nimai pandita

                   gaya haite asiya calaya viparita

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   purve--before this; bhala--very good; chila--was; ei--this; nimai pandita--of the name Nimai Pandita; gaya--Gaya (a place of pilgrimage); haite--from; asiya--coming; calaya--conducts; viparita--just the opposite.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'Nimai Pandita was previously a very good boy, but since He has returned from Gaya He conducts Himself differently.

 

                               TEXT 207

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 ucca kari' gaya gita, deya karatali

                mrdanga-karatala-sabde karne lage tali

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ucca--loud; kari'--making; gaya--sings; gita--songs; deya--practices; karatali--clapping; mrdanga--mrdanga drum; karatala--hand cymbals; sabde--by sounds; karne--in the ear; lage--there is; tali--blocking.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'Now He loudly sings all kinds of songs, clapping, playing drums and hand cymbals, and making a tumultuous sound that deafens our ears.

 

                               TEXT 208

 

                                 TEXT

 

              na jani,----ki khana matta hana nace, gaya

                hase, kande, pade, uthe, gadagadi yaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   na jani--we do not know; ki--what; khana--eating; matta--mad; hana--becoming; nace--He dances; gaya--chants; hase--laughs; kande--cries; pade--falls down; uthe--gets up; gadagadi yaya--goes rolling on the ground.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'We do not know what He eats that makes Him become mad, dancing, singing, sometimes laughing, crying, falling down, jumping up and rolling on the ground.

 

                               TEXT 209

 

                                 TEXT

 

               nagariyake pagala kaila sada sankirtana

                 ratre nidra nahi yai, kari jagarana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   nagariyake--all the citizens; pagala--mad; kaila--He has made; sada--always; sankirtana--congregational chanting; ratre--at night; nidra--sleep; nahi yai--we do not get; kari--observe; jagarana--wakefulness.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'He has made all the people practically mad by always performing congregational chanting. At night we cannot get any sleep; we are always kept awake.

 

                               TEXT 210

 

                                 TEXT

 

             'nimani' nama chadi' ebe bolaya 'gaurahari'

             hindura dharma nasta kaila pasanda sancari'

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   nimani--Nimai; nama--the name; chadi'--giving up; ebe--now; bolaya--calls; gaurahari--Gaurahari; hindura--of the Hindus; dharma--the religious principles; nasta kaila--spoiled; pasanda--irreligion; sancari'--introducing.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'Now He has given up His own name Nimai and introduced Himself by the name Gaurahari. He has spoiled the Hindu religious principles and introduced the irreligion of nonbelievers.

 

                               TEXT 211

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 krsnera kirtana kare nica bada bada

                    ei pape navadvipa ha-ibe ujada

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   krsnera--of Lord Krsna; kirtana--chanting; kare--does; nica--lower class; bada bada--again and again; ei pape--by this sin; navadvipa--the whole city of Navadvipa; ha-ibe--will become; ujada--deserted.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'Now the lower classes are chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra again and again. For this sinful activity, the entire city of Navadvipa will become deserted.

 

                               TEXT 212

 

                                 TEXT

 

            hindu-sastre 'isvara' nama----maha-mantra jani

              sarva-loka sunile mantrera virya haya hani

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   hindu-sastre--in the scriptures of the Hindus; isvara--God; nama--the holy name; maha-mantra--topmost hymn; jani--we know; sarva-loka--everyone; sunile--if they hear; mantrera--of the mantra; virya--potency; haya--becomes; hani--finished.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'According to Hindu scripture, God's name is the most powerful hymn. If everyone hears the chanting of the name, the potency of the hymn will be lost.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In the list of offenses in the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, it is said, dharma-vrata-tyaga-hutadi-sarva-subha-kriya-samyam api pramadah: to consider the chanting of the holy name of the Lord equal to the execution of some auspicious religious ceremony is an offense. According to the materialistic point of view, observing a religious ceremony invokes an auspicious atmosphere for the material benefit of the entire world. Materialists therefore manufacture religious principles to live comfortably and without disturbance in executing their material activities. Since they do not believe in the existence of God, they have manufactured the idea that God is impersonal and that to have some conception of God one may imagine any form. Thus they respect the many forms of the demigods as different representations or manifestations of the Lord. They are called bahv-isvara-vadis, or followers of thousands and thousands of gods. They consider the chanting of the names of the demigods an auspicious activity. Great so-called svamis have written books saying that one may chant any name--Durga, Kali, Siva, Krsna, Rama, and so on--because any name is all right for invoking an auspicious atmosphere in society. Thus they are called pasandis--unbelievers or faithless demons.

   Such pasandis do not know the actual value of the chanting of the holy name of Lord Krsna. Foolishly proud of their material birth as brahmanas and their consequently higher position in the social order, they think of the other classes--namely, the ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras--as lower classes. According to them, no one but the brahmanas can chant the holy name of Krsna, for if others chanted the holy name, its potency would be reduced. They are unaware of the potency of Lord Krsna's name. The Brhan-naradiya Purana recommends:

 

                        harer nama harer nama

                        harer namaiva kevalam

                      kalau nasty eva nasty eva

                       nasty eva gatir anyatha

 

   "For spiritual progress in this age of Kali, there is no alternative, no alternative, no alternative to the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord." The pasandis do not accept that the potency of the holy name of Krsna is so great that one can be delivered simply by chanting the holy name, although this is confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.3.51): kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet. Any man from any part of the world who practices chanting of the holy name of Krsna can be liberated and after death go back home, back to Godhead. The rascal pasandis think that if anyone but a brahmana chants the holy name, the potency of the holy name is vanquished. According to their judgment, instead of delivering the fallen souls, the potency of the holy name is reduced. Believing in the existence of many gods and considering the chanting of the holy name of Krsna no better than other hymns, these pasandis do not believe in the words of the sastra (harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam). But Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms in His Siksastaka, kirtaniyah sada harih: one must chant the holy name of the Lord always, twenty-four hours a day. The pasandis, however, are so fallen and falsely proud of having taken birth in brahmana families that they think that instead of delivering all the fallen souls, the holy name becomes impotent when constantly chanted by lower-class men.

   Significant in verse 211 are the words krsnera kirtana kare nica bada bada, indicating that anyone can join in the sankirtana movement. This is confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.4.18): kirata-hunandhra-pulinda-pulkasa abhira-sumbha yavanah khasadayah. This is a list of the names of candalas. The pasandis say that when these lower-class men are allowed to chant, their influence is enhanced. They do not like the idea that others should also develop spiritual qualities, because this would curb their false pride in having taken birth in families of the elevated brahmana caste, with a monopoly on spiritual activities. But despite all protests from so-called Hindus and members of the brahmana caste, we are propagating the Krsna consciousness movement all over the world, according to the injunctions of the sastras and the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus we are sure that we are delivering many fallen souls, making them bona fide candidates for going back home, back to Godhead.

 

                               TEXT 213

 

                                 TEXT

 

                gramera thakura tumi, saba tomara jana

                  nimai bolaiya tare karaha varjana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   gramera--of this town; thakura--the ruler; tumi--you; saba--all; tomara--your; jana--people; nimai--Nimai Pandita; bolaiya--calling; tare--unto Him; karaha--do; varjana--the punishment of making Him leave the town.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   " 'Sir, you are the ruler of this town. Whether Hindu or Muslim, everyone is under your protection. Therefore please call Nimai Pandita and make Him leave the town.'

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The word thakura has two meanings. One meaning is "God" or "a godly person," and another meaning is "ksatriya." Here the pasandi brahmanas address the Kazi as thakura, considering him the ruler of the town. There are different names by which to address the members of different castes. The brahmanas are addressed as maharaja, the ksatriyas as thakura, the vaisyas as setha or mahajana, and the sudras as caudhuri. This etiquette is still followed in northern India, where the ksatriyas are addressed as Thakura Sahab. The pasandis went so far as to request the magistrate, or Kazi, to have Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu expelled from the town because of His introducing hari-nama-sankirtana. Fortunately our Hare Krsna movement all over the world, especially in the civilized world of Europe and America, has become very popular. Generally no one complains against us to have us removed from a city. Although such an attempt was indeed made in Melbourne, Australia, the attempt failed. Thus we are now introducing this Hare Krsna movement in great cities of the world like New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, and by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu everything is going on nicely. People are happy to accept the principle of chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, and the result is most satisfactory.

 

                               TEXT 214

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  tabe ami priti-vakya kahila sabare

                 sabe ghare yaha, ami nisedhiba tare

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--thereafter; ami--I; priti-vakya--sweet words; kahila--said; sabare--unto all of them; sabe--all of you; ghare--back home; yaha--go; ami--I; nisedhiba--shall prohibit; tare--Him (Nimai Pandita).

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "After hearing their complaints, in sweet words I told them, 'Please go back home. I shall certainly prohibit Nimai Pandita from continuing His Hare Krsna movement.'

 

                               TEXT 215

 

                                 TEXT

 

                   hindura isvara bada yei narayana

                 sei tumi hao,----hena laya mora mana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   hindura--of the Hindus; isvara--God; bada--the topmost; yei--who; narayana--Lord Narayana; sei--He; tumi--You; hao--are; hena--such; laya--takes; mora--my; mana--mind.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "I know that Narayana is the Supreme God of the Hindus, and I think that You are the same Narayana. This I feel within my mind."

 

                               TEXT 216

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  eta suni' mahaprabhu hasiya hasiya

                  kahite lagila kichu kajire chuniya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eta--this; suni'--hearing; mahaprabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; hasiya hasiya--smiling; kahite--to speak; lagila--began; kichu--something; kajire--unto the Kazi; chuniya--touching.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After hearing the Kazi speak so nicely, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu touched him and smilingly spoke as follows.

 

                               TEXT 217

 

                                 TEXT

 

              tomara mukhe krsna-nama,----e bada vicitra

                papa-ksaya gela, haila parama pavitra

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tomara mukhe--in your mouth; krsna-nama--chanting of the holy name of Krsna; e--this; bada--very; vicitra--wonderful; papa-ksaya--nullifying of sinful activities; gela--has become a fact; haila--have become; parama--topmost; pavitra--purified.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "The chanting of the holy name of Krsna from your mouth has performed a wonder--it has nullified the reactions of all your sinful activities. Now you have become supremely pure.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Confirming the potency of the sankirtana movement, these words from the very mouth of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu express how people can be purified simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Krsna. The Kazi was a Muslim mleccha, or meat-eater, but because he several times uttered the holy name of Lord Krsna, automatically the reactions of his sinful life were vanquished and he was fully purified of all material contamination. We do not know why the pasandis of the present day protest that we are deteriorating the Hindu religion by spreading Krsna consciousness all over the world and claiming all classes of men to the highest standard of Vaisnavism. But these rascals disagree with us so vehemently that some of them do not allow European and American Vaisnavas to enter into the temples of Visnu. Thinking religion to be meant for material benefit, these so-called Hindus have actually become vicious by worshiping the numerous forms of the demigods. In the next verse Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms the Kazi's purification.

 

                               TEXT 218

 

                                 TEXT

 

             'hari' 'krsna' 'narayana'----laile tina nama

                  bada bhagyavan tumi, bada punyavan

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   hari krsna narayana--the holy names of Lord Hari, Lord Krsna and Lord Narayana; laile--you have taken; tina--three; nama--holy names; bada--very; bhagyavan--fortunate; tumi--you are; bada--very; punyavan--pious.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Because you have chanted three holy names of the Lord--Hari, Krsna and Narayana--you are undoubtedly the most fortunate and pious."

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Here the Supreme Lord, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, confirms that anyone who chants the holy names Hari, Krsna and Narayana without offense is certainly extremely fortunate, and whether Indian or non-Indian, Hindu or non-Hindu, he immediately comes to the level of the most pious personality. We therefore do not care about the statements of pasandis who protest against our movement's making the members of other cities or countries into Vaisnavas. We have to follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, executing our mission peacefully, or, if necessary, kicking the heads of such protesters.

 

                               TEXT 219

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 eta suni' kajira dui cakse pade pani

                prabhura carana chuni' bale priya-vani

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eta--this; suni'--hearing; kajira--of the Kazi; dui--two; cakse--in the eyes; pade--flow down; pani--tears; prabhura--of the Lord; carana--lotus feet; chuni'--touching; bale--says; priya-vani--pleasing words.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After the Kazi heard this, tears flowed down from his eyes. He immediately touched the lotus feet of the Lord and spoke the following sweet words.

 

                               TEXT 220

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  tomara prasade mora ghucila kumati

               ei krpa kara,----yena tomate rahu bhakti

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tomara prasade--by Your mercy; mora--my; ghucila--have gone away; kumati--bad intentions; ei--this; krpa--mercy; kara--please do unto me; yena--so that; tomate--in You; rahu--may stay; bhakti--devotion.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Only by Your mercy have my bad intentions vanished. Kindly favor me so that my devotion may always be fixed upon You."

 

                               TEXT 221

 

                                 TEXT

 

                prabhu kahe,----eka dana magiye tomaya

                 sankirtana vada yaiche nahe nadiyaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prabhu kahe--the Lord said; eka--one; dana--charity; magiye--I beg; tomaya--from you; sankirtana--chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra; vada--opposition; yaiche--as it may be; nahe--not be; nadiyaya--in the district of Nadia.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Lord said, "I wish to beg you for one favor in charity. You must pledge that this sankirtana movement will not be checked, at least in the district of Nadia."

 

                               TEXT 222

 

                                 TEXT

 

                kaji kahe,----mora vamse yata upajibe

             tahake 'talaka' diba,----kirtana na badhibe

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kaji kahe--the Kazi said; mora--my; vamse--in the dynasty; yata--all (descendants); upajibe--who will take birth; tahake--unto them; talaka--grave admonition; diba--I shall give; kirtana--the sankirtana movement; na--never; badhibe--they will oppose.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Kazi said, "To as many descendants as take birth in my dynasty in the future, I give this grave admonition: No one should check the sankirtana movement."

 

                               PURPORT

 

   As a result of this grave injunction by the Kazi, even at present the descendants of the Kazi's family do not oppose the sankirtana movement under any circumstances. Even during the great Hindu-Muslim riots in neighboring places, the descendants of the Kazi honestly preserved the assurance given by their forefather.

 

                               TEXT 223

 

                                 TEXT

 

                suni' prabhu 'hari' bali' uthila apani

                uthila vaisnava saba kari' hari-dhvani

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   suni'--hearing; prabhu--the Lord; hari--the holy name of the Lord; bali'--chanting; uthila--got up; apani--personally; uthila--got up; vaisnava--other devotees; saba--all; kari'--making; hari-dhvani--vibration of the holy name, "Hari Hari."

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Hearing this, the Lord got up, chanting "Hari! Hari!" Following Him, all the other Vaisnavas also got up, chanting the vibration of the holy name.

 

                               TEXT 224

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 kirtana karite prabhu karila gamana

                 sange cali' aise kaji ullasita mana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kirtana--chanting; karite--to perform; prabhu--the Lord; karila--made; gamana--departure; sange--accompanying Him; cali'--walking; aise--comes; kaji--the Kazi; ullasita--jubilant; mana--mind.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went back to perform kirtana, and the Kazi, his mind jubilant, went with Him.

 

                               TEXT 225

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  kajire vidaya dila sacira nandana

                   nacite nacite aila apana bhavana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kajire--unto the Kazi; vidaya--farewell; dila--gave; sacira--of mother Saci; nandana--the son; nacite nacite--dancing and dancing; aila--came back; apana--own; bhavana--house.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Lord asked the Kazi to go back home. Then the son of mother Saci came back to His own home, dancing and dancing.

 

                               TEXT 226

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 ei mate kajire prabhu karila prasada

                  iha yei sune tara khande aparadha

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ei mate--in this way; kajire--unto the Kazi; prabhu--the Lord; karila--did; prasada--mercy; iha--this; yei--anyone who; sune--hears; tara--his; khande--vanquishes; aparadha--offenses.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   This is the incident concerning the Kazi and the Lord's mercy upon him. Anyone who hears this is also freed from all offenses.

 

                               TEXT 227

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  eka dina srivasera mandire gosani

                 nityananda-sange nrtya kare dui bhai

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eka dina--one day; srivasera--of Srivasa Thakura; mandire--in the house; gosani--Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nityananda--Lord Nityananda; sange--accompanied by; nrtya--dancing; kare--performed; dui--two; bhai--brothers.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   One day the two brothers Lord Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu were dancing in the holy house of Srivasa Thakura.

 

                               TEXT 228

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 srivasa-putrera tahan haila paraloka

                 tabu srivasera citte na janmila soka

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   srivasa--of Srivasa Thakura; putrera--of the son; tahan--there; haila--took place; paraloka--death; tabu--still; srivasera--of Srivasa Thakura; citte--in the mind; na--not; janmila--there was; soka--lamentation.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   At that time a calamity took place--Srivasa Thakura's son died. Yet Srivasa Thakura was not at all sorry.

 

                               TEXT 229

 

                                 TEXT

 

                mrta-putra-mukhe kaila jnanera kathana

                 apane dui bhai haila srivasa-nandana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   mrta-putra--of the dead son; mukhe--in the mouth; kaila--did; jnanera--of knowledge; kathana--conversation; apane--personally; dui--the two; bhai--brothers; haila--became; srivasa-nandana--sons of Srivasa Thakura.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu caused the dead son to speak about knowledge, and then the two brothers personally became the sons of Srivasa Thakura.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   This incident is described as follows by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya. One night while Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was dancing with His devotees at the house of Srivasa Thakura, one of Srivasa Thakura's sons, who was suffering from some disease, died. Srivasa Thakura was so patient, however, that he did not allow anyone to express sorrow by crying, for he did not want the kirtana going on at his house to be disturbed. Thus kirtana continued without a sound of lamentation. But when the kirtana was over, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who could understand the incident, declared, "There must have been some calamity in this house." When He was then informed about the death of Srivasa Thakura's son, He expressed His regret, saying, "Why was this news not given to Me before?" He went to the place where the son was lying dead and asked him, "My dear boy, why are you leaving the house of Srivasa Thakura?" The dead son immediately replied, "I was living in this house as long as I was destined to live here. Now that the time is over, I am going elsewhere, according to Your direction. I am Your eternal servant, a dependent living being. I must act only according to Your desire. Beyond Your desire, I cannot do anything. I have no such power." Hearing these words of the dead son, all the members of Srivasa Thakura's family received transcendental knowledge. Thus there was no cause for lamentation. This transcendental knowledge is described in the Bhagavad-gita (2.13): tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati. When someone dies, he accepts another body; therefore sober persons do not lament. After the discourse between the dead boy and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, funeral ceremonies were performed, and Lord Caitanya assured Srivasa Thakura, "You have lost one son, but Nityananda Prabhu and I are your eternal sons. We shall never be able to give up your company." This is an instance of a transcendental relationship with Krsna. We have eternal transcendental relationships with Krsna as His servants, friends, fathers, sons or conjugal lovers. When the same relationships are pervertedly reflected in this material world, we have relationships as the sons, fathers, friends, lovers, masters or servants of others, but all these relationships are subject to termination within a definite period. If we revive our relationship with Krsna, however, by the grace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu our eternal relationship will never break to cause our lamentation.

 

                               TEXT 230

 

                                 TEXT

 

                tabe ta' karila saba bhakte vara dana

               ucchista diya narayanira karila sammana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--thereafter; ta'--certainly; karila--did; saba bhakte--unto all devotees; vara--benediction; dana--charity; ucchista--food remnants; diya--giving; narayanira--of Narayani; karila--did; sammana--respect.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Thereafter the Lord charitably bestowed His benediction upon all His devotees. He gave the remnants of His food to Narayani, showing her special respect.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Narayani was a niece of Srivasa Thakura, and later she became the mother of Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura. In this connection the sahajiyas cite a malicious story that after eating the remnants of Lord Caitanya's food Narayani became pregnant and gave birth to Vrndavana dasa Thakura. The rascal sahajiyas may manufacture such false statements, but no one should believe them because they are motivated by enmity against the Vaisnavas.

 

                               TEXT 231

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 srivasera vastra sinye daraji yavana

                prabhu tare nija-rupa karaila darsana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   srivasera--of Srivasa Thakura; vastra--cloth; sinye--sewing; daraji--tailor; yavana--meat-eater; prabhu--the Lord; tare--unto him; nija-rupa--His own form; karaila--caused; darsana--vision.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   There was a tailor who was a meat-eater but was sewing garments for Srivasa Thakura. The Lord, being merciful to him, showed him His own form.

 

                               TEXT 232

 

                                 TEXT

 

               'dekhinu' 'dekhinu' bali' ha-ila pagala

                preme nrtya kare, haila vaisnava agala

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   dekhinu--I have seen; dekhinu--I have seen; bali'--saying; ha-ila--became; pagala--mad; preme--in the ecstasy of love; nrtya--dancing; kare--does; haila--became; vaisnava--devotee; agala--first class.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Saying "I have seen! I have seen!" and dancing in ecstatic love as though mad, he became a first-class Vaisnava.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   There was a Muslim tailor near the house of Srivasa Thakura who used to sew the garments of the family. One day he was very much pleased with the dancing of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; indeed, he was enchanted. The Lord, understanding his attitude, showed him His original form as Krsna. The tailor then began to dance, saying, "I have seen! I have seen!" He became absorbed in ecstatic love and began to dance with Lord Caitanya. Thus he became one of the foremost Vaisnava adherents of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

                               TEXT 233

 

                                 TEXT

 

               avesete srivase prabhu vamsi ta' magila

            srivasa kahe,----vamsi tomara gopi hari' nila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   avesete--in ecstasy; srivase--unto Srivasa; prabhu--the Lord; vamsi--a flute; ta'--certainly; magila--asked; srivasa--Srivasa Thakura; kahe--replied; vamsi--flute; tomara--Your; gopi--the gopis; hari--stealing; nila--took away.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In ecstasy the Lord asked Srivasa Thakura to deliver His flute, but Srivasa Thakura replied, "Your flute has been stolen away by the gopis."

 

                               TEXT 234

 

                                 TEXT

 

               suni' prabhu 'bala' 'bala' balena avese

                 srivasa varnena vrndavana-lila-rase

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   suni'--hearing; prabhu--the Lord; bala bala--go on speaking, go on speaking; balena--He says; avese--in ecstasy; srivasa--Srivasa Thakura; varnena--describes; vrndavana--of Vrndavana; lila-rase--the transcendental mellow of the pastimes.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Hearing this reply, the Lord said in ecstasy, "Go on talking! Go on talking!" Thus Srivasa described the transcendental mellow pastimes of Sri Vrndavana.

 

                               TEXT 235

 

                                 TEXT

 

                prathamete vrndavana-madhurya varnila

                 suniya prabhura citte ananda badila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prathamete--in the beginning; vrndavana-madhurya--sweet pastimes of Vrndavana; varnila--described; suniya--hearing; prabhura--of the Lord; citte--in the heart; ananda--jubilation; badila--increased.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In the beginning Srivasa Thakura described the transcendental sweetness of Vrndavana's pastimes. Hearing this, the Lord felt great and increasing jubilation in His heart.

 

                               TEXT 236

 

                                 TEXT

 

               tabe 'bala' 'bala' prabhu bale vara-vara

               punah punah kahe srivasa kariya vistara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--thereafter; bala bala--go on speaking, go on speaking; prabhu--the Lord; bale--says; vara-vara--again, again; punah punah--again, again; kahe--speaks; srivasa--Srivasa Thakura; kariya--making; vistara--expansion.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Thereafter the Lord again and again asked him, "Speak on! Speak on!" Thus Srivasa again and again described the pastimes of Vrndavana, vividly expanding them.

 

                               TEXT 237

 

                                 TEXT

 

                vamsi-vadye gopi-ganera vane akarsana

                tan-sabara sange yaiche vana-viharana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   vamsi-vadye--on hearing the sound of the flute; gopi-ganera--of all the gopis; vane--in the forest; akarsana--the attraction; tan-sabara--of all of them; sange--in the company; yaiche--in what way; vana--in the forest; viharana--wandering.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Srivasa Thakura extensively explained how the gopis were attracted to the forests of Vrndavana by the vibration of Krsna's flute and how they wandered together in the forest.

 

                               TEXT 238

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 tahi madhye chaya-rtu lilara varnana

               madhu-pana, rasotsava, jala-keli kathana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tahi madhye--during that; chaya-rtu--the six seasons; lilara--of the pastimes; varnana--description; madhu-pana--drinking of the honey; rasa-utsava--dancing the rasa-lila; jala-keli--swimming in the Yamuna; kathana--narrations.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Srivasa Pandita narrated all the pastimes enacted during the six changing seasons. He described the drinking of honey, the celebration of the rasa dance, the swimming in the Yamuna, and other such incidents.

 

                               TEXT 239

 

                                 TEXT

 

               'bala' 'bala' bale prabhu sunite ullasa

                srivasa kahena tabe rasa rasera vilasa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   bala bala--go on speaking, go on speaking; bale--says; prabhu--the Lord; sunite--hearing; ullasa--very jubilantly; srivasa--Srivasa Thakura; kahena--says; tabe--then; rasa--rasa dance; rasera--filled with transcendental humors; vilasa--pastimes.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   When the Lord, hearing with great pleasure, said, "Go on speaking! Go on speaking!" Srivasa Thakura described the rasa-lila dance, which is filled with transcendental mellows.

 

                               TEXT 240

 

                                 TEXT

 

                kahite, sunite aiche pratah-kala haila

                prabhu srivasere tosi' alingana kaila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kahite--speaking; sunite--hearing; aiche--in that way; pratah-kala--morning; haila--appeared; prabhu--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; srivasere--unto Srivasa Thakura; tosi'--satisfying; alingana--embracing; kaila--did.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   As the Lord thus requested and Srivasa Thakura spoke, the morning appeared, and the Lord embraced Srivasa Thakura and satisfied him.

 

                               TEXT 241

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 tabe acaryera ghare kaila krsna-lila

                 rukmini-svarupa prabhu apane ha-ila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tabe--thereafter; acaryera--of Advaita Acarya; ghare--in the house; kaila--performed; krsna-lila--pastimes of Lord Krsna; rukmini--of Rukmini; svarupa--form; prabhu--the Lord; apane--personally; ha-ila--became.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Thereafter a dramatization of Krsna's pastimes was performed in the house of Advaita Acarya. The Lord personally took the part of Rukmini, the foremost of Krsna's queens.

 

                               TEXT 242

 

                                 TEXT

 

            kabhu durga, laksmi haya, kabhu va cic-chakti

              khate vasi' bhakta-gane dila prema-bhakti

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kabhu--sometimes; durga--the part of Goddess Durga; laksmi--the goddess of fortune; haya--is; kabhu--sometimes; va--or; cit-sakti--the spiritual potency; khate--on a cot; vasi'--sitting; bhakta-gane--unto the devotees; dila--gave; prema-bhakti--love of Godhead.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Lord sometimes took the part of Goddess Durga, Laksmi [the goddess of fortune] or the chief potency, Yogamaya. Sitting on a cot, He delivered love of Godhead to all the devotees present.

 

                               TEXT 243

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 eka-dina mahaprabhura nrtya-avasane

                   eka brahmani asi' dharila carane

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eka-dina--one day; mahaprabhura--of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nrtya-avasane--at the end of the dancing; eka--one; brahmani--wife of a brahmana; asi'--coming; dharila--caught hold; carane--of His lotus feet.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   One day when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had finished His dancing, a woman, the wife of a brahmana, came there and caught hold of His lotus feet.

 

                               TEXT 244

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  caranera dhuli sei laya vara vara

                 dekhiya prabhura duhkha ha-ila apara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   caranera--of His lotus feet; dhuli--the dust; sei--that woman; laya--takes; vara vara--again and again; dekhiya--seeing this; prabhura--of the Lord; duhkha--unhappiness; ha-ila--there was; apara--unlimited.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   As she took the dust of His lotus feet again and again, the Lord became unlimitedly unhappy.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   This holding of a great personality's lotus feet is certainly very good for the person who takes the dust, but this example of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's unhappiness indicates that a Vaisnava should not allow anyone to take dust from his feet.

   One who takes the dust of a great personality's lotus feet transfers his sinful activities to that great personality. Unless the person whose dust is taken is very strong, he must suffer the sinful activities of the person who takes the dust. Therefore ordinarily it should not be allowed. Sometimes in big meetings people come to take the same advantage by touching our feet. On account of this, sometimes we have to suffer from some disease. As far as possible, no outsider should be allowed to touch one's feet to take dust from them. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally showed this by His example, as explained in the next verse.

 

                               TEXT 245

 

                                 TEXT

 

                sei-ksane dhana prabhu gangate padila

                  nityananda-haridasa dhari' uthaila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sei-ksane--immediately; dhana--running; prabhu--the Lord; gangate--in the water of the Ganges; padila--plunged; nityananda--Lord Nityananda; haridasa--Haridasa Thakura; dhari'--catching Him; uthaila--raised Him.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Immediately He ran to the river Ganges and jumped in to counteract the sinful activities of that woman. Lord Nityananda and Haridasa Thakura caught Him and raised Him from the river.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is God Himself, but He was playing the part of a preacher. Every preacher should know that being allowed to touch a Vaisnava's feet and take dust may be good for the person who takes it, but it is not good for the person who allows it to be taken. As far as possible, this practice should ordinarily be avoided. Only initiated disciples should be allowed to take this advantage, not others. Those who are full of sinful activities should generally be avoided.

 

                               TEXT 246

 

                                 TEXT

 

                vijaya acaryera ghare se ratre rahila

               pratah-kale bhakta sabe ghare lana gela

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   vijaya--named Vijaya; acaryera--of the teacher; ghare--at the home; se--that; ratre--on the night; rahila--remained; pratah-kale--in the morning; bhakta--the devotees; sabe--all; ghare--home; lana--taking them; gela--went.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   That night the Lord stayed at the house of Vijaya Acarya. In the morning the Lord took all His devotees and returned home.

 

                               TEXT 247

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  eka-dina gopi-bhave grhete vasiya

                 'gopi' 'gopi' nama laya visanna hana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eka-dina--one day; gopi-bhave--in the ecstasy of the gopis; grhete--at home; vasiya--sitting; gopi gopi--"Gopi, Gopi"; nama--the name; laya--chants; visanna--morose; hana--becoming.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   One day the Lord, in the ecstasy of the gopis, was sitting in His house. Very morose in separation, He was calling, "Gopi! Gopi!"

 

                               TEXT 248

 

                                 TEXT

 

                   eka paduya aila prabhuke dekhite

                'gopi' 'gopi' nama suni' lagila balite

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eka paduya--one student; aila--came there; prabhuke--the Lord; dekhite--to see; gopi gopi--"Gopi, Gopi"; nama--the name; suni'--hearing; lagila--began; balite--to say.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   A student who came to see the Lord was astonished that the Lord was chanting "Gopi! Gopi!" Thus he spoke as follows.

 

                               TEXT 249

 

                                 TEXT

 

             krsna-nama na lao kene, krsna-nama----dhanya

               'gopi' 'gopi' balile va kiba haya punya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   krsna-nama--the holy name of Lord Krsna; na--not; lao--You take; kene--why; krsna-nama--the holy name of Lord Krsna; dhanya--glorious; gopi gopi--the names "Gopi, Gopi"; balile--on saying; va--or; kiba--what; haya--there is; punya--piety.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Why are You chanting the names 'Gopi, Gopi' instead of the holy name of Lord Krsna, which is so glorious? What pious result will You achieve by such chanting?"

 

                               PURPORT

 

   It is said, vaisnavera kriya-mudra vijneha na bujhaya: no one can understand the activities of a pure devotee. A student or neophyte devotee could not possibly understand why Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was chanting the name of the gopis, nor should the student have asked the Lord about the potency of chanting "Gopi, Gopi." The neophyte student was certainlv convinced of the piety in the chanting of Krsna's holy name, but this sort of attitude is also offensive. Dharma-vrata-tyaga-hutadi-sarva-subha-kriya-samyam api pramadah: to chant the holy name of Krsna in exchange for the achievement of piety is an offense. This, of course, was unknown to the student. Thus he innocently asked, "What piety is there in the chanting of the name Gopi?" He did not know that there is no question of piety or impiety. The chanting of the holy name of Krsna or the holy name Gopi is on the transcendental platform of loving affairs. Since he was not expert in understanding such transcendental activities, his question was merely impudent. Thus Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, apparently greatly angry at him, reacted as follows.

 

                               TEXT 250

 

                                 TEXT

 

              suni' prabhu krodhe kaila krsne dosodgara

              thenga lana uthila prabhu paduya maribara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   suni'--hearing; prabhu--the Lord; krodhe--in anger; kaila--did; krsne--unto Lord Krsna; dosa-udgara--many accusations; thenga--stick; lana--taking; uthila--got up; prabhu--the Lord; paduya--the student; maribara--to strike.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Hearing the foolish student, the Lord became greatly angry and rebuked Lord Krsna in various ways. Taking up a stick, He rose to strike the student.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   It is mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam that when Uddhava came from Lord Krsna with a message for the gopis, all the gopis, especially Srimati Radharani, denounced Krsna in various ways. Such denunciations, however, reflect an exuberant loving attitude that an ordinary man cannot understand. When the foolish student questioned Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Caitanya similarly rebuked Lord Krsna in loving exuberance. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was in the mood of the gopis and the student advocated the cause of Sri Krsna, Lord Caitanya was greatly angry. Seeing His anger, the foolish student, who was an ordinary atheistic smarta-brahmana, foolishly misjudged Him. Thus he and a party of students were ready to strike the Lord in retaliation. After this incident, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu decided to take sannyasa so that people would not commit offenses against Him, considering Him an ordinary householder, for in India even now a sannyasi is naturally offered respect.

 

                               TEXT 251

 

                                 TEXT

 

            bhaye palaya paduya, prabhu pache pache dhaya

               aste vyaste bhakta-gana prabhure rahaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   bhaye--out of fear; palaya--runs away; paduya--the student; prabhu--the Lord; pache pache--after him; dhaya--runs; aste vyaste--somehow or other; bhakta-gana--all the devotees; prabhure--the Lord; rahaya--checked.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The student ran away in fear, and the Lord followed him. But somehow or other the devotees checked the Lord.

 

                               TEXT 252

 

                                 TEXT

 

                prabhure santa kari' anila nija ghare

                  paduya palaya gela paduya-sabhare

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prabhure--the Lord; santa kari'--pacifying; anila--brought; nija--His own; ghare--to the house; paduya--the student; palaya--running away; gela--went; paduya--of students; sabhare--to the assembly.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The devotees pacified the Lord and brought Him home, and the student ran away to an assembly of other students.

 

                               TEXT 253

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 paduya sahasra yahan pade eka-thani

                prabhura vrttanta dvija kahe tahan yai

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   paduya--students; sahasra--a thousand; yahan--where; pade--they study; eka-thani--in one place; prabhura--of the Lord; vrttanta--incident; dvija--the brahmana; kahe--says; tahan--there; yai--he goes.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The brahmana student ran to a place where a thousand students were studying together. There he described the incident to them.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In this verse we find the word dvija, indicating that the student was a brahmana. Actually, in those days, only members of the brahmana class became students of Vedic literature. Schooling is meant especially for brahmanas; previously there was no question of schooling for ksatriyas, vaisyas or sudras. Ksatriyas used to learn the technology of warfare, and vaisyas learned business from their fathers or other businessmen; they were not meant to study the Vedas. At present, however, everyone goes to school, and everyone is given the same type of education, although no one knows what the result will be. The result, however, is most unsatisfactory, as we have seen in the Western countries especially. The United States has vast educational institutions where everyone is allowed to receive an education, but the result is that most students become like hippies.

   Higher education is not meant for everyone. Only selected individuals trained in brahminical culture should be allowed to pursue a higher education. Educational institutions should not aim to teach technology, for a technologist cannot properly be called educated. A technologist is a sudra; only one who studies the Vedas may properly be called a learned man (pandita). The duty of a brahmana is to become learned in the Vedic literature and teach the Vedic knowledge to other brahmanas. In our Krsna consciousness movement we are simply teaching our students to become fit brahmanas and Vaisnavas. In our school at Dallas, the students are learning English and Sanskrit, and through these two languages they are studying all our books, such as Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita As It Is and The Nectar of Devotion. It is a mistake to educate every student as a technologist. There must be a group of students who become brahmanas. Without brahmanas who study the Vedic literature, human society will be entirely chaotic.

 

                               TEXT 254

 

                                 TEXT

 

                suni' krodha kaila saba paduyara gana

                sabe meli' kare tabe prabhura nindana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   suni'--hearing; krodha--angry; kaila--became; saba--all; paduyara--of students; gana--the groups; sabe--all; meli'--joining to gether; kare--do; tabe--then; prabhura--of the Lord; nindana--accusation.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Hearing of the incident, all the students became greatly angry and joined together in criticizing the Lord.

 

                               TEXT 255

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 saba desa bhrasta kaila ekala nimani

                brahmana marite cahe, dharma-bhaya nai

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   saba--all; desa--countries; bhrasta--spoiled; kaila--has; ekala--alone; nimani--Nimai Pandita; brahmana--a caste brahmana; marite--to strike; cahe--He wants; dharma--of religious principles; bhaya--fear; nai--there is not.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Nimai Pandita alone has spoiled the entire country," they accused. "He wants to strike a caste brahmana. He has no fear of religious principles.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In those days also, the caste brahmanas were very proud. They were not prepared to accept chastisement even from a teacher or spiritual master.

 

                               TEXT 256

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 punah yadi aiche kare mariba tahare

                  kon va manusa haya, ki karite pare

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   punah--again; yadi--if; aiche--like that; kare--He does; mariba--we shall strike; tahare--Him; kon--who; va--or; manusa--the man; haya--is; ki--what; karite--to do; pare--He is able.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "If He again performs such an atrocious act, certainly we shall retaliate and strike Him in turn. What kind of important person is He, that He can check us in this way?"

 

                               TEXT 257

 

                                 TEXT

 

              prabhura nindaya sabara buddhi haila nasa

                supathita vidya karao na haya prakasa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prabhura--of the Lord; nindaya--in accusation; sabara--of everyone; buddhi--the intelligence; haila--became; nasa--spoiled; su-pathita--well-studied; vidya--knowledge; karao--everyone's; na--does not; haya--become; prakasa--manifest.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   When all the students thus resolved, criticizing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, their intelligence was spoiled. Thus although they were learned scholars, because of this offense the essence of knowledge was not manifest in them.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, mayayapahrta-jnana asuram bhavam asritah: when one becomes inimical to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, adopting an atheistic attitude (asuram bhavam), even if one is a learned scholar the essence of knowledge does not become manifest in him; in other words, the essence of his knowledge is stolen by the illusory energy of the Lord. In this connection Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura quotes a mantra from the Svetasvatara Upanisad (6.23):

 

                       yasya deve para bhaktir

                        yatha deve tatha gurau

                      tasyaite kathita hy arthah

                        prakasante mahatmanah

 

   The purport of this verse is that one who is unflinchingly devoted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, and similarly devoted to the spiritual master, with no ulterior motive, becomes a master of all knowledge. In the heart of such a devotee, the real essence of the Vedic knowledge becomes manifest. This essence is nothing but surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead (vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah). Only unto one who fully surrenders to the spiritual master and the Supreme Lord does the essence of Vedic knowledge become manifest, not to anyone else. This same principle is emphasized by Sri Prahlada Maharaja in Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.5.24):

 

                        iti pumsarpita visnau

                       bhaktis cen nava-laksana

                       kriyeta bhagavaty addha

                      tan manye 'dhitam uttamam

 

   "A person who directly applies these nine principles [hearing, chanting, remembering, etc.] in the service of the Lord is to be understood as a greatly learned man who has assimilated the Vedic literature very well, for the goal of studying the Vedic literature is to understand the supremacy of Lord Sri Krsna." Sridhara Svami confirms in his commentary that first one must surrender to the spiritual master; then the process of devotional service will develop. It is not a fact that only one who diligently pursues an academic career can become a devotee. Even with no academic career, if one has full faith in the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he develops in spiritual life and real knowledge of the Vedas. The example of Maharaja Khatvanga confirms this. One who surrenders is understood to have learned the subject matter of the Vedas very nicely. One who adopts this Vedic process of surrender learns devotional service and is certainly successful. One who is very much proud, however, is unable to surrender either to the spiritual master or to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus he cannot understand the essence of any Vedic literature. Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhag. 11.11.18) declares:

 

                        sabda-brahmani nisnato

                        na nisnayat pare yadi

                       sramas tasya srama-phalo

                       hy adhenum iva raksatah

 

   "If one is learned in Vedic literature but is not a devotee of Lord Visnu, his work is a useless waste of labor, just like the keeping of a cow that does not give milk."

   Anyone who does not follow the surrendering process but is simply interested in an academic career cannot make any advancement. His profit is only his labor for nothing. If one is expert in the study of the Vedas but does not surrender to a spiritual master or Visnu, all his cultivation of knowledge is but a waste of time and labor.

 

                               TEXT 258

 

                                 TEXT

 

               tathapi dambhika paduya namra nahi haya

              yahan tahan prabhura ninda hasi' se karaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tathapi--still; dambhika--proud; paduya--students; namra--submissive; nahi--not; haya--become; yahan--any where; tahan--everywhere; prabhura--of the Lord; ninda--accusation; hasi'--laughing; se--they; karaya--do.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   But the proud student community did not become submissive. On the contrary, the students spoke of the incident anywhere and everywhere. In a laughing manner they criticized the Lord.

 

                               TEXT 259

 

                                 TEXT

 

                sarva-jna gosani jani' sabara durgati

                ghare vasi' cinte ta'-sabara avyahati

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sarva-jna--all-knowing; gosani--Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; jani'--knowing; sabara--of all of them; durgati--degradation; ghare--at home; vasi'--sitting; cinte--contemplates; ta'--of them; sabara--of all; avyahati--the rescue.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, being omniscient, could understand the degradation of these students. Thus He sat at home, contemplating how to rescue them.

 

                               TEXT 260

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 yata adhyapaka, ara tanra sisya-gana

             dharmi, karmi, tapo-nistha, nindaka, durjana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   yata--all; adhyapaka--professors; ara--and; tanra--their; sisya-gana--students; dharmi--followers of religious ritualistic ceremonies; karmi--performers of fruitive activities; tapah-nistha--performers of austerities; nindaka--blasphemers; durjana--rogues.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "All the so-called professors and scientists and their students generally follow the regulative principles of religion, fruitive activities and austerities," the Lord thought, "yet at the same time they are blasphemers and rogues.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Here is a depiction of materialists who have no knowledge of devotional service. They may be very religious and may work very systematically or perform austerities and penances, but if they blaspheme the Supreme Personality of Godhead they are nothing but rogues. This is confirmed in the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (3.11):

 

                       bhagavad-bhakti-hinasya

                      jatih sastram japas tapah

                         apranasyaiva dehasya

                        mandanam loka-ranjanam

 

   If they are without knowledge of devotional service to the Lord, then great nationalism, fruitive, political or social work, science or philosophy are all simply like costly garments decorating a dead body. The only offense of persons adhering to these principles is that they are not devotees; they are always blasphemous toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotees.

 

                               TEXT 261

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  ei saba mora ninda-aparadha haite

                ami na laoyaile bhakti, na pare la-ite

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ei saba--all of them; mora--of Me; ninda--blasphemy; aparadha--offense; haite--from; ami--I; na--not; laoyaile--if causing them to take; bhakti--devotional service; na--not; pare--able; la-ite--to take.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "If I do not induce them to take to devotional service, because of committing the offense of blasphemy none of these people will be able to take to it.

 

                               TEXT 262

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 nistarite ailama ami, haila viparita

                e-saba durjanera kaiche ha-ibeka hita

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   nistarite--to deliver; ailama--have come; ami--I; haila--it has become; viparita--just the opposite; e-saba--all these; durjanera--of the rogues; kaiche--how; ha-ibeka--it will be; hita--the benefit.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "I have come to deliver all the fallen souls, but now just the opposite has happened. How can these rogues be delivered? How may they be benefited?

 

                               TEXT 263

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 amake pranati kare, haya papa-ksaya

                  tabe se ihare bhakti laoyaile laya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   amake--unto Me; pranati--obeisances; kare--they offer; haya--becomes; papa-ksaya--destruction of sinful reactions; tabe--then; se--they; ihare--unto them; bhakti--devotional service; laoyaile--if causing to take; laya--will take.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "If these rogues offer Me obeisances, the reactions of their sinful activities will be nullified. Then, if I induce them, they will take to devotional service.

 

                               TEXT 264

 

                                 TEXT

 

                more ninda kare ye, na kare namaskara

                 e-saba jivere avasya kariba uddhara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   more--Me; ninda kare--blasphemes; ye--anyone who; na--does not; kare--offer; namaskara--obeisances; e-saba--all these; jivere--living entities; avasya--certainly; kariba--I shall do; uddhara--deliverance.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "I must certainly deliver all these fallen souls who blaspheme Me and do not offer Me obeisances.

 

                               TEXT 265

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  ataeva avasya ami sannyasa kariba

                 sannyasi-buddhye more pranata ha-iba

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ataeva--therefore; avasya--certainly; ami--I; sannyasa--the renounced order of life; kariba--shall accept; sannyasi-buddhye--by thinking of Me as a sannyasi; more--unto Me; pranata--bow down; ha-iba--they shall do.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "I shall accept the sannyasa order of life, for thus people will offer Me their obeisances, thinking of Me as a member of the renounced order.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Among the members of the varnasrama institution's social orders (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra), the brahmana is considered the foremost, for he is the teacher and spiritual master of all the other varnas. Similarly, among the spiritual orders (brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa), the sannyasa order is the most elevated. Therefore a sannyasi is the spiritual master of all the varnas and asramas, and a brahmana is also expected to offer obeisances to a sannyasi. Unfortunately, however, caste brahmanas do not offer obeisances to a Vaisnava sannyasi. They are so proud that they do not offer obeisances even to Indian sannyasis, what to speak of European and American sannyasis. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, however, expected that even the caste brahmanas would offer respectful obeisances to a sannyasi because five hundred years ago the social custom was to offer obeisances immediately to any sannyasi, known or unknown.

   The sannyasis of the Krsna consciousness movement are bona fide. All the students of the Krsna consciousness movement have undergone the regular process of initiation. As enjoined in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa by Sanatana Gosvami, tatha diksa-vidhanena dvijatvam jayate nrnam: by the regular process of initiation, any man can become a brahmana. Thus in the beginning the students of our Krsna consciousness movement agree to live with devotees, and gradually, having given up four prohibited activities--illicit sex, gambling, meat-eating and intoxication--they become advanced in the activities of spiritual life. When one is found to be regularly following these principles, he is given the first initiation (hari-nama), and he regularly chants at least sixteen rounds a day. Then, after six months or a year, he is initiated for the second time and given the sacred thread with the regular sacrifice and rituals. After some time, when he advances still further and is willing to give up this material world, he is given the sannyasa order. At that time he receives the title svami or gosvami, both of which mean "master of the senses." Unfortunately, debauched so-called brahmanas in India neither offer them respect nor accept them as bona fide sannyasis. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu expected the so-called brahmanas to offer respect to such Vaisnava sannyasis. Nevertheless, it does not matter whether they offer respect or whether they accept these sannyasis as bona fide, for the sastra describes punishment for such disobedient so-called brahmanas. The sastric injuction declares:

 

                        devata-pratimam drstva

                       yatim caiva tridandinam

                       namaskaram na kuryad yah

                        prayascittiyate narah

 

   "One who does not offer respect to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to His Deity in the temple or to a tridandi sannyasi must undergo prayascitta [atonement]." If one does not offer obeisances to such a sannyasi, the prescribed prayascitta is to fast for one day.

 

                               TEXT 266

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 pranatite habe ihara aparadha ksaya

                 nirmala hrdaye bhakti karaiba udaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   pranatite--by offering obeisances; habe--there will be; ihara--of such offenders; aparadha--the offenses; ksaya--destruction; nirmala--pure; hrdaye--in the heart; bhakti--devotional service; karaiba--I shall cause; udaya--the rising.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Offering obeisances will relieve them of all the reactions to their offenses. Then, by My grace, devotional service [bhakti] will awaken in their pure hearts.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   According to Vedic injunctions, only a brahmana may be offered sannyasa. The Sankara-sampradaya (ekadanda-sannyasa-sampradaya) awards the sannyasa order only to caste brahmanas, or born brahmanas, but in the Vaisnava system even one not born in a brahmana family may be made a brahmana according to the direction of the Hari-bhakti-vilasa (tatha diksa-vidhanena dvijatvam jayate nrnam). Any person from any part of the world may be made a brahmana by the regular process of initiation, and when he follows brahminical behavior, observing the principle of abstaining from intoxication, illicit sex, meat-eating and gambling, he may be offered sannyasa. All the sannyasis in the Krsna consciousness movement, who are preaching all over the world, are regular brahmana-sannyasis. Thus the so-called caste brahmanas should not object to offering them respectful obeisances. By offering such obeisances, as recommended by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they will diminish their offenses and automatically awaken to their natural position of devotional service. As it is said, nitya-siddha krsna-prema sadhya kabhu naya: krsna-prema can be awakened in a purified heart. The more we offer obeisances to sannyasis, especially Vaisnava sannyasis, the more we diminish our offenses and purify our hearts. Only in a purified heart can krsna-prema awaken. This is the process of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's cult, the Krsna consciousness movement.

 

                               TEXT 267

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 e-saba pasandira tabe ha-ibe nistara

                  ara kona upaya nahi, ei yukti sara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   e-saba--all these; pasandira--of the demons; tabe--then; ha-ibe--there will be; nistara--deliverance; ara--alternative; kona--some; upaya--means; nahi--there is not; ei--this; yukti--of the argument; sara--essence.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "All the unfaithful rogues of this world can be delivered by this process. There is no alternative. This is the essence of the argument."

 

                               TEXT 268

 

                                 TEXT

 

                ei drdha yukti kari' prabhu ache ghare

                  kesava bharati aila nadiya-nagare

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ei--this; drdha--firm; yukti--consideration; kari'--making; prabhu--the Lord; ache--was; ghare--in His home; kesava bharati--of the name Kesava Bharati; aila--came; nadiya-nagare--to the town of Nadia.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After coming to this firm conclusion, the Lord continued to stay at home. In the meantime Kesava Bharati came to the town of Nadia.

 

                               TEXT 269

 

                                 TEXT

 

               prabhu tanre namaskari' kaila nimantrana

                 bhiksa karaiya tanre kaila nivedana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prabhu--the Lord; tanre--to him; namaskari'--offering obeisances; kaila--did; nimantrana--invitation; bhiksa--alms; karaiya--giving; tanre--to him; kaila--submitted; nivedana--His prayer.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Lord offered him respectful obeisances and invited him to His house. After feeding him sumptuously, He submitted to him His petition.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   According to the system of Vedic society, whenever an unknown sannyasi comes to a village or town, someone must invite him to take prasada in his home. Sannyasis generally take prasada in the house of a brahmana because the brahmana worships the Lord Narayana sila, or salagrama-sila, and therefore there is prasada that the sannyasi may take. Kesava Bharati accepted the invitation of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus the Lord had a good opportunity to explain His desire to take sannyasa from him.

 

                               TEXT 270

 

                                 TEXT

 

               tumi ta' isvara bata,----saksat narayana

                 krpa kari' kara mora samsara mocana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tumi--you; ta'--certainly; isvara--the Lord; bata--are; saksat--directly; narayana--the Supreme Lord, Narayana; krpa kari'--showing mercy; kara--please do; mora--My; samsara--material life; mocana--deliverance.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Sir, you are directly Narayana. Therefore please be merciful unto Me. Deliver Me from this material bondage."

 

                               TEXT 271

 

                                 TEXT

 

              bharati kahena,----tumi isvara, antaryami

             ye karaha, se kariba,----svatantra nahi ami

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   bharati kahena--Kesava Bharati replied; tumi--You; isvara--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; antaryami--You know everything from within; ye--whatever; karaha--You cause to do; se--that; kariba--I must do; svatantra--independent; nahi--not; ami--I.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Kesava Bharati replied to the Lord, "You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul. I must do whatever You cause me to do. I am not independent of You."

 

                               TEXT 272

 

                                 TEXT

 

                eta bali' bharati gosani katoyate gela

                 mahaprabhu taha yai' sannyasa karila

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eta bali'--saying this; bharati--Kesava Bharati; gosani--the spiritual master; katoyate--to Katwa; gela--went; mahaprabhu--Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; taha--there; yai'--going; sannyasa--the renounced order of life; karila--accepted.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After saying this, Kesava Bharati, the spiritual master, went back to his village, Katwa. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu went there and accepted the renounced order of life [sannyasa].

 

                               PURPORT

 

   At the end of His twenty-fourth year, at the end of the fortnight of the waxing moon, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu left Navadvipa and crossed the river Ganges at a place known as Nidayara-ghata. Then He reached Kantaka-nagara, or Katoya (Katwa), where He accepted ekadanda-sannyasa according to the Sankarite system. Since Kesava Bharati belonged to the Sankarite sect, he could not initiate Caitanya Mahaprabhu into the Vaisnava sannyasa order, whose members carry the tridanda.

   Candrasekhara Acarya assisted in the routine ceremonial work of the Lord's acceptance of sannyasa. By the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, kirtana was performed for the entire day, and at the end of the day the Lord shaved off His hair. On the next day He became a regular sannyasi, with one rod (ekadanda). From that day on His name was Sri Krsna Caitanya. Before that, He was known as Nimai Pandita. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in the sannyasa order, traveled all over Radha-desa, the region where the Ganges River cannot be seen. Kesava Bharati accompanied Him for some distance.

 

                               TEXT 273

 

                                 TEXT

 

                sange nityananda, candrasekhara acarya

             mukunda-datta,----ei tina kaila sarva karya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sange--in His company; nityananda--Nityananda Prabhu; candrasekhara acarya--Candrasekhara Acarya; mukunda-datta--Mukunda Datta; ei tina--these three; kaila--performed; sarva--all; karya--necessary activities.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted sannyasa, three personalities were with Him to perform all the necessary activities. They were Nityananda Prabhu, Candrasekhara Acarya and Mukunda Datta.

 

                               TEXT 274

 

                                 TEXT

 

                   ei adi-lilara kaila sutra ganana

                  vistari varnila iha dasa vrndavana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ei--this; adi-lilara--of the adi-lila (the first portion of Lord Caitanya's pastimes); kaila--made; sutra--synopsis; ganana--enumeration; vistari--elaborately; varnila--described; iha--this; dasa vrndavana--Vrndavana dasa Thakura.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Thus I have summarized the incidents of the adi-lila. Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has described them elaborately [in his Caitanya-bhagavata].

 

                               TEXT 275

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 yasoda-nandana haila sacira nandana

                catur-vidha bhakta-bhava kare asvadana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   yasoda-nandana--the son of mother Yasoda; haila--became; sacira--of mother Saci; nandana--the son; catuh-vidha--four kinds of; bhakta-bhava--devotional humors; kare--does; asvadana--tasting.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The same Supreme Personality of Godhead who appeared as the son of mother Yasoda has now appeared as the son of mother Saci, relishing four kinds of devotional activities.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Servitude, friendship, parental affection and conjugal love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead are the basis of the four kinds of devotional activities. In santa, the marginal stage of devotional service, there is no activity. But above the santa humor are servitude, friendship, parental affection and conjugal love, which represent the gradual growth of devotional service to higher and higher platforms.

 

                               TEXT 276

 

                                 TEXT

 

                sva-madhurya radha-prema-rasa asvadite

                radha-bhava angi kariyache bhala-mate

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sva-madhurya--His own conjugal love; radha-prema-rasa--the mellow of the loving affairs between Radharani and Krsna; asvadite--to taste; radha-bhava--the mood of Srimati Radharani; angi kariyache--He accepted; bhala-mate--very well.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   To taste the mellows of Srimati Radharani's loving affairs in Her relationship with Krsna, and to understand the reservoir of pleasure in Krsna, Krsna Himself, as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, accepted the mood of Radharani.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In this connection Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura writes in his Anubhasya, "Sri Gaurasundara is Krsna Himself with the attitude of Srimati Radharani. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu never gave up the attitude of the gopis. He remained everlastingly predominated by Krsna and never accepted the part of the predominator by imitating conjugal love with an ordinary woman, as sahajiyas generally do. He never placed Himself in the position of a debauchee. Lusty materialists like the members of the sahajiya-sampradaya hanker after women, even others' wives. But when they try to ascribe the responsibility for their lusty activities to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they become offenders to Svarupa Damodara and Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura. In Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Adi-khanda, Chapter Fifteen, it is said:

 

                 sabe para-strira prati nahi parihasa

               stri dekhi' dure prabhu hayena eka-pasa

 

   'Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu never even joked with others' wives. As soon as He saw a woman coming, He would immediately give her ample room to pass without talking.' He was extremely strict regarding the association of women. The sahajiyas, however, pose as followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu although they indulge in lusty affairs with women. In His youth Lord Caitanya was very humorous with everyone, but He never joked with any woman, nor in this incarnation did He talk about women. The gauranga-nagari party is not approved by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu or Vrndavana dasa Thakura. Even though one may offer all kinds of prayers to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, one should strictly avoid worshiping Him as the Gauranga Nagara. The personal behavior of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the verses written by Sri Vrndavana dasa Thakura have completely repudiated the lusty desires of the gauranga-nagaris."

 

                               TEXT 277

 

                                 TEXT

 

               gopi-bhava yate prabhu dhariyache ekanta

                 vrajendra-nandane mane apanara kanta

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   gopi-bhava--the mood of the gopis; yate--in which; prabhu--the Lord; dhariyache--accepted; ekanta--positively; vrajendra-nandane--Lord Krsna; mane--they accept; apanara--own; kanta--lover.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the mood of the gopis, who accept Vrajendranandana, Sri Krsna, as their lover.

 

                               TEXT 278

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  gopika-bhavera ei sudrdha niscaya

                vrajendra-nandana vina anyatra na haya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   gopika-bhavera--of the ecstasy of the gopis; ei--this; sudrdha--firm; niscaya--confirmation; vrajendra-nandana--Lord Sri Krsna; vina--without; anyatra--anyone else; na--not; haya--is possible.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   It is firmly ascertained that the ecstatic mood of the gopis is possible only before Krsna, and no one else.

 

                               TEXT 279

 

                                 TEXT

 

              syamasundara, sikhipiccha-gunja-vibhusana

                gopa-vesa, tri-bhangima, murali-vadana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   syama-sundara--Lord Krsna, who has a bluish color; sikhi-piccha--with a peacock feather on the head; gunja--a garland of gunja (small berries or conchshells); vibhusana--decorations; gopa-vesa--with the dress of a cowherd boy; tri-bhangima--curved in three places; murali-vadana--holding a flute to His mouth.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   He has a bluish complexion, a peacock feather on His head, a gunja garland and the decorations of a cowherd boy. His body is curved in three places, and He holds a flute to His mouth.

 

                               TEXT 280

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 iha chadi' krsna yadi haya anyakara

                gopikara bhava nahi yaya nikata tahara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   iha--this; chadi'--giving up; krsna--Krsna; yadi--if; haya--takes; anya-akara--another form; gopikara--of the gopis; bhava--the ecstasy; nahi--does not; yaya--arise; nikata--near; tahara--that (form).

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   If Lord Krsna gives up this original form and assumes another Visnu form, nearness to Him cannot invoke the ecstatic mood of the gopis.

 

                               TEXT 281

 

                                 TEXT

 

        gopinam pasupendra-nandana-juso bhavasya kas tam krti

         vijnatum ksamate duruha-padavi-sancarinah prakriyam

       aviskurvati vaisnavim api tanum tasmin bhujair jisnubhir

        yasam hanta caturbhir adbhuta-rucim ragodayah kuncati

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   gopinam--of the gopis; pasupa-indra-nandana-jusah--of the service of the son of Vraja's King, Maharaja Nanda; bhavasya--ecstatic; kah--what; tam--that; krti--learned man; vijnatum--to understand; ksamate--is able; duruha--very difficult to understand; padavi--the position; sancarinah--which provokes; prakriyam--activity; aviskurvati--He manifests; vaisnavim--of Visnu; api--certainly; tanum--the body; tasmin--in that; bhujaih--with arms; jisnubhih--very beautiful; yasam--of whom (the gopis); hanta--alas; caturbhih--four; adbhuta--wonderfully; rucim--beautiful; raga-udayah--the evoking of ecstatic feelings; kuncati--cripples.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Once Lord Sri Krsna playfully manifested Himself as Narayana, with four victorious hands and a very beautiful form. When the gopis saw this exalted form, however, their ecstatic feelings were crippledi. A learned scholar, therefore, cannot understand the gopis'  ecstatic feelings, which are firmly fixed upon the original form of Lord Krsna as the son of Nanda Maharaja. The wonderful feelings of the gopis in ecstatic parama-rasa with Krsna constitute the greatest mystery in spiritual life." "

 

                               PURPORT

 

   This is a quotation from the Lalita-madhava (6.54), by Srila Rupa Gosvami.

 

                               TEXT 282

 

                                 TEXT

 

                vasanta-kale rasa-lila kare govardhane

              antardhana kaila sanketa kari' radha-sane

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   vasanta-kale--during the season of spring; rasa-lila--the rasa dance; kare--does; govardhane--near the Govardhana Hill; antardhana--disappearance; kaila--did; sanketa--indication; kari'--making; radha-sane--with Radharani.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   During the season of springtime, when the rasa dance was going on, suddenly Krsna disappeared from the scene, indicating that He wanted to be alone with Srimati Radharani.

 

                               TEXT 283

 

                                 TEXT

 

               nibhrta-nikunje vasi' dekhe radhara bata

                  anvesite aila tahan gopikara thata

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   nibhrta--solitary; nikunje--in a bush; vasi'--sitting; dekhe--waiting to see; radhara--of Srimati Radharani; bata--the passing; anvesite--while searching; aila--came; tahan--there; gopikara--of the gopis; thata--the phalanx.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Krsna was sitting in a solitary bush, waiting for Srimati Radharani to pass by. But while He was searching, the gopis arrived there, like a phalanx of soldiers.

 

                               TEXT 284

 

                                 TEXT

 

                dura haite krsne dekhi' bale gopi-gana

             "ei dekha kunjera bhitara vrajendra-nandana"

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   dura haite--from a distance; krsne--unto Krsna; dekhi'--seeing; bale--said; gopi-gana--all the gopis; ei dekha--just see here; kunjera--the bush; bhitara--within; vrajendra-nandana--the son of Nanda Maharaja.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Just see!" the gopis said, seeing Krsna from a distant place. "Here within a bush is Krsna, the son of Nanda Maharaja."

 

                               TEXT 285

 

                                 TEXT

 

               gopi-gana dekhi' krsnera ha-ila sadhvasa

                  lukaite narila, bhaye haila vibasa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   gopi-gana--all the gopis combined together; dekhi'--seeing; krsnera--of Krsna; ha-ila--there were; sadhvasa--some emotional feelings; lukaite--to hide; narila--was unable; bhaye--out of fear; haila--became; vibasa--motionless.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   As soon as Krsna saw all the gopis, He was struck with emotion. Thus He could not hide Himself, and out of fear He became motionless.

 

                               TEXT 286

 

                                 TEXT

 

                catur-bhuja murti dhari' achena vasiya

                 krsna dekhi' gopi kahe nikate asiya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   catur-bhuja--four-armed; murti--form; dhari'--accepting; achena--was; vasiya--sitting; krsna--Lord Krsna; dekhi'--seeing; gopi--the gopis; kahe--say; nikate--nearby; asiya--coming there.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Krsna assumed His four-armed Narayana form and sat there. When all the gopis came, they looked at Him and spoke as follows.

 

                               TEXT 287

 

                                 TEXT

 

                'ihon krsna nahe, ihon narayana murti'

                eta bali' tanre sabhe kare nati-stuti

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ihon--this; krsna--Lord Krsna; nahe--is not; ihon--this is; narayana--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; murti--the form; eta bali'--saying this; tanre--unto Him; sabhe--all the gopis; kare--make; nati-stuti--obeisances and prayers.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "He is not Krsna! He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana." After saying this, they offered obeisances and the following respectful prayers.

 

                               TEXT 288

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 "namo narayana, deva karaha prasada

                krsna-sanga deha' mora ghucaha visada"

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   namah narayana--all respects to Narayana; deva--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; karaha--kindly give; prasada--Your mercy; krsna-sanga--association with Krsna; deha'--giving; mora--our; ghucaha--please diminish; visada--lamentation.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "O Lord Narayana, we offer our respectful obeisances unto You. Kindly be merciful to us. Give us the association of Krsna and thus vanquish our lamentation."

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The gopis were not made happy even by seeing the four-armed form of Narayana. Yet they offered their respects to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and begged from Him the benediction of achieving the association of Krsna. Such is the ecstatic feeling of the gopis.

 

                               TEXT 289

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  eta bali namaskari' gela gopi-gana

                  hena-kale radha asi' dila darasana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   eta bali--saying this; namaskari'--offering obeisances; gela--went away; gopi-gana--all the gopis; hena-kale--at this time; radha--Srimati Radharani; asi'--coming there; dila--gave; darasana--audience.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After saying this and offering obeisances, all the gopis dispersed. Then Srimati Radharani came and appeared before Lord Krsna.

 

                               TEXT 290

 

                                 TEXT

 

                radha dekhi' krsna tanre hasya karite

                 sei catur-bhuja murti cahena rakhite

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   radha--Srimati Radharani; dekhi'--seeing; krsna--Lord Krsna; tanre--unto Her; hasya--joking; karite--to do; sei--that; catur-bhuja--four-armed; murti--form; cahena--wanted; rakhite--to keep.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   When Lord Krsna saw Radharani, He wanted to maintain the four-armed form to joke with Her.

 

                               TEXT 291

 

                                 TEXT

 

                   lukaila dui bhuja radhara agrete

                bahu yatna kaila krsna, narila rakhite

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   lukaila--He hid; dui--two; bhuja--arms; radhara--of Srimati Radharani; agrete--in front; bahu--much; yatna--endeavor; kaila--did; krsna--Lord Krsna; narila--was unable; rakhite--to keep.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In front of Srimati Radharani, Sri Krsna had to hide the two extra arms. He tried His best to keep four arms before Her, but He was completely unable to do so.

 

                               TEXT 292

 

                                 TEXT

 

              radhara visuddha-bhavera acintya prabhava

                ye krsnere karaila dvi-bhuja-svabhava

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   radhara--of Srimati Radharani; visuddha--purified; bhavera--of the ecstasy; acintya--inconceivable; prabhava--influence; ye--which; krsnere--unto Lord Krsna; karaila--forced; dvi-bhuja--two-armed; svabhava--original form.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The influence of Radharani's pure ecstasy is so inconceivably great that it forced Krsna to come to His original two-armed form.

 

                               TEXT 293

 

                                 TEXT

 

         rasarambha-vidhau niliya vasata kunje mrgaksi-ganair

       drstam gopayitum svam uddhura-dhiya ya susthu sandarsita

        radhayah pranayasya hanta mahima yasya sriya raksitum

          sa sakya prabhavisnunapi harina nasic catur-bahuta

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   rasa-arambha-vidhau--in the matter of beginning the rasa dance; niliya--having hidden; vasata--sitting; kunje--in a grove; mrga-aksi-ganaih--by the gopis, who had eyes resembling those of deer; drstam--being seen; gopayitum--to hide; svam--Himself; uddhura-dhiya--by first-class intelligence; ya--which; susthu--perfectly; sandarsita--exhibited; radhayah--of Srimati Radharani; pranayasya--of the love; hanta--just see; mahima--the glory; yasya--of which; sriya--the opulence; raksitum--to protect that; sa--that; sakya--able; prabhavisnuna--by Krsna; api--even; harina--by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; na--not; asit--was; catuh-bahuta--four-armed form.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Prior to the rasa dance, Lord Krsna hid Himself in a grove just to have fun. When the gopis came, their eyes resembling those of deer, by His sharp intelligence He exhibited His beautiful four-armed form to hide Himself. But when Srimati Radharani came there, Krsna could not maintain His four arms in Her presence. This is the wonderful glory of Her love."

 

                               PURPORT

 

   This is a quotation from the Ujjvala-nilamani, by Srila Rupa Gosvami.

 

                               TEXT 294

 

                                 TEXT

 

                sei vrajesvara----ihan jagannatha pita

                 sei vrajesvari----ihan sacidevi mata

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sei--that; vrajesvara--the King of Vraja; ihan--now; jagannatha--Jagannatha Misra; pita--the father of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sei--that; vrajesvari--Queen of Vraja; ihan--now; sacidevi--Sacidevi; mata--the mother of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Father Nanda, the King of Vrajabhumi, is now Jagannatha Misra, the father of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And mother Yasoda, the Queen of Vrajabhumi, is now Sacidevi, Lord Caitanya's mother.

 

                               TEXT 295

 

                                 TEXT

 

                sei nanda-suta----ihan caitanya-gosani

                 sei baladeva----ihan nityananda bhai

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sei nanda-suta--the same son of Nanda Maharaja; ihan--now; caitanya-gosani--Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sei baladeva--the selfsame Baladeva; ihan--now; nityananda bhai--Nityananda Prabhu, the brother of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The former son of Nanda Maharaja is now Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and the former Baladeva, Krsna's brother, is now Nityananda Prabhu, the brother of Lord Caitanya.

 

                               TEXT 296

 

                                 TEXT

 

              vatsalya, dasya, sakhya----tina bhavamaya

               sei nityananda----krsna-caitanya-sahaya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   vatsalya--paternity; dasya--servitude; sakhya--fraternity; tina--three; bhava-maya--emotional ecstasies; sei--that; nityananda--Nityananda Prabhu; krsna-caitanya--of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sahaya--the assistant.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Sri Nityananda Prabhu always feels the ecstatic emotions of paternity, servitude and friendship. He always assists Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in that way.

 

                               TEXT 297

 

                                 TEXT

 

               prema-bhakti diya tenho bhasa'la jagate

                  tanra caritra loke na pare bujhite

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prema-bhakti--devotional service; diya--giving; tenho--Lord Nityananda Prabhu; bhasa'la--overflooded; jagate--in the world; tanra--His; caritra--character; loke--people; na--not; pare--able; bujhite--to understand.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Sri Nityananda Prabhu overflooded the entire world by distributing transcendental loving service. No one can understand His character and activities.

 

                               TEXT 298

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 advaita-acarya-gosani bhakta-avatara

                krsna avatariya kaila bhaktira pracara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   advaita-acarya--Sri Advaita Prabhu; gosani--spiritual master; bhakta-avatara--the incarnation of a devotee; krsna--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; avatariya--descending; kaila--did; bhaktira--of devotional service; pracara--propagation.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Srila Advaita Acarya Prabhu appeared as an incarnation of a devotee. He is in the category of Krsna, but He descended to this earth to propagate devotional service.

 

                               TEXT 299

 

                                 TEXT

 

              sakhya, dasya,----dui bhava sahaja tanhara

               kabhu prabhu karena tanre guru-vyavahara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sakhya--fraternity; dasya--servitude; dui--two; bhava--ecstasies; sahaja--natural; tanhara--His; kabhu--sometimes; prabhu--Lord Caitanya; karena--does; tanre--to Him; guru--of spiritual master; vyavahara--treatment.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   His natural emotions were always on the platform of fraternity and servitude, but the Lord sometimes treated Him as His spiritual master.

 

                               TEXT 300

 

                                 TEXT

 

               srivasadi yata mahaprabhura bhakta-gana

                nija nija bhave karena caitanya-sevana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   srivasa-adi--headed by Srivasa Thakura; yata--all; mahaprabhura--of Caitanya Mahaprabhu; bhakta-gana--devotees; nija nija--in their own respective; bhave--emotions; karena--do; caitanya-sevana--service to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   All the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, headed by Srivasa Thakura, have their own emotional humors in which they render service unto Him.

 

                               TEXT 301

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  pandita-gosani adi yanra yei rasa

                 sei sei rase prabhu hana tanra vasa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   pandita-gosani--Gadadhara Pandita; adi--headed by; yanra--whose; yei--whatever; rasa--transcendental mellow; sei sei--that respective; rase--by the mellow; prabhu--the Lord; hana--is; tanra--his; vasa--under control.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Personal associates like Gadadhara, Svarupa Damodara, Ramananda Raya, and the six Gosvamis (headed by Rupa Gosvami) are all situated in their respective transcendental humors. Thus the Lord submits to various positions in various transcendental mellows.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In verses 296 through 301 the emotional devoted service of Sri Nityananda, Sri Advaita Prabhu and others has been fully described. Describing such individual service, the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verses 11 through 16, declares that although Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared as a devotee, He is none other than the son of Nanda Maharaja. Similarly, although Sri Nityananda Prabhu appeared as Lord Caitanya's assistant, He is none other than Baladeva, the carrier of the plow. Advaita Acarya is the incarnation of Sadasiva from the spiritual world. All the devotees headed by Srivasa Thakura are His marginal energy, whereas the devotees headed by Gadadhara Pandita are manifestations of His internal potency.

   Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Advaita Prabhu and Nityananda Prabhu all belong to the visnu-tattva category. Because Lord Caitanya is an ocean of mercy, He is addressed as mahaprabhu, whereas Nityananda and Advaita, being two great personalities who assist Lord Caitanya, are addressed as prabhu. Thus there are two prabhus and one mahaprabhu. Gadadhara Gosvami is a representative of a perfect brahmana spiritual master. Srivasa Thakura represents a perfect brahmana devotee. These five are known as the Panca-tattva.

 

                               TEXT 302

 

                                 TEXT

 

               tihan syama,----vamsi-mukha, gopa-vilasi

            ihan gaura----kabhu dvija, kabhu ta' sannyasi

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tihan--in krsna-lila; syama--blackish color; vamsi-mukha--a flute in the mouth; gopa-vilasi--an enjoyer as a cowherd boy; ihan--now; gaura--fair complexion; kabhu--sometimes; dvija--brahmana; kabhu--sometimes; ta'--certainly; sannyasi--in the renounced order of life.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In krsna-lila the Lord's complexion is blackish. Holding a flute to His mouth, He enjoys as a cowherd boy. Now the selfsame person has appeared with a fair complexion, sometimes acting as a brahmana and sometimes accepting the renounced order of life.

 

                               TEXT 303

 

                                 TEXT

 

                ataeva apane prabhu gopi-bhava dhari'

              vrajendra-nandane kahe 'prana-natha' kari'

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ataeva--therefore; apane--personally; prabhu--the Lord; gopi-bhava--the ecstasy of the gopis; dhari'--accepting; vrajendra-nandane--the son of Nanda Maharaja; kahe--addresses; prana-natha--O Lord of My life (husband); kari'--accepting.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Therefore the Lord Himself, accepting the emotional ecstasy of the gopis, now addresses the son of Nanda Maharaja, "O master of My life! O My dear husband!"

 

                               TEXT 304

 

                                 TEXT

 

                sei krsna, sei gopi,----parama virodha

               acintya caritra prabhura ati sudurbodha

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sei krsna--that Krsna; sei gopi--that gopi; parama virodha--very much contradictory; acintya--inconceivable; caritra--character; prabhura--of the Lord; ati--very much; sudurbodha--difficult to understand.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   He is Krsna, yet He has accepted the mood of the gopis. How is it so? It is the inconceivable character of the Lord, which is very difficult to understand.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Krsna's accepting the part of the gopis is certainly contradictory according to any mundane calculations, but the Lord, by His inconceivable character, may act like the gopis and feel separation from Krsna, although He is Krsna Himself. Such a contradiction can be reconciled only in the Supreme Personality of Godhead because He has energy that is inconceivable (acintya), which can make possible that which is impossible to do (aghata-ghatana-patiyasi). Such contradictions are very difficult to understand unless a devotee strictly follows the Vaisnava philosophy under the direction of the Gosvamis. Therefore Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami ends every chapter with this verse:

 

                  sri-rupa-raghunatha-pade yara asa

                  caitanya-caritamrta kahe krsnadasa

 

   "Praying at the lotus feet of Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunatha, always desiring their mercy, I, Krsnadasa, narrate Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, following in their footsteps."

   In a song by Narottama dasa Thakura it is stated:

 

                  rupa-raghunatha-pade ha-ibe akuti

                  kabe hama bujhaba se yugala-piriti

 

   The conjugal love between Radha and Krsna, which is called yugala-piriti, is not understandable by mundane scholars, artists or poets. It is simply to be understood by devotees who strictly follow in the footsteps of the six Gosvamis. Sometimes so-called artists and poets try to understand the love affairs of Radha and Krsna, and they publish cheap books of poetry and pictures on the subject. Unfortunately, however, they do not understand the transcendental affairs of Radha and Krsna even to the smallest degree. They are simply meddling in a matter in which they are not fit even to enter.

 

                               TEXT 305

 

                                 TEXT

 

                ithe tarka kari' keha na kara samsaya

                  krsnera acintya-sakti ei mata haya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ithe--in this matter; tarka kari'--making arguments; keha--someone; na--do not; kara--make; samsaya--doubts; krsnera--of Lord Krsna; acintya-sakti--inconceivable potency; ei--this; mata--the verdict; haya--is.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   One cannot understand the contradictions in Lord Caitanya's character by putting forward mundane logic and arguments. Consequently one should not maintain doubts in this connection. One should simply try to understand the inconceivable energy of Krsna; otherwise one cannot understand how such contradictions are possible.

 

                               TEXT 306

 

                                 TEXT

 

                acintya, adbhuta krsna-caitanya-vihara

               citra bhava, citra guna, citra vyavahara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   acintya--inconceivable; adbhuta--wonderful; krsna-caitanya--of Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu; vihara--pastimes; citra--wonderful; bhava--ecstasy; citra--wonderful; guna--qualities; citra--wonderful; vyavahara--behavior.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The pastimes of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu are inconceivable and wonderful. His ecstasy is wonderful, His qualities are wonderful, and His behavior is wonderful.

 

                               TEXT 307

 

                                 TEXT

 

                   tarke iha nahi mane yei duracara

                 kumbhipake pace, tara nahika nistara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tarke--by arguments; iha--this; nahi--not; mane--accepts; yei--anyone who; duracara--debauchee; kumbhi-pake--in the boiling oil of hell; pace--boils; tara--his; nahika--there is not; nistara--deliverance.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   If one simply adheres to mundane arguments and therefore does not accept this, he will boil in the hell of Kumbhipaka. For him there is no deliverance.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Kumbhipaka, a type of hellish condition, is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.26.13), wherein it is said that a person who cooks living birds and beasts to satisfy his tongue is brought before Yamaraja after death and punished in the Kumbhipaka hell. There he is put into boiling oil called kumbhi-paka, from which there is no deliverance. Kumbhipaka is meant for persons who are unnecessarily envious. Those who are envious of the activities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are punished in that hellish condition.

 

                               TEXT 308

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       acintyah khalu ye bhava

                       na tams tarkena yojayet

                      prakrtibhyah param yac ca

                       tad acintyasya laksanam

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   acintyah--inconceivable; khalu--certainly; ye--those; bhavah--subject matters; na--not; tan--them; tarkena--by argument; yojayet--one may understand; prakrtibhyah--to material nature; param--transcendental; yat--that which; ca--and; tat--that; acintyasya--of the inconceivable; laksanam--a symptom.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   "Anything transcendental to material nature is called inconceivable, whereas arguments are all mundane. Since mundane arguments cannot touch transcendental subject matters, one should not try to understand transcendental subjects through mundane arguments."

   This is a quote from the Mahabharata (Bhisma parva 5.22) and is also quoted in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (2.5.93), by Srila Rupa Gosvami.

 

                               TEXT 309

 

                                 TEXT

 

                adbhuta caitanya-lilaya yahara visvasa

                  sei jana yaya caitanyera pada pasa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   adbhuta--wonderful; caitanya-lilaya--in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; yahara--anyone whose; visvasa--faith; sei--that; jana--person; yaya--makes progress; caitanyera--of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; pada--the lotus feet; pasa--near.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Only a person who has firm faith in the wonderful pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu can approach His lotus feet.

 

                               TEXT 310

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 prasange kahila ei siddhantera sara

                iha yei sune, suddha-bhakti haya tara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prasange--in the course of discussion; kahila--it was said; ei--this; siddhantera--of the conclusion; sara--the essence; iha--this; yei--anyone who; sune--hears; suddha-bhakti--unalloyed devotional service; haya--becomes; tara--his.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In this discourse I have explained the essence of the devotional conclusion. Anyone who hears this develops unalloyed devotional service to the Lord.

 

                               TEXT 311

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 likhita granthera yadi kari anuvada

                 tabe se granthera artha paiye asvada

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   likhita--written; granthera--of the scripture; yadi--if; kari--I do; anuvada--repetition; tabe--then; se granthera--of that scripture; artha--the meaning; paiye--I can get; asvada--taste.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   If I repeat what is already written, I may thus relish the purpose of this scripture.

 

                               TEXT 312

 

                                 TEXT

 

                dekhi granthe bhagavate vyasera acara

                  katha kahi' anuvada kare vara vara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   dekhi--I see; granthe--in the scripture; bhagavate--in Srimad-Bhagavatam; vyasera--of Srila Vyasadeva; acara--behavior; katha--narration; kahi'--describing; anuvada--repetition; kare--he does; vara vara--again and again.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   We can see in the scripture Srimad-Bhagavatam the conduct of its author, Sri Vyasadeva. After speaking the narration, he repeats it again and again.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   At the end of Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the Twelfth Canto, the Twelfth Chapter contains forty-three verses in which Sri Krsna-dvaipayana Vedavyasa recapitulates Srimad-Bhagavatam's entire subject matter. Sri Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami wants to follow in the footsteps of Sri Vyasadeva by recapitulating the seventeen chapters of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta's Adi-lila.

 

                               TEXT 313

 

                                 TEXT

 

                tate adi-lilara kari pariccheda ganana

              prathama paricchede kailun 'mangalacarana'

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tate--therefore; adi-lilara--of the First Canto, known as Adi-lila; kari--I do; pariccheda--chapter; ganana--enumeration; prathama paricchede--in the First Chapter; kailun--I have done; mangala-acarana--invocation of auspiciousness.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Therefore I shall enumerate the chapters of the Adi-lila. In the First Chapter I offer obeisances to the spiritual master, for this is the beginning of auspicious writing.

 

                               TEXT 314

 

                                 TEXT

 

            dvitiya paricchede 'caitanya-tattva-nirupana'

                svayam bhagavan yei vrajendra-nandana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   dvitiya paricchede--in the Second Chapter; caitanya-tattva-nirupana--description of the truth of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; svayam--personally; bhagavan--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yei--who; vrajendra-nandana--the son of Nanda Maharaja.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Second Chapter explains the truth of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna, the son of Maharaja Nanda.

 

                               TEXT 315

 

                                 TEXT

 

              tenho ta' caitanya-krsna----sacira nandana

              trtiya paricchede janmera 'samanya' karana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tenho--He; ta'--certainly; caitanya-krsna--Krsna with the name of Sri Caitanya; sacira nandana--the son of Sacimata; trtiya paricchede--in the Third Chapter; janmera--of His birth; samanya--general; karana--reason.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Krsna Himself, has now appeared as the son of mother Saci. The Third Chapter describes the general cause of His appearance.

 

                               TEXT 316

 

                                 TEXT

 

              tahin madhye prema-dana----'visesa' karana

              yuga-dharma----krsna-nama-prema-pracarana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tahin madhye--in that chapter; prema-dana--distribution of love of Godhead; visesa--specific; karana--reason; yuga-dharma--the religion of the millennium; krsna-nama--the holy name of Lord Krsna; prema--love of Godhead; pracarana--propagating.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Third Chapter specifically describes the distribution of love of Godhead. It also describes the religion of the age, which is simply to distribute the holy name of Lord Krsna and propagate the process of loving Him.

 

                               TEXT 317

 

                                 TEXT

 

              caturthe kahilun janmera 'mula' prayojana

                sva-madhurya-premananda-rasa-asvadana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   caturthe--in the Fourth Chapter; kahilun--I have described; janmera--of His birth; mula--the real; prayojana--necessity; sva-madhurya--His own transcendental sweetness; prema-ananda--of ecstatic joy from love; rasa--the mellows; asvadana--tasting.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Fourth Chapter describes the main reason for His appearance, which is to taste the mellows of His own transcendental loving service and His own sweetness.

 

                               TEXT 318

 

                                 TEXT

 

               pancame 'sri-nityananda'-tattva nirupana

                 nityananda haila rama rohini-nandana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   pancame--in the Fifth Chapter; sri-nityananda--of Lord Nityananda Prabhu; tattva--the truth; nirupana--description; nityananda--Lord Nityananda Prabhu; haila--was; rama--Balarama; rohini-nandana--the son of Rohini.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Fifth Chapter describes the truth of Lord Nityananda Prabhu, who is none other than Balarama, the son of Rohini.

 

                               TEXT 319

 

                                 TEXT

 

             sastha paricchede 'advaita-tattve'ra vicara

                 advaita-acarya----maha-visnu-avatara

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sastha paricchede--in the Sixth Chapter; advaita--of Advaita Acarya; tattvera--of the truth; vicara--consideration; advaita-acarya--Advaita Prabhu; maha-visnu-avatara--incarnation of Maha-Visnu.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Sixth Chapter considers the truth of Advaita Acarya. He is an incarnation of Maha-Visnu.

 

                               TEXT 320

 

                                 TEXT

 

             saptama paricchede 'panca-tattve'ra akhyana

              panca-tattva mili' yaiche kaila prema-dana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   saptama paricchede--in the Seventh Chapter; panca-tattvera--of the five tattvas (truths); akhyana--the elaboration; panca-tattva--the five tattvas; mili'--combining together; yaiche--in what way; kaila--did; prema-dana--distribution of love of Godhead.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Seventh Chapter describes the Panca-tattva--Sri Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara and Srivasa. They all combined together to distribute love of Godhead everywhere.

 

                               TEXT 321

 

                                 TEXT

 

                astame 'caitanya-lila-varnana'-karana

                 eka krsna-namera maha-mahima-kathana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   astame--in the Eighth Chapter; caitanya-lila-varnana-karana--the reason for describing Caitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes; eka--one; krsna-namera--of the holy name of Lord Krsna; maha-mahima-kathana--description of great glories.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Eighth Chapter gives the reason for describing Lord Caitanya's pastimes. It also describes the greatness of Lord Krsna's holy name.

 

                               TEXT 322

 

                                 TEXT

 

               navamete 'bhakti-kalpa-vrksera varnana'

                sri-caitanya-mali kaila vrksa aropana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   navamete--in the Ninth Chapter; bhakti-kalpa-vrksera--of the desire tree of devotional service; varnana--the description; sri-caitanya-mali--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as the gardener; kaila--did; vrksa--the tree; aropana--implantation.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Ninth Chapter describes the desire tree of devotional service. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself is the gardener who planted it.

 

                               TEXT 323

 

                                 TEXT

 

               dasamete mula-skandhera 'sakhadi-ganana'

               sarva-sakha-ganera yaiche phala-vitarana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   dasamete--in the Tenth Chapter; mula-skandhera--of the main trunk; sakha-adi--of the branches, etc.; ganana--enumeration; sarva-sakha-ganera--of all branches; yaiche--in what way; phala-vitarana--distribution of the fruits.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Tenth Chapter describes the branches and subbranches of the main trunk, and the distribution of their fruits.

 

                               TEXT 324

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 ekadase 'nityananda-sakha-vivarana'

              dvadase 'advaita-skandha sakhara varnana'

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ekadase--in the Eleventh Chapter; nityananda-sakha--of the branches of Sri Nityananda Prabhu; vivarana--description; dvadase--in the Twelfth Chapter; advaita-skandha--the trunk known as Advaita Prabhu; sakhara--of the branch; varnana--description.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Eleventh Chapter describes the branch called Sri Nityananda Prabhu. The Twelfth Chapter describes the branch called Sri Advaita Prabhu.

 

                               TEXT 325

 

                                 TEXT

 

               trayodase mahaprabhura 'janma-vivarana'

                krsna-nama-saha yaiche prabhura janama

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   trayodase--in the Thirteenth Chapter; mahaprabhura--of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; janma--of the birth; vivarana--the description; krsna-nama-saha--along with the holy name of Lord Krsna; yaiche--in what way; prabhura--of the Lord; janama--the birth.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Thirteenth Chapter describes the birth of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, which took place with the chanting of the holy name of Krsna.

 

                               TEXT 326

 

                                 TEXT

 

               caturdase 'balya-lilara' kichu vivarana

             pancadase 'pauganda-lilara' sanksepe kathana

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   caturdase--in the Fourteenth Chapter; balya-lilara--of the Lord's childhood pastimes; kichu--some; vivarana--description; pancadase--in the Fifteenth Chapter; pauganda-lilara--of the pastimes of the pauganda (boyhood) age; sanksepe--in brief; kathana--the telling.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Fourteenth Chapter gives some description of the Lord's childhood pastimes. The Fifteenth briefly describes the Lord's boyhood pastimes.

 

                               TEXT 327

 

                                 TEXT

 

              sodasa paricchede 'kaisora-lila' ra uddesa

               saptadase 'yauvana-lila' kahilun visesa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sodasa--sixteenth; paricchede--in the chapter; kaisora-lilara--of pastimes prior to youth; uddesa--indication; saptadase--in the Seventeenth Chapter; yauvana-lila--the pastimes of youth; kahilun--I have stated; visesa--specifically.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In the Sixteenth Chapter I have indicated the pastimes of the kaisora age [the age prior to youth]. In the Seventeenth Chapter I have specifically described His youthful pastimes.

 

                               TEXT 328

 

                                 TEXT

 

              ei saptadasa prakara adi-lilara prabandha

              dvadasa prabandha tate grantha-mukhabandha

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ei saptadasa--these seventeen; prakara--varieties; adi-lilara--of the Adi-lila (First Canto); prabandha--subject matter; dvadasa--twelve; prabandha--subject matters; tate--among those; grantha--of the book; mukha-bandha--prefaces.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Thus there are seventeen varieties of subjects in the First Canto, which is known as the Adi-lila. Twelve of these constitute the preface of this scripture.

 

                               TEXT 329

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 panca-prabandhe panca-rasera carita

              sanksepe kahilun ati,----na kailun vistrta

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   panca-prabandhe--in five chapters; panca-rasera--of five transcendental mellows; carita--the character; sanksepe--in brief; kahilun--I stated; ati--greatly; na kailun--I did not make; vistrta--expanded.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After the chapters of the preface, I have described five transcendental mellows in five chapters. I have described them very briefly rather than expansively.

 

                               TEXT 330

 

                                 TEXT

 

                vrndavana-dasa iha 'caitanya-mangale'

                vistari' varnila nityananda-ajna-bale

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   vrndavana-dasa--Thakura Vrndavana dasa; iha--this; caitanya-mangale--in his book Caitanya-mangala; vistari'--expanding; varnila--described; nityananda--of Sri Nityananda Prabhu; ajna--of the order; bale--on the strength.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   By the order and strength of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has elaborately described in his Caitanya-mangala all that I have not.

 

                               TEXT 331

 

                                 TEXT

 

              sri-krsna-caitanya-lila----adbhuta, ananta

                brahma-siva-sesa yanra nahi paya anta

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sri-krsna-caitanya-lila--the pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; adbhuta--wonderful; ananta--unlimited; brahma--Lord Brahma; siva--Lord Siva; sesa--Lord Sesa Naga; yanra--of which; nahi--not; paya--get; anta--end.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are wonderful and unlimited. Even personalities like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and Sesa Naga cannot find their end.

 

                               TEXT 332

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  ye yei amsa kahe, sune sei dhanya

                 acire milibe tare sri-krsna-caitanya

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ye yei amsa--any part of this; kahe--anyone who describes; sune--anyone who hears; sei--that person; dhanya--glorious; acire--very soon; milibe--will meet; tare--Him; sri-krsna-caitanya--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Anyone who describes or hears any part of this elaborate subject will very soon receive the causeless mercy of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

                               TEXT 333

 

                                 TEXT

 

               sri-krsna-caitanya, advaita, nityananda

                srivasa-gadadharadi yata bhakta-vrnda

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sri-krsna-caitanya--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; advaita--Advaita Acarya Prabhu; nityananda--Nityananda Prabhu; srivasa--Srivasa Thakura; gadadhara-adi--and others like Gadadhara; yata--all; bhakta-vrnda--all devotees.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   [Herein the author again describes the Panca-tattva.] Sri Krsna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasa and all the devotees of Lord Caitanya.

 

                               TEXT 334

 

                                 TEXT

 

                yata yata bhakta-gana vaise vrndavane

                 namra hana sire dharon sabara carane

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   yata yata--each and every one; bhakta-gana--devotees; vaise--reside; vrndavane--at Vrndavana; namra hana--becoming humble; sire--on my head; dharon--I place; sabara--of all; carane--the lotus feet.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   I offer my respectful obeisances to all the residents of Vrndavana. I wish to place their lotus feet on my head in great humbleness.

 

                            TEXTS 335-336

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  sri-svarupa-sri-rupa-sri-sanatana

               sri-raghunatha-dasa, ara sri-jiva-carana

 

               sire dhari vandon, nitya karon tanra asa

                  caitanya-caritamrta kahe krsnadasa

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sri-svarupa--Sri Svarupa Damodara; sri-rupa--Sri Rupa Gosvami; sri-sanatana--Sri Sanatana Gosvami; sri-raghunatha-dasa--Sri Raghunatha dasa Gosvami; ara--and; sri-jiva-carana--the lotus feet of Sri Jiva Gosvami; sire--on the head; dhari--placing; vandon--I worship; nitya--always; karon--I do; tanra--their; asa--hope to serve; caitanya-caritamrta--the book named Sri Caitanya-caritamrta; kahe--describes; krsnadasa--Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   I wish to place the lotus feet of the Gosvamis on my head. Their names are Sri Svarupa Damodara, Sri Rupa Gosvami, Sri Sanatana Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and Sri Jiva Gosvami. Placing their lotus feet on my head, always hoping to serve them, I, Krsnadasa, narrate Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, following in their footsteps.

 

   Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Seventeenth Chapter, describing the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His youth.

                         END OF THE ADI-LILA

 

 

 

HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada