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Chapter 5
How Pradyumna Misra Received Instructions from Ramananda Raya
The following summary of the Fifth Chapter is given by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya. Pradyumna Misra, a resident of Srihatta, came to see Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to hear from Him about Lord Krsna and His pastimes. The Lord, however, sent him to Srila Ramananda Raya. Srila Ramananda Raya was training the deva-dasi dancing girls in the temple, and when Pradyumna Misra heard about this, he returned to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Lord, however, elaborately described the character of Srila Ramananda Raya. Then Pradyumna Misra went to see Ramananda Raya again to hear about the transcendental truth from him.
A brahmana from Bengal composed a drama about the activities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and went to Jagannatha Puri to show it to the associates of the Lord. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's secretary, Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, heard the drama, he discerned a tinge of Mayavada philosophy and pointed it out to the author. Although Svarupa Damodara condemned the entire drama, by reference to secondary meanings of the introductory verse he nevertheless satisfied the brahmana. That brahmana poet thus became greatly obliged to Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, renounced his family connections and stayed at Jagannatha Puri with the associates of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 1
TEXT
vaigunya-kita-kalitah
paisunya-vrana-piditah
dainyarnave nimagno 'ham
caitanya-vaidyam asraye
SYNONYMS
vaigunya--of material activities; kita--by the germs; kalitah--bitten; paisunya--of envy; vrana--from boils; piditah--suffering; dainya-arnave--in the ocean of humility; nimagnah--merged; aham--I; caitanya-vaidyam--to the physician known as Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; asraye--I surrender.
TRANSLATION
I am infected by germs of material activity and suffering from boils due to envy. Therefore, falling in an ocean of humility, I take shelter of the great physician Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 2
TEXT
jaya jaya saci-suta sri-krsna-caitanya
jaya jaya krpa-maya nityananda dhanya
SYNONYMS
jaya jaya--all glories; saci-suta--to the son of mother Saci; sri-krsna-caitanya--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; jaya jaya--all glories; krpa-maya--to the most merciful; nityananda dhanya--the glorious Srila Nityananda Prabhu.
TRANSLATION
All glories to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the son of mother Saci! All glories to Sri Nityananda Prabhu! Indeed, He is the most glorious and merciful.
TEXT 3
TEXT
jayadvaita krpa-sindhu jaya bhakta-gana
jaya svarupa, gadadhara, rupa, sanatana
SYNONYMS
jaya advaita--all glories to Advaita Prabhu; krpa-sindhu--the ocean of mercy,; jaya bhakta-gana--all glories to the devotees; jaya svarupa--all glories to Svarupa Damodara; gadadhara--Gadadhara Pandita; rupa--Srila Rupa; sanatana--Sanatana Gosvami.
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances unto Advaita Prabhu, the ocean of mercy, and to all the devotees, such as Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, Gadadhara Pandita, Sri Rupa Gosvami and Sri Sanatana Gosvami.
TEXT 4
TEXT
eka-dina pradyumna-misra prabhura carane
dandavat kari' kichu kare nivedane
SYNONYMS
eka-dina--one day; pradyumna-misra--the devotee named Pradyumna Misra; prabhura carane--at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; dandavat kari'--offering his respects; kichu--something; kare nivedane--submits as a petition.
TRANSLATION
One day Pradyumna Misra came to see Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, offering his respects and inquiring from Him with great submission.
TEXT 5
TEXT
"suna, prabhu, muni dina grhastha adhama!
kona bhagye panachon tomara durlabha carana
SYNONYMS
suna--please hear; prabhu--my Lord; muni--I; dina--very fallen; grhastha--householder; adhama--the lowest of men; kona bhagye--by some good fortune; panachon--i have gotten; tomara--Your; durlabha--rarely achieved; carana--lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
"My Lord," he said,"kindly hear me. I am a cripple-minded householder, the most fallen of men, but somehow, by my good fortune, I have received the shelter of Your lotus feet, which are rarely to be seen.
TEXT 6
TEXT
krsna-katha sunibare mora iccha haya
krsna-katha kaha more hana sadaya"
SYNONYMS
krsna-katha--discussions on the subject of Lord Krsna; sunibare--to hear; mora--my; iccha--desire; haya--is; krsna-katha--talks about Lord Sri Krsna; kaha--kindly speak; more--unto me; hana--being; sa-daya--kind.
TRANSLATION
"I wish to hear topics concerning Lord Krsna constantly. Be merciful unto me and kindly tell me something about Krsna."
TEXT 7
TEXT
prabhu kahena,----"krsna-katha ami nahi jani
sabe ramananda jane, tanra mukhe suni
SYNONYMS
prabhu kahena--the Lord replied; krsna-katha--talks about Lord Krsna; ami--I; nahi jani--do not know; sabe--only; ramananda jane--Ramananda Raya knows; tanra mukhe--from his mouth; suni--I hear.
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, "I do not know about topics concerning Lord Krsna. I think that only Ramananda Raya knows, for I hear these topics from him.
TEXT 8
TEXT
bhagye tomara krsna-katha sunite haya mana
ramananda-pasa yai' karaha sravana
SYNONYMS
bhagye--by fortune; tomara--your; krsna-katha--topics about Lord Krsna; sunite--to hear; haya mana--there is an inclination; ramananda-pasa--to Ramananda Raya; yai'--going; karaha sravana--hear.
TRANSLATION
"It is your good fortune that you are inclined to hear topics regarding Krsna. The best course for you would be to go to Ramananda Raya and hear these topics from him.
TEXT 9
TEXT
krsna-kathaya ruci tomara----bada bhagyavan
yara krsna-kathaya ruci, sei bhagyavan
SYNONYMS
krsna-kathaya--in talking of Krsna; ruci--taste; tomara--your; bada bhagyavan--very fortunate; yara--of whom; krsna-kathaya--in hearing about Krsna; ruci--taste; sei bhagyavan--he is very fortunate.
TRANSLATION
"I see that you have acquired a taste for hearing talks regarding Krsna. Therefore you are extremely fortunate. Not only you but anyone who has awakened such a taste is considered most fortunate.
TEXT 10
TEXT
dharmah svanusthitah pumsam
visvaksena-kathasu yah
notpadayed yadi ratim
srama eva hi kevalam
SYNONYMS
dharmah--execution of the system of varna and asrama; su-anusthitah--properly executed; pumsam--of men; visvaksena-kathasu--in talks about Visvaksena, or Krsna; yah--which; na--not; utpadayet--awakens; yadi--if; ratim--taste; srama--labor; eva--without doubt; hi--certainly; kevalam--only.
TRANSLATION
"A person who properly performs his regulative duties according to varna and asrama but does not develop his dormant attachment for Krsna or awaken his taste to hear and chant about Krsna is certainly laboring fruitlessly.' "
PURPORT
This is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.8).
TEXT 11
TEXT
tabe pradyumna-misra gela ramanandera sthane
rayera sevaka tanre vasaila asane
SYNONYMS
tabe--thereafter; pradyumna-misra--of the name Pradyumna Misra; gela--went; ramanandera sthane--to the place of Ramananda Raya; rayera sevaka--the servant of Ramananda Raya; tanre--unto him; vasaila asane--gave a sitting place.
TRANSLATION
Pradyumna Misra, being thus advised by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, went to the home of Ramananda Raya. There the servant of Ramananda Raya gave him a proper place to sit down.
TEXT 12
TEXT
darsana na pana misra sevake puchila
rayera vrttanta sevaka kahite lagila
SYNONYMS
darsana--audience; na--not; pana--getting; misra--Pradyumna Misra; sevake--unto the servant; puchila--inquired; rayera--of Ramananda Raya; vrttanta--description; sevaka--the servant; kahite lagila--began to speak.
TRANSLATION
Unable to see Ramananda Raya immediately, Pradyumna Misra inquired from the servant, who then gave a description of Sri Ramananda Raya.
TEXT 13
TEXT
"dui deva-kanya haya parama-sundari
nrtya-gite sunipuna, vayase kisori
SYNONYMS
dui--two; deva-kanya--dancing girls; haya--are; parama-sundari--very, very beautiful; nrtya-gite--in singing and dancing; su-nipuna--very expert; vayase--in age; kisori--very young.
TRANSLATION
"There are two dancing girls who are extremely beautiful. They are very youthful, and they are expert in dancing and singing.
TEXT 14
TEXT
sei dunhe lana raya nibhrta udyane
nija-nataka-gitera sikhaya nartane
SYNONYMS
sei dunhe--those two; lana--taking; raya--Ramananda Raya; nibhrta udyane--in a solitary place in the garden; nija-nataka--of the drama composed by him; gitera--of the songs; sikhaya--gives direction; nartane--in dancing.
TRANSLATION
"Srila Ramananda Raya has taken these two girls to a solitary place in his garden, where he is teaching and directing them to dance according to the songs he has composed for his drama.
PURPORT
The drama being rehearsed by Ramananda Raya and the two young girls was the well-known jagannatha-vallabha-nataka. The songs and dances were meant for the pleasure of Lord Jagannatha; therefore Ramananda Raya was personally giving instructions on how to sing and dance for the drama.
TEXT 15
TEXT
tumi ihan vasi' raha, ksaneke asibena
tabe yei ajna deha, sei karibena"
SYNONYMS
tumi--you; ihan--here; vasi'--sitting; raha--just wait; ksaneke asibena--he will come within a moment; tabe--then; yei--whatever; ajna--order; deha--you give; sei--he; karibena--will do.
TRANSLATION
"Please sit here and wait for a few moments. As soon as he comes, he will execute whatever order you give him."
TEXT 16
TEXT
tabe pradyumna-misra tahan rahila vasiya
ramananda nibhrte sei dui-jana lana
SYNONYMS
tabe--then; pradyumna-misra--of the name Pradyumna Misra; tahan--there; rahila vasiya--remained seated; ramananda--Ramananda Raya; nibhrte--in a solitary place; sei--those; dui-jana--two girls; lana--taking.
TRANSLATION
While Pradyumna Misra remained seated there, Ramananda Raya took the two girls to a solitary place.
TEXT 17
TEXT
sva-haste karena tara abhyanga-mardana
sva-haste karana snana, gatra sammarjana
SYNONYMS
sva-haste--with his own hand; karena--does; tara--of those two girls; abhyanga-mardana--massaging the body with oil; sva-haste--with his own hand; karana snana--bathes them; gatra sammarjana--cleansing the whole body.
TRANSLATION
With his own hand, Sri Ramananda Raya massaged their bodies with oil and bathed them with water. Indeed, Ramananda Raya cleansed their entire bodies with his own hand.
TEXT 18
TEXT
sva-haste parana vastra, sarvanga mandana
tabu nirvikara raya-ramanandera mana
SYNONYMS
sva-haste--with his own hand; parana vastra--dresses them; sarvanga mandana--decorating the whole body; tabu--still; nirvikara--without transformation; raya-ramanandera--of Ramananda Raya; mana--the mind.
TRANSLATION
Although he dressed the two young girls and decorated their bodies with his own hand, he remained unchanged. Such is the mind of Srila Ramananda Raya.
TEXT 19
TEXT
kastha-pasana-sparse haya yaiche bhava
taruni-sparse ramanandera taiche 'svabhava'
SYNONYMS
kastha--wood; pasana--stone; sparse--by touching; haya--there is; yaiche--as; bhava--mental position; taruni-sparse--by touching the young girls; ramanandera--of Ramananda Raya; taiche--like that; svabhava--nature.
TRANSLATION
While touching the young girls, he was like a person touching wood or stone, for his body and mind were unaffected.
TEXT 20
TEXT
sevya-bujhi aropiya karena sevana
svabhavika dasi-bhava karena aropana
SYNONYMS
sevya-bujhi aropiya--considering worshipable; karena sevana--engages in service; svabhavika--by his natural position; dasi-bhava--as a maidservant; karena aropana--considers.
TRANSLATION
Srila Ramananda Raya used to act in that way because he thought of himself in his original position as a maidservant of the gopis. Thus although externally he appeared to be a man, internally, in his original spiritual position, he considered himself a maidservant and considered the two girls gopis.
PURPORT
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya: "Srila Ramananda Raya composed a drama named Jagannatha-vallabha-nataka, and he engaged two young girls who were professional dancers and singers to demonstrate the ideology of the drama. Such girls, who are called deva-dasis, are still employed in the temple of Jagannatha, where they are called maharis. Sri Ramananda Raya engaged two such girls, and because they were meant to play the parts of gopis, he taught them how to awaken thoughts like those of the gopis. Because the gopis are worshipable personalities, Ramananda Raya, who considered the two girls gopis and himself their maidservant, engaged in their service by massaging their bodies with oil to cleanse them completely. Because Ramananda Raya always placed himself in the position of a maidservant of the gopis, his rehearsal with the girls was actually on the spiritual platform."
Because there was no question of personal sense gratification when Sri Ramananda Raya was serving the girls, his mind was steady and his body untransformed. This is not to be imitated, nor is such a mentality possible for anyone but Sri Ramananda Raya, as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu will explain. The example of Sri Ramananda Raya is certainly unique. The author of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta has given this description because in perfect devotional service one can attain such a position. Nevertheless, one must understand this subject very seriously and never attempt to imitate such activities.
TEXT 21
TEXT
mahaprabhura bhakta-ganera durgama mahima
tahe ramanandera bhava-bhakti-prema-sima
SYNONYMS
mahaprabhura--of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; bhakta-ganera--of the devotees; durgama--difficult to understand; mahima--greatness; tahe--in that connection; ramanandera--of Sri Ramananda Raya; bhava-bhakti--of ecstatic devotion; prema-sima--the limit of love of Krsna.
TRANSLATION
The greatness of the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is exceedingly difficult to understand. Sri Ramananda Raya is unique among them all, for he showed how one can extend his ecstatic love to the extreme limit.
TEXT 22
TEXT
tabe sei dui-jane nrtya sikhaila
gitera gudha artha abhinaya karaila
SYNONYMS
tabe--thereupon; sei--those; dui-jane--two young girls; nrtya sikhaila--directed how to dance; gitera--of the songs; gudha artha--the deep meaning; abhinaya karaila--taught how to express by dramatic performances.
TRANSLATION
Ramananda Raya directed the two girls how to dance and express the deep meaning of his songs through dramatic performances.
TEXT 23
TEXT
sancari, sattvika, sthayi-bhavera laksana
mukhe netre abhinaya kare prakatana
SYNONYMS
sancari--passing; sattvika--natural; sthayi--continuously existing; bhavera--of ecstasies; laksana--symptoms; mukhe--in the facial expressions; netre--in the movement of the eyes; abhinaya--the dramatic performance; kare prakatana--he demonstrates.
TRANSLATION
He taught them how to express the symptoms of continuous, natural and transitional ecstasies with the movements of their faces, their eyes and the other parts of their bodies.
TEXT 24
TEXT
bhava-prakatana-lasya raya ye sikhaya
jagannathera age dunhe prakata dekhaya
SYNONYMS
bhava--ecstasy; prakatana--manifesting; lasya--feminine poses and dancing; raya--Ramananda Raya; ye--which; sikhaya--was teaching; jagannathera age--in front of Lord Jagannatha; dunhe--both of them; prakata dekhaya--demonstrated.
TRANSLATION
Through the feminine poses and dances they were taught by Ramananda Raya, the two girls precisely exhibited all these expressions of ecstasy before Lord Jagannatha.
TEXT 25
TEXT
tabe sei dui-jane prasada khaoyaila
nibhrte dunhare nija-ghare pathaila
SYNONYMS
tabe--then; sei--to those; dui-jane--two girls; prasada khaoyaila--gave prasada to eat; nibhrte--without being exposed; dunhare--both of them; nija-ghare--their homes; pathaila--sent.
TRANSLATION
Then Ramananda Raya fed the two girls sumptuous prasada and sent them to their homes unexposed.
TEXT 26
TEXT
prati-dina raya aiche karaya sadhana
kon jane ksudra jiva kanha tanra mana?
SYNONYMS
prati-dina--daily; raya--Ramananda Raya; aiche--in this way; karaya sadhana--teaches regularly; kon jane--who can know; ksudra jiva--an insignificant living entity; kanha--where; tanra--his; mana--mind.
TRANSLATION
Every day he trained the two deva-dasis how to dance. Who among the small living entities, their minds always absorbed in material sense gratification, could understand the mentality of Sri Ramananda Raya?
PURPORT
Ramananda Raya's service to the gopis for the satisfaction of Krsna is purely an affair of the spiritual world. Unless one is fully situated in the spiritual atmosphere, the activities of Ramananda Raya are most difficult to understand.
TEXT 27
TEXT
misrera agamana raye sevaka kahila
sighra ramananda tabe sabhate aila
SYNONYMS
misrera--of Pradyumna Misra; agamana--arrival; raye--to Ramananda Raya; sevaka kahila--the servant informed; sighra--very soon; ramananda--Ramananda Raya; tabe--thereupon; sabhate aila--came to the assembly room.
TRANSLATION
When the servant informed Ramananda Raya of Pradyumna Misra's arrival, Ramananda Raya immediately went to the assembly room.
TEXT 28
TEXT
misrere namaskara kare sammana kariya
nivedana kare kichu vinita hana
SYNONYMS
misrere--unto Pradyumna Misra; namaskara kare--offers respectful obeisances; sammana kariya--with all respect; nivedana kare--submitted; kichu--something; vinita hana--with great humility.
TRANSLATION
He offered his obeisances to Pradyumna Misra with all respect and then, with great humility, spoke as follows.
TEXT 29
TEXT
"bahu-ksana aila, more keha na kahila
tomara carane mora aparadha ha-ila
SYNONYMS
bahu-ksana--long ago; aila--you came; more--me; keha na kahila--no one informed; tomara carane--unto your lotus feet; mora--my; aparadha--offense; ha-ila--there was.
TRANSLATION
"Sir, you came here long ago, but no one informed me. Therefore I have certainly become an offender at your lotus feet.
TEXT 30
TEXT
tomara agamane mora pavitra haila ghara
ajna kara, kya karon tomara kinkara"
SYNONYMS
tomara agamane--because of your arrival; mora--my; pavitra--purified; haila--became; ghara--house; ajna kara--kindly order; kya karon--what can I do; tomara kinkara--I am your servant.
TRANSLATION
"My entire home has been purified by your arrival. Kindly order me. What can I do for you? I am your servant."
TEXT 31
TEXT
misra kahe,----"toma dekhite haila agamane
apana pavitra kailun tomara darasane"
SYNONYMS
misra kahe--Pradyumna Misra replied; toma--you; dekhite--to see; haila agamane--I came; apana--myself; pavitra kailun--I have purified; tomara darasane--by seeing you.
TRANSLATION
Pradyumna Misra replied, "I came simply to see you. Now I have purified myself by seeing Your Honor."
TEXT 32
TEXT
atikala dekhi' misra kichu na kahila
vidaya ha-iya misra nija-ghara gela
SYNONYMS
atikala dekhi'--seeing that it was too late; misra--Pradyumna Misra; kichu--anything; na kahila--did not say; vidaya ha-iya--taking leave; misra--Pradyumna Misra; nija-ghara--to his own place; gela--returned.
TRANSLATION
Because Pradyumna Misra saw that it was late, he did not say anything else to Ramananda Raya. Instead, he took leave of him and returned to his own home.
TEXT 33
TEXT
ara dina misra aila prabhu-vidyamane
prabhu kahe,----'krsna-katha sunila raya-sthane'?
SYNONYMS
ara dina--the next day; misra--Pradyumna Misra; aila--came; prabhu-vidyamane--in the presence of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; prabhu kahe--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired; krsna-katha--talks about Krsna; sunila--have you heard; raya-sthane--from Sri Ramananda Raya.
TRANSLATION
The next day, when Pradyumna Misra arrived in the presence of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord inquired, "Have you heard talks about Krsna from Sri Ramananda Raya?"
TEXT 34
TEXT
tabe misra ramanandera vrttanta kahila
suni' mahaprabhu tabe kahite lagila
SYNONYMS
tabe--thereupon; misra--Pradyumna Misra; ramanandera--of Sri Ramananda Raya; vrttanta kahila--described the activities; suni'--hearing; mahaprabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tabe--then; kahite lagila--began to speak.
TRANSLATION
Pradyumna Misra thereupon described the activities of Sri Ramananda Raya. After hearing about these activities, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began to speak.
TEXTS 35-36
TEXT
"ami ta' sannyasi, apanare virakta kari' mani
darsana rahu dure, 'prakrtira' nama yadi suni
tabahin vikara paya mora tanu-mana
prakrti-darsane sthira haya kon jana?"
SYNONYMS
ami--I; ta'--certainly; sannyasi--in the renounced order of life; apanare--Myself; virakta kari'--having renounced everything; mani--I consider; darsana rahu dure--what to speak of seeing; prakrtira--of a woman; nama--name; yadi--if; suni--I hear; tabahin--immediately; vikara--transformation; paya--gets; mora--My; tanu-mana--mind and body; prakrti-darsane--by seeing a woman; sthira--steady; haya--is; kon jana--what person.
TRANSLATION
"I am a sannyasi," He said, "and I certainly consider Myself renounced. But not to speak of seeing a woman, if I even hear the name of a woman, I feel changes in My mind and body. Therefore who could remain unmoved by the sight of a woman? It is very difficult.
TEXT 37
TEXT
ramananda rayera katha suna, sarva-jana
kahibara katha nahe, yaha ascarya-kathana
SYNONYMS
ramananda rayera--of Sri Ramananda Raya; katha--topics; suna--please hear; sarva-jana--all people; kahibara--to be spoken; katha--talks; nahe--they are not; yaha--which; ascarya-kathana--wonderful and uncommon talks.
TRANSLATION
"Everyone please hear these topics about Ramananda Raya, although they are so wonderful and uncommon that they should not be spoken.
TEXT 38
TEXT
eke deva-dasi, ara sundari taruni
tara saba anga-seva karena apani
SYNONYMS
eke--on one side; deva-dasi--the professional dancing girls; ara--and; sundari taruni--very beautiful and youthful; tara--their; saba--all; anga--of the body,; seva--service; karena apani--performs personally.
TRANSLATION
"The two professional dancing girls are beautiful and youthful, yet Sri Ramananda Raya personally massages oil upon their bodies.
TEXT 39
TEXT
snanadi karaya, paraya vasa-vibhusana
guhya angera haya taha darsana-sparsana
SYNONYMS
snana-adi karaya--he performs their bathing and so on; paraya vasa-vibhusana--dresses and decorates the body with various types of ornaments; guhya angera--of the private parts of the body; haya--there is; taha--that; darsana-sparsana--seeing and touching.
TRANSLATION
"He personally bathes and dresses them and decorates them with ornaments. In this way, he naturally sees and touches the private parts of their bodies.
TEXT 40
TEXT
tabu nirvikara raya-ramanandera mana
nana-bhavodgara tare karaya siksana
SYNONYMS
tabu--still; nirvikara--unchanged; raya-ramanandera mana--the mind of Sri Ramananda Raya; nana-bhava-udgara--all the symptoms and transformations of ecstasy; tare--unto them; karaya siksana--he teaches.
TRANSLATION
"Nevertheless, the mind of Sri Ramananda Raya never changes, although he teaches the girls how to physically express all the transformations of ecstasy.
TEXT 41
TEXT
nirvikara deha-mana----kastha-pasana-sama!
ascarya,----taruni-sparse nirvikara mana
SYNONYMS
nirvikara--unchanged; deha-mana--body and mind; kastha-pasana-sama--like wood or stone; ascarya--wonderful; taruni-sparse--in touching young girls; nirvikara--unchanged; mana--mind.
TRANSLATION
"His mind is as steady as wood or stone. Indeed, it is wonderful that even when he touches such young girls, his mind never changes.
TEXT 42
TEXT
eka ramanandera haya ei adhikara
tate jani aprakrta-deha tanhara
SYNONYMS
eka--only one; ramanandera--of Sri Ramananda Raya; haya--there is; ei--this; adhikara--special authority; tate--in that way; jani--we can understand; aprakrta--spiritual; deha--body; tanhara--his.
TRANSLATION
"The authority for such acts is the prerogative of Ramananda Raya alone, for I can understand that his body is not material but has been completely transformed into a spiritual entity.
TEXT 43
TEXT
tanhara manera bhava tenha jane matra
taha janibare ara dvitiya nahi patra
SYNONYMS
tanhara--his; manera--of the mind; bhava--position; tenha--he; jane--knows; matra--only; taha janibare--to understand that; ara--other; dvitiya--second; nahi--there is not; patra--eligible person.
TRANSLATION
"He alone, and no one else, can understand the position of his mind.
TEXT 44
TEXT
kintu sastra-drstye eka kari anumana
sri-bhagavata-sastra----tahate pramana
SYNONYMS
kintu--but; sastra-drstye--according to the direction of the sastra; eka--one; kari anumana--I make a guess; sri-bhagavata-sastra--Srimad-Bhagavatam, the Vedic scripture; tahate--in that connection; pramana--evidence.
TRANSLATION
"But I can make a guess in terms of directions from the sastra. Srimad Bhagavatam, the Vedic scripture, gives the direct evidence in this matter.
TEXTS 45-46
TEXT
vraja-vadhu-sange krsnera rasadi-vilasa
yei jana kahe, sune kariya visvasa
hrd-roga-kama tanra tat-kale haya ksaya
tina-guna-ksobha nahe, 'maha-dhira' haya
SYNONYMS
vraja-vadhu-sange--in the association of the damsels of Vrajabhumi; krsnera--of Lord Krsna; rasa-adi-vilasa--pastimes like the rasa dance; yei--which; jana--person; kahe--describes; sune--hears; kariya visvasa--with great faith; hrt-roga--the disease of the heart; kama--lust; tanra--of him; tat-kale--at that time; haya ksaya--becomes nullified; tina-guna--of the three modes of material nature; ksobha--agitation; nahe--is not; maha-dhira--very sober; haya--becomes.
TRANSLATION
"When one hears or describes with great faith the pastimes of Lord Krsna, such as His rasa dance with the gopis, the disease of lusty desires in his heart and the agitation caused by the three modes of material nature are immediately nullified, and he becomes sober and silent.
PURPORT
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments in this connection, "Any person seriously inclined to hear about the pastimes of Krsna's rasa dance, as mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam, with great faith and a transcendental, spiritually inspired mind, is immediately freed from the natural lusty desires found within the heart of a materialistic man."
When a pure Vaisnava speaks on Srimad-Bhagavatam and another pure Vaisnava hears Srimad-Bhagavatam from such a realized soul, both of them live in the transcendental world, where the contamination of the modes of material nature cannot touch them. Freed from the contamination of the modes of nature, the speaker and hearer are fixed in a transcendental mentality, knowing that their position on the transcendental platform is to serve the Supreme Lord. The class known as prakrta-sahajiya, who consider the transcendental pastimes of Lord Krsna something like the behavior between a man and a woman in the material field, artificially think that hearing the rasa-lila will help them by diminishing the lusty desires of their diseased hearts. But because they do not follow the regulative principles but instead violate even ordinary morals, their contemplation of rasa-lila is a futile attempt, which sometimes results in their imitating the dealings of the gopis and Lord Krsna. To forbid such habits of the prakrta-sahajiyas, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has excluded their material intelligence by using the word visvasa ("faith"). In Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.33.30), Srila Sukadeva Gosvami says:
naitat samacarej jatu
manasapi hy anisvarah
vinasyaty acaran maudhyad
yatha rudro 'bdhijam visam
"Certainly one who is not the Supreme Personality of Godhead should never, even within his mind, imitate the activities of the transcendental rasa-lila of Krsna. If out of ignorance one does so, he will be destroyed, just as if he were to imitate Lord Siva, who drank poison produced from the ocean."
TEXT 47
TEXT
ujjvala madhura prema-bhakti sei paya
anande krsna-madhurye vihare sadaya
SYNONYMS
ujjvala--illuminated; madhura--sweet; prema-bhakti--ecstatic love of Krsna; sei--he; paya--gets; anande--in transcendental bliss; krsna-madhurye--the sweetness of Krsna's pastimes; vihare--enjoys; sadaya--always.
TRANSLATION
"Tasting the transcendental, effulgent, sweetly ecstatic love of Krsna, such a person can enjoy life twenty-four hours a day in the transcendental bIiss of the sweetness of Krsna's pastimes.
TEXT 48
TEXT
vikriditam vraja-vadhubhir idam ca visnoh
sraddhanvito 'nusrnuyad atha varnayed yah
bhaktim param bhagavati pratilabhya kamam
hrd-rogam asv apahinoty acirena dhirah
SYNONYMS
vikriditam--the activity of the rasa dance; vraja-vadhubhih--the damsels of Vraja, the gopis; idam--this; ca--and; visnoh--of Lord Krsna; sraddha-anvitah--with transcendental faith; anusrnuyat--continuously hears in the parampara system; atha--also; varnayet--describes; yah--one who; bhaktim--devotional service; param--transcendental; bhagavati--unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pratilabhya--attaining; kamam--lusty material desires; hrt-rogam--the disease of the heart; asu--very soon; apahinoti--gives up; acirena--without delay; dhirah--one who is sober because of advanced devotional service
TRANSLATION
"A transcendentally sober person who, with faith and love continuously hears from a realized soul about the activities of Lord Krsna in His rasa dance with the gopis, or one who describes such activities, can attain full transcendental devotional service at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus lusty material desires, which are the heart disease of all materialistic persons, are for him quickly and completely vanquished.'
PURPORT
All the activities of Lord Krsna are transcendental, and the gopis are also transcendentally situated. Therefore the activities of the gopis and Lord Krsna, if seriously understood, will certainly free one from material attachment. Then there is no possibility that lusty material desires will awaken.
TEXTS 49-50
TEXT
ye sune, ye pade, tanra phala etadrsi
sei bhavavista yei seve ahar-nisi
tanra phala ki kahimu, kahane na yaya
nitya-siddha sei, praya-siddha tanra kaya
SYNONYMS
ye sune--anyone who hears; ye pade--anyone who recites; tanra--of him; phala--the result; etadrsi--this; sei--he; bhava-avista--always absorbed in thoughts of Krsna; yei seve--who serves; ahah-nisi--day and night; tanra--his; phala--result; ki kahimu--what shall I say; kahane na yaya--it is impossible to express; nitya-siddha--eternally liberated; sei--such a person; praya-siddha--transcendental; tanra--his; kaya--body.
TRANSLATION
"If a transcendentally situated person, following in the footsteps of Srila Rupa Gosvami, hears and speaks about the rasa-lila dance of Krsna and is always absorbed in thoughts of Krsna while serving the Lord day and night within his mind, what shall I say about the result? It is so spiritually exalted that it cannot be expressed in words. Such a person is an eternally liberated associate of the Lord, and his body is completely spiritualized. Although he is visible to material eyes, he is spiritually situated, and all his activities are spiritual. By the will of Krsna, such a devotee is understood to possess a spiritual body.
TEXT 51
TEXT
raganuga-marge jani rayera bhajana
siddha-deha-tulya, tate 'prakrta' nahe mana
SYNONYMS
raganuga-marge--on the path of spontaneous love of Krsna; jani--we can understand; rayera bhajana--the devotional service of Ramananda Raya; siddha-deha--spiritual body; tulya--equal to; tate--therefore; prakrta--material; nahe--is not; mana--mind.
TRANSLATION
"Srila Ramananda Raya is situated on the path of spontaneous love of Godhead. Therefore he is in his spiritual body, and his mind is not materially affected.
TEXT 52
TEXT
amiha rayera sthane suni krsna-katha
sunite iccha haya yadi, punah yaha tatha
SYNONYMS
amiha--I also; rayera sthane--from Ramananda Raya; suni--hear; krsna-katha--talks of Krsna; sunite--to hear; iccha--desire; haya--there is; yadi--if; punah--again; yaha--go; tatha--there.
TRANSLATION
"I also hear topics about Krsna from Ramananda Raya. If you want to hear such topics, go to him again.
TEXT 53
TEXT
mora nama la-iha,----'teho pathaila more
tomara sthane krsna-katha sunibara tare'
SYNONYMS
mora--My; nama--name; la-iha--take; teho--He; pathaila--sent; more--me; tomara sthane--from you; krsna-katha--topics of Krsna; sunibara tare--to hear.
TRANSLATION
"You can take My name before him, saying, 'He has sent me to hear about Lord Krsna from you.'
TEXT 54
TEXT
sighra yaha, yavat tenho achena sabhate"
eta suni' pradyumna-misra calila turite
SYNONYMS
sighra yaha--go hastily; yavat--while; tenho--he; achena--is; sabhate--in the assembly room; eta suni'--hearing this; pradyumna-misra--Pradyumna Misra; calila--went; turite--very hastily.
TRANSLATION
"Go hastily while he is in the assembly room." Hearing this, Pradyumna Misra immediately departed.
TEXT 55
TEXT
raya-pasa gela, raya pranati karila
'ajna kara, ye lagi' agamana haila'
SYNONYMS
raya-pasa--to Ramananda Raya; gela--he went; raya--Ramananda Raya; pranati karila--offered his respects; ajna kara--please order me; ye lagi'--for what purpose; agamana haila--have you come.
TRANSLATION
Pradyumna Misra went to Ramananda Raya, who offered him respectful obeisances and said, "Please order me. For what purpose have you come?"
TEXT 56
TEXT
misra kahe,----'mahaprabhu pathaila more
tomara sthane krsna-katha sunibara tare'
SYNONYMS
misra kahe--Pradyumna Misra said; mahaprabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; pathaila more--has sent me; tomara sthane--from you; krsna-katha--topics of Lord Krsna; sunibara tare--to hear.
TRANSLATION
Pradyumna Misra answered, "Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has sent me to hear topics about Lord Krsna from you."
TEXT 57
TEXT
suni' ramananda raya haila premavese
kahite lagila kichu manera harise
SYNONYMS
suni'--hearing; ramananda raya--Ramananda Raya; haila--became; prema-avese--absorbed in ecstatic love; kahite lagila--began to speak; kichu--something; manera harise--in transcendental pleasure.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this, Ramananda Raya became absorbed in ecstatic love and began to speak with great transcendental pleasure.
TEXT 58
TEXT
"prabhura ajnaya krsna-katha sunite aila etha
iha va-i maha-bhagya ami paba kotha?"
SYNONYMS
prabhura ajnaya--under the instruction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; krsna-katha--topics of Lord Krsna; sunite--to hear; aila etha--you have come here; iha va-i--without this; maha-bhagya--great fortune; ami--I; paba--will get; kotha--where.
TRANSLATION
"Following the instruction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, you have come to hear about Krsna. This is my great fortune. How else would I get such an opportunity?"
TEXT 59
TEXT
eta kahi tare lana nibhrte vasila
'ki katha sunite caha?' misrere puchila
SYNONYMS
eta kahi--saying this; tare--him; lana--taking; nibhrte vasila--sat in a secluded place; ki katha--what kind of topics; sunite caha--do you want to hear; misrere puchila--he inquired from Pradyumna Misra.
TRANSLATION
Saying this, Sri Ramananda Raya took Pradyumna Misra to a secluded place and inquired from him, "What kind of krsna-katha do you want to hear from me?"
TEXT 60
TEXT
tenho kahe,----"ye kahila vidyanagare
sei katha krame tumi kahiba amare
SYNONYMS
tenho kahe--he replied; ye--what; kahila--you spoke; vidya-nagare--at Vidyanagara; sei katha--those topics; krame--according to the order; tumi--you; kahiba--please speak; amare--to me.
TRANSLATION
Pradyumna Misra replied, "Kindly tell me about the same topics you spoke about at Vidyanagara.
TEXT 61
TEXT
anera ki katha, tumi----prabhura upadesta!
ami ta' bhiksuka vipra, tumi----mora posta
SYNONYMS
anera ki katha--what to speak of others; tumi--you; prabhura upadesta--an instructor of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; ami--I; ta'--certainly; bhiksuka--beggar; vipra--brahmana; tumi--you; mora--my; posta--maintainer.
TRANSLATION
"You are an instructor even for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, not to speak of others. I am but a beggar brahmana, and you are my maintainer.
TEXT 62
TEXT
bhala, manda----kichu ami puchite na jani
'dina' dekhi' krpa kari' kahiba apani"
SYNONYMS
bhala--good; manda--bad; kichu--something; ami--I; puchite--to inquire; na jani--do not know; dina--very poor in knowledge; dekhi'--seeing (me); krpa kari'--very mercifully; kahiba--please; apani--by your own good will.
TRANSLATION
"I do not know how to inquire, for I do not know what is good and what is bad. Seeing me to be poor in knowledge, kindly speak whatever is good for me by your own good will."
TEXT 63
TEXT
tabe ramananda krame kahite lagila
krsna-katha-rasamrta-sindhu uthalila
SYNONYMS
tabe--thereupon; ramananda--Ramananda Raya; krame--gradually; kahite lagila--began to speak; krsna-katha--of the topics of Krsna; rasamrta-sindhu--the ocean of transcendental mellow; uthalila--became agitated.
TRANSLATION
Thereupon Ramananda Raya gradually began speaking on topics of Krsna. Thus the ocean of the transcendental mellow of those topics became agitated.
TEXT 64
TEXT
apane prasna kari' pache karena siddhanta
trtiya prahara haila, nahe katha-anta
SYNONYMS
apane--personally; prasna kari'--making the question; pache--after that; karena siddhanta--gives the conclusion; trtiya prahara haila--it became afternoon; nahe katha-anta--there was no end to such topics.
TRANSLATION
He began personally posing questions and then answering them with conclusive statements. When afternoon came, the topics still did not end.
TEXT 65
TEXT
vakta srota kahe sune dunhe premavese
atma-smrti nahi, kahan janiba dina-sese
SYNONYMS
vakta--the speaker; srota--the listener; kahe--speaks; sune--hears; dunhe--both of them; prema-avese--in ecstatic love; atma-smrti nahi--there was no bodily consciousness; kahan--where; janiba--can understand; dina-sese--the end of day.
TRANSLATION
The speaker and listener spoke and heard in ecstatic love. Thus they forgot their bodily consciousness. How, then, could they perceive the end of the day?
TEXT 66
TEXT
sevaka kahila,----'dina haila avasana'
tabe raya krsna-kathara karila visrama
SYNONYMS
sevaka kahila--the servant informed; dina--the day; haila avasana--has ended; tabe--at that time; raya--Ramananda Raya; krsna-kathara--the talks of Krsna; karila visrama--ended.
TRANSLATION
The servant informed them, "The day has already ended." Then Ramananda Raya ended his discourses about Krsna.
TEXT 67
TEXT
bahu-sammana kari' misre vidaya dila
'krtartha ha-ilana' bali' misra nacite lagila
SYNONYMS
bahu-sammana--much respectful behavior; kari'--doing; misre--unto Pradyumna Misra; vidaya dila--bade farewell; krtartha ha-ilana--i have become very satisfied; bali'--saying; misra--Pradyumna Misra; nacite lagila--began to dance.
TRANSLATION
Ramananda Raya paid great respect to Pradyumna Misra and bade him farewell. Pradyumna Misra said, "I have become very satisfied." He then began to dance.
TEXT 68
TEXT
ghare giya misra kaila snana, bhojana
sandhya-kale dekhite aila prabhura carana
SYNONYMS
ghare giya--returning home; misra--Pradyumna Misra; kaila--performed; snana--bathing; bhojana--eating; sandhya-kale--in the evening; dekhite--to see; aila--came; prabhura carana--the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TRANSLATION
After returning home, Pradyumna Misra bathed and ate his meal. In the evening he came to see the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 69
TEXT
prabhura carana vande ullasita-mane
prabhu kake,----'krsna-katha ha-ila sravane'?
SYNONYMS
prabhura--of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; carana--the lotus feet; vande--he worships; ullasita-mane--in great happiness; prabhu kahe--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says; krsna-katha--talks of Krsna; ha-ila sravane--did you hear.
TRANSLATION
In great happiness he worshiped the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Lord inquired, "Have you heard topics about Krsna?"
TEXT 70
TEXT
misra kahe,----"prabhu, more krtartha karila
krsna-kathamrtarnave more dubaila
SYNONYMS
misra kahe--Pradyumna Misra said; prabhu--my dear Lord; more--me; krtartha--satisfied; karila--You have made; krsna-katha--of talks about Krsna; amrta-arnave--in the ocean of the nectar; more--me; dubaila--You have drowned.
TRANSLATION
Pradyumna Misra said, "My dear Lord, You have made me extremely obliged to You because You have drowned me in a nectarean ocean of talks about Krsna.
TEXT 71
TEXT
ramananda raya-katha kahile na haya
'manusya' nahe raya, krsna-bhakti-rasa-maya
SYNONYMS
ramananda raya-katha--the speeches of Ramananda Raya; kahile--describing; na haya--is not possible; manusya--an ordinary human being; nahe--is not; raya--Ramananda Raya; krsna-bhakti-rasa-maya--absorbed in the devotional service of Lord Krsna.
TRANSLATION
"I cannot properly describe the discourses of Ramananda Raya, for he is not an ordinary human being. He is fully absorbed in the devotional service of the Lord.
PURPORT
One is forbidden to accept the guru, or spiritual master, as an ordinary human being (gurusu nara-matih). When Ramananda Raya spoke to Pradyumna Misra, Pradyumna Misra could understand that Ramananda Raya was not an ordinary human being. A spiritually advanced person who acts with authority, as the spiritual master, speaks as the Supreme Personality of Godhead dictates from within. Thus it is not he that is personally speaking. When a pure devotee or spiritual master speaks, what he says should be accepted as having been directly spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the parampara system.
TEXT 72
TEXT
ara eka katha raya kahila amare
'krsna-katha-vakta kari' na janiha more
SYNONYMS
ara--another; eka--one; katha--topic; raya--Ramananda Raya; kahila amare--said to me; krsna-katha-vakta--the speaker on the talks of Krsna; kari'--as; na janiha more--do not consider me.
TRANSLATION
"There is one other thing Ramananda Raya said to me. 'Do not consider me the speaker in these talks about Krsna.
TEXT 73
TEXT
mora mukhe katha kahena apane gauracandra
yaiche kahaya, taiche kahi,----yena vina-yantra
SYNONYMS
mora mukhe--in my mouth; katha--topics; kahena--speaks; apane--personally; gaura-candra--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; yaiche kahaya--as He causes to speak; taiche kahi--so I speak; yena--like; vina-yantra--the stringed instrument called the vina.
TRANSLATION
"Whatever I speak is personally spoken by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Like a stringed instrument, I vibrate whatever He causes me to speak.
TEXT 74
TEXT
mora mukhe kahaya katha, kare paracara
prthivite ke janibe e-lila tanhara?'
SYNONYMS
mora mukhe--in my mouth; kahaya--causes to speak; katha--words; kare paracara--preaches; prthivite--in this world; ke janibe--who will understand; e-lila--this pastime; tanhara--His.
TRANSLATION
"In this way the Lord speaks through my mouth to preach the cult of Krsna consciousness. Within the world, who will understand this pastime of the Lord?'
TEXT 75
TEXT
ye-saba sunilun, krsna-rasera sagara
brahmadi-devera e saba na haya gocara
SYNONYMS
ye-saba--all that; sunilun--I heard; krsna-rasera--of the nectar of Lord Krsna; sagara--the ocean; brahma-adi-devera--of the demigods, beginning with Lord Brahma; e saba--all this; na haya gocara--is not possible to be understood.
TRANSLATION
"What I have heard from Ramananda Raya is like a nectarean ocean of discourses about Krsna. Even the demigods, beginning with Lord Brahma, cannot understand all these topics.
TEXT 76
TEXT
hena 'rasa' pana more karaila tumi
janme janme tomara paya vikailana ami
SYNONYMS
hena rasa--such transcendental mellows; pana--to drink; more--me; karaila tumi--You have caused; janme janme--life after life; tomara paya--at Your feet; vikailana ami--I have become sold.
TRANSLATION
"My dear Lord, You have made me drink this transcendental nectar of krsna-katha. Therefore I am sold to Your lotus feet, life after life."
TEXT 77
TEXT
prabhu kahe,----"ramananda vinayera khani
apanara katha para-munde dena ani'
SYNONYMS
prabhu kahe--the Lord replied; ramananda--Ramananda Raya; vinayera khani--the mine of humility; apanara katha--his own words; para-munde--on another's head; dena--confers; ani'--bringing.
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "Ramananda Raya is a source of all humility. Therefore he has attributed his own words to another's intelligence.
TEXT 78
TEXT
mahanubhavera ei sahaja 'svabhava' haya
apanara guna nahi apane kahaya"
SYNONYMS
mahanubhavera--of those who are advanced in realization; ei--this; sahaja--natural; svabhava--characteristic; haya--is; apanara guna--their own personal qualities; nahi--do not; apane--personally; kahaya--speak.
TRANSLATION
"This is a natural characteristic of those advanced in devotional service. They do not personally speak of their own good qualities."
TEXT 79
TEXT
ramananda-rayera ei kahilu guna-lesa
pradyumna misrere yaiche kaila upadesa
SYNONYMS
ramananda-rayera--of Sri Ramananda Raya; ei--this; kahilu--I have spoken; guna-lesa--a fraction of the transcendental attributes; pradyumna misrere--unto Pradyumna Misra; yaiche--in which way; kaila upadesa--he gave instruction.
TRANSLATION
I have described but a fraction of the transcendental attributes of Ramananda Raya, as revealed when he instructed Pradyumna Misra.
TEXT 80
TEXT
'grhastha' hana nahe raya sad-vargera vase
'visayi' hana sannyasire upadese
SYNONYMS
grhastha hana--being a householder; nahe--is not; raya--Ramananda Raya; sat-vargera vase--under the control of the six kinds of bodily change; visayi hana--being a pounds-and-shillings man; sannyasire upadese--advises persons in the renounced order of life.
TRANSLATION
Although Ramananda Raya was a householder, he was not under the control of the six kinds of bodily change. Although apparently a pounds-and-shillings man, he advised even persons in the renounced order.
PURPORT
Sri Ramananda Raya externally appeared to be a grhastha who was under the influence of the external, material energy, not a self-controlled brahmacari, vanaprastha or sannyasi. Grhasthas (householders) who are under the influence of the external energy accept householder life for the purpose of sense enjoyment, but a transcendentally situated Vaisnava is not subjected to the influence of the senses by the Lord's material rule of the six kinds of bodily change (kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, and matsarya), even when he plays the part of a grhastha. Thus although Srila Ramananda Raya acted as a grhastha and was accepted as an ordinary pounds-and-shillings man, he was always absorbed in the transcendental pastimes of Lord Krsna. Therefore his mind was spiritually situated, and he was interested only in the subject of Krsna. Ramananda Raya was not among the Mayavadi impersonalists or materialistic logicians who are opposed to the principles of Lord Krsna's transcendental pastimes. He was already spiritually situated in the order of renounced life; therefore he was able to turn sand into gold by spiritual potency, or, in other words, to elevate a person from a material to a spiritual position.
TEXT 81
TEXT
ei-saba guna tanra prakasa karite
misrere pathaila tahan sravana karite
SYNONYMS
ei-saba--all these; guna--attributes; tanra--of Ramananda Raya; prakasa karite--to demonstrate; misrere--Pradyumna Misra; pathaila--He sent; tahan--there; sravana karite--to hear.
TRANSLATION
To demonstrate the transcendental attributes of Ramananda Raya, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu sent Pradyumna Misra to hear discourses about Krsna from him.
TEXT 82
TEXT
bhakta-guna prakasite prabhu bhala jane
nana-bhangite guna prakasi' nija-labha mane
SYNONYMS
bhakta-guna--the attributes of a devotee; prakasite--to manifest; prabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; bhala jane--knows very well how; nana-bhangite--by various ways; guna--attributes; prakasi'--manifesting; nija-labha--His profit; mane--He considers.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, knows very well how to demonstrate the qualities of His devotees. Therefore, acting like an artistic painter, He does so in various ways and considers this His personal profit.
TEXT 83
TEXT
ara eka 'svabhava' gaurera suna, bhakta-gana
aisvarya-svabhava gudha kare prakatana
SYNONYMS
ara--another; eka--one; svabhava--characteristic; gaurera--of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; suna--hear; bhakta-gana--O devotees; aisvarya-svabhava--opulences and characteristics; gudha--very deep; kare--does; prakatana--manifestation.
TRANSLATION
There is yet another characteristic of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. O devotees, listen carefully to how He manifests His opulence and characteristics, although they are exceptionally deep.
TEXT 84
TEXT
sannyasi pandita-ganera karite garva nasa
nica-sudra-dvara karena dharmera prakasa
SYNONYMS
sannyasi--persons in the renounced order; pandita-ganera--of the learned scholars; karite--to do; garva--pride; nasa--vanquishing; nica--lowborn; sudra--a fourth-class man; dvara--through; karena--does; dharmera prakasa--spreading of real religious principles.
TRANSLATION
To vanquish the false pride of so-called renunciants and learned scholars, He spreads real religious principles, even through a sudra, or lowborn fourth-class man.
PURPORT
When a man is greatly learned in the Vedanta-sutras, he is known as pandita, or a learned scholar. Generally this qualifications attributed to brahmanas and sannyasis. Sannyasa, the renounced order of life, is the topmost position for a brahmana, a member of the highest of the four varnas (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra). According to public opinion, a person born in a brahmana family, duly reformed by the purificatory processes and properly initiated by a spiritual master, is an authority on Vedic literature. When such a person is offered the sannyasa order, he comes to occupy the topmost position. The brahmana is supposed to be the spiritual master of the other three varnas, namely ksatriya, vaisya and sudra, and the sannyasi is supposed to be the spiritual master even of the exalted brahmanas.
Generally brahmanas and sannyasis are very proud of their spiritual positions. Therefore, to cut down their false pride, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu preached Krsna consciousness through Ramananda Raya, who was neither a member of the renounced order nor a born brahmana. indeed, Sri Ramananda Raya was a grhastha belonging to the sudra class, yet Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu arranged for him to be the master who taught Pradyumna Misra, a highly qualified brahmana born in a brahmana family. Even Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself, although belonging to the renounced order, took instruction from Sri Ramananda Raya. In this way Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu exhibited His opulence through Sri Ramananda Raya. That is the special significance of this incident.
According to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's philosophy, yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei 'guru' haya: anyone who knows the science of Krsna can become a spiritual master, without reference to whether or not he is a brahmana or sannyasi. Ordinary people cannot understand the essence of sastra, nor can they understand the pure character, behavior and abilities of strict followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's principles. The Krsna consciousness movement is creating pure, exalted Vaisnavas even from those born in families considered lower than those of sudras. This is proof that a Vaisnava may appear in any family, as confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam:
kirata-hunandhra-pulinda-pulkasa
abhira-sumbha yavanah khasadayah
ye 'nye ca papa yad-apasrayasrayah
sudhyanti tasmai prabhavisnave namah
"Kirata, Huna, Andhra, Pulinda, Pulkasa, Abhira, Sumbha, Yavana and the Khasa races, and even others addicted to sinful acts, can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, for He is the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him." (Bhag. 2.4.18) By the grace of the Supreme Lord Visnu, one can be completely purified, become a preacher of Krsna consciousness, and become the spiritual master of the entire world. This principle is accepted in all Vedic literature. Evidence can be quoted from authoritative sastras showing how a lowborn person can become the spiritual master of the entire world. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is to be considered the most munificent personality, for He distributes the real essence of Vedic sastras to anyone who becomes qualified by becoming His sincere servant.
TEXT 85
TEXT
'bhakti', 'prema', 'tattva' kahe raye kari' 'vakta'
apani pradyumna-misra-saha haya 'srota'
SYNONYMS
bhakti--devotional service; prema--ecstatic love; tattva--truth; kahe--He says; raye--Ramananda Raya; kari'--by making; vakta--the speaker; apani--Himself; pradyumna-misra--Pradyumna Misra; saha--with; haya srota--becomes the listener.
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu preached about devotional service, ecstatic love and the Absolute Truth by making Ramananda Raya, a grhastha born in a low family, the speaker. Then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself, the exalted brahmana-sannyasi, and Pradyumna Misra, the purified brahmana, both became the hearers of Ramananda Raya.
PURPORT
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya that sannyasis in the line of Sankaracarya always think that they have performed all the duties of brahmanas and that, furthermore, having understood the essence of Vedanta-sutra and become sannyasis, they are the natural spiritual masters of all society. Similarly, persons born in brahmana families think that because they execute the ritualistic ceremonies recommended in the Vedas and follow the principles of smrti, they alone can become spiritual masters of society. These highly exalted brahmanas think that unless one is born in a brahmana family, one cannot become a spiritual master and teach the Absolute Truth. To cut down the pride of these birthright brahmanas and Mayavadi sannyasis, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu proved that a person like Ramananda Raya, although born in a sudra family and situated in the grhastha-asrama, can become the spiritual master of such exalted personalities as Himself and Pradyumna Misra. This is the principle of the Vaisnava cult, as evinced in the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. A person who knows what is spiritual and what is material and who is firmly fixed in the spiritual position can be jagad-guru, the spiritual master of the entire world. One cannot become jagad-guru simply by advertising oneself as jagad-guru without knowing the essential principles for becoming jagad-guru. Even people who never see what a jagad-guru is and never talk with other people become puffed-up sannyasis and declare themselves jagad-gurus. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not like this. Any person who knows the science of Krsna and who is fully qualified in spiritual life can become jagad-guru. Thus Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally took lessons from Sri Ramananda Raya and also sent Pradyumna Misra, an exalted brahmana, to take lessons from him.
TEXT 86
TEXT
haridasa-dvara nama-mahatmya-prakasa
sanatana-dvara bhakti-siddhanta-vilasa
SYNONYMS
haridasa-dvara--by Haridasa Thakura; nama-mahatmya--of the glories of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra; prakasa--manifestation; sanatana-dvara--by Sanatana Gosvami; bhakti-siddhanta-vilasa--spreading the essence of devotional life.
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu exhibited the glories of the holy name of the Lord through Haridasa Thakura, who was born in a Mohammedan family. Similarly, He exhibited the essence of devotional service through Sanatana Gosvami, who had almost been converted into a Mohammedan.
TEXT 87
TEXT
sri-rupa-dvara vrajera prema-rasa-lila
ke bujhite pare gambhira caitanyera khela?
SYNONYMS
sri-rupa-dvara--through Sri Rupa Gosvami; vrajera--of Vrndavana; prema-rasa-lila--description of ecstatic love and pastimes; ke--who; bujhite pare--can understand; gambhira--deep; caitanyera khela--the activities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TRANSLATION
The Lord also fully exhibited the ecstatic love and transcendental pastimes of Vrndavana through Srila Rupa Gosvami. Considering all this, who can understand the deep plans of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu?
TEXT 88
TEXT
sri-caitanya-lila ei----amrtera sindhu
trijagat bhasaite pare yara eka bindu
SYNONYMS
sri-caitanya-lila--transcendental activities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; ei--these; amrtera sindhu--the ocean of nectar; tri-jagat--the three worlds; bhasaite--to inundate; pare--is able; yara--of which; eka bindu--one drop.
TRANSLATION
The activities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are just like an ocean of nectar. Even a drop of this ocean ca inundate all the three worlds.
PURPORT
To inundate the three worlds with nectar is the purpose of the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. How this could be possible was exhibited by Srila Raghunatha Gosvami and later by Thakura Narottama dasa and Syamananda Gosvami, who all represented the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Now that same mercy is overflooding the entire world through the Krsna consciousness movement. The present Krsna consciousness movement is nondifferent from the pastimes performed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu when He was personally present, for the same principles are being followed and the same actions performed without fail.
TEXT 89
TEXT
caitanya-caritamrta nitya kara pana
yaha haite 'premananda', 'bhakti-tattva-jnana'
SYNONYMS
caitanya-caritamrta--this transcendental literature known as Caitanya-caritamrta; nitya--daily; kara pana--do relish; yaha haite--by which; prema-ananda--transcendental bliss; bhakti-tattva-jnana--transcendental knowledge in devotional service.
TRANSLATION
O devotees, relish daily the nectar of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta and the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, for by doing so one can merge in the transcendental bliss and full knowledge of devotional service.
TEXT 90
TEXT
ei-mata mahaprabhu bhakta-gana lana
nilacale viharaye bhakti pracariya
SYNONYMS
ei-mata--in this way; mahaprabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; bhakta-gana lana--accompanied by His pure devotees; nilacale--at Jagannatha Puri; viharaye--enjoys transcendental bliss; bhakti pracariya--preaching the cult of devotional service.
TRANSLATION
Thus Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, accompanied by His associates, His pure devotees, enjoyed transcendental bliss in Jagannatha Puri [Nilacala] preaching the bhakti cult in many ways.
TEXT 91
TEXT
banga-desi eka vipra prabhura carite
nataka kari' lana aila prabhuke sunaite
SYNONYMS
banga-desi--from Bengal; eka vipra--one brahmana; prabhura carite--about Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's characteristics; nataka kari'--making a drama; lana--taking; aila--came; prabhuke sunaite--to induce Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to hear.
TRANSLATION
A brahmana from Bengal wrote a drama about the characteristics of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and came with his manuscript to induce the Lord to hear it.
TEXT 92
TEXT
bhagavan-acarya-sane tara paricaya
tanre mili' tanra ghare karila alaya
SYNONYMS
bhagavan-acarya--the devotee of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu named Bhagavan Acarya; sane--with; tara paricaya--his acquaintance; tanre mili'--meeting him; tanra ghare--at his place; karila alaya--made residence.
TRANSLATION
The brahmana was acquainted with Bhagavan Acarya, one of the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Therefore after meeting him at Jagannatha Puri, the brahmana made his residence at Bhagavan Acarya' s home.
TEXT 93
TEXT
prathame nataka tenho tanre sunaila
tanra sange aneka vaisnava nataka sunila
SYNONYMS
prathame--at first; nataka--the drama; tenho--he; tanre--him; sunaila--made to hear; tanra sange--with him; aneka--many; vaisnava--devotees; nataka sunila--listened to the drama.
TRANSLATION
First the brahmana induced Bhagavan Acarya to hear the drama, and then many other devotees joined Bhagavan Acarya in listening to it.
TEXT 94
TEXT
sabei prasamse nataka 'parama uttama'
mahaprabhure sunaite sabara haila mana
SYNONYMS
sabei--all; prasamse--praised; nataka--the drama; parama uttama--"very good, very good"; mahaprabhure--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sunaite--to cause to hear; sabara--of everyone; haila--there was; mana--mind.
TRANSLATION
All the Vaisnavas praised the drama, saying,"Very good, very good." They also desired for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to hear the drama.
TEXT 95
TEXT
gita, sloka, grantha, kavitva----yei kari' ane
prathame sunaya sei svarupera sthane
SYNONYMS
gita--song; sloka--verse; grantha--literature; kavitva--poetry; yei--anyone who; kari'--making; ane--brings; prathame--first; sunaya--recites; sei--that person; svarupera sthane--before Svarupa Damodara Gosvami.
TRANSLATION
Customarily, anyone who composed a song, verse, literary composition or poem about Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu first had to bring it to Svarupa Damodara Gosvami to be heard.
TEXT 96
TEXT
svarupa-thani uttare yadi, lana, tanra mana
tabe mahaprabhu-thani karaya sravana
SYNONYMS
svarupa-thani--before Svarupa Damodara Gosvami; uttare--passes; yadi--if one; lana--taking; tanra mana--his mind; tabe--thereafter; mahaprabhu-thani--before Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; karaya sravana--causes to be heard.
TRANSLATION
If passed by Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, it could be presented for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to hear.
TEXT 97
TEXT
'rasabhasa' haya yadi 'siddhanta-virodha'
sahite na pare prabhu, mane haya krodha
SYNONYMS
rasa-abhasa--overlapping of transcendental mellows; haya--there is; yadi--if; siddhanta-virodha--against the principles of the bhakti cult; sahite na pare--cannot tolerate; prabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; mane--within the mind; haya--is; krodha--anger.
TRANSLATION
If there were a hint that transcendental mellows overlapped in a manner contrary to the principles of the bhakti cult, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would not tolerate it and would become very angry.
PURPORT
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura quotes the following definition of rasabhasa from the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (Uttara-vibhaga, Ninth Wave, 1-3,20,22,24):
purvam evanusistena
vikala rasa-laksana
rasa eva rasabhasa
rasajnair anukirtitah
syus tridhoparasas canu-
rasas caparasas ca te
uttama madhyamah proktah
kanisthas cety ami kramat
praptaih sthayi-vibhavanu-
bhavadyais tu virupatam
santadayo rasa eva
dvadasoparasa matah
bhaktadibhir vibhavadyaih
krsna-sambandha-varjitaih
rasa hasyadayah sapta
santas canurasa matah
krsna-tat-pratipaksas ced
visayasrayatam gatah
hasadinam tada te 'tra
prajnair aparasa matah
bhavah sarve tadabhasa
rasabhasas ca kecana
ami prokta-rasabhijnaih
sarve 'pi rasanad rasah
A mellow temporarily appearing transcendental but contradicting mellows previously stated and lacking some of a mellow's necessities is called rasabhasa, an overlapping mellow, by advanced devotees who know how to taste transcendental mellows. Such mellows are called uparasa (submellows), anurasa (imitation transcendental mellows) and aparasa (opposing transcendental mellows). Thus the overlapping of transcendental mellows is described as being first grade, second grade or third grade. When the twelve mellows--such as neutrality, servitorship and friendship--are characterized by adverse sthayi-bhava, vibhava and anubhava ecstasies, they are known as uparasa, submellows. When the seven indirect transcendental mellows and the dried up mellow of neutrality are produced by devotees and moods not directly related to Krsna and devotional service in ecstatic love, they are described as anurasa, imitation mellows. If Krsna and the enemies who harbor feelings of opposition toward Him are respectively the object and abodes of the mellow of laughter, the resulting feelings are called aparasa, opposing mellows. Experts in distinguishing one mellow from another sometimes accept some overlapping transcendental mellows (rasabhasa) as rasas due to their being pleasurable and tasteful. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says, paraspara-vairayor yadi yogas tada rasabhasah: "When two opposing transcendental mellows overlap, they produce rasabhasa, or an overlapping of transcendental mellows."
TEXT 98
TEXT
ataeva prabhu kichu age nahi sune
ei maryada prabhu kariyache niyame
SYNONYMS
ataeva--therefore; prabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kichu--anything; age--ahead; nahi sune--does not hear; ei maryada--this etiquette; prabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kariyache niyame--has made a regulative principle.
TRANSLATION
Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would not hear anything before Svarupa Damodara heard it first. The Lord made this etiquette a regulative principle.
TEXT 99
TEXT
svarupera thani acarya kaila nivedana
eka vipra prabhura nataka kariyache uttama
SYNONYMS
svarupera thani--before Svarupa Damodara Gosvami; acarya--Bhagavan Acarya; kaila--did; nivedana--submission; eka vipra--one brahmana; prabhura--of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nataka--drama; kariyache--has composed; uttama--very nice.
TRANSLATION
Bhagavan Acarya submitted to Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, "A good brahmana has prepared a drama about Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that appears exceptionally well composed.
TEXT 100
TEXT
adau tumi suna, yadi tomara mana mane
pache mahaprabhure tabe karaimu sravane
SYNONYMS
adau--in the beginning; tumi--you; suna--hear; yadi--if; tomara mana mane--you accept; pache--thereafter; mahaprabhure--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tabe--then; karaimu sravane--I shall request to hear.
TRANSLATION
"First you hear it, and if it is acceptable to your mind, I shall request Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to hear it."
TEXT 101
TEXT
svarupa kahe,----"tumi 'gopa' parama-udara
ye-se sastra sunite iccha upaje tomara
SYNONYMS
svarupa kahe--Svarupa Damodara Gosvami said; tumi--you; gopa--cowherd boy; parama-udara--very liberal; ye-se sastra--anything written as scripture; sunite--to hear; iccha--desire; upaje--awakens; tomara--of you.
TRANSLATION
Svarupa Damodara Gosvami replied, "Dear Bhagavan Acarya, you are a very liberal cowherd boy. Sometimes the desire awakens within you to hear any kind of poetry.
TEXT 102
TEXT
'yadva-tadva' kavira vakye haya 'rasabhasa'
siddhanta-viruddha sunite na haya ullasa
SYNONYMS
yadva-tadva kavira--of any so-called poet; vakye--in the words; haya--there is; rasa-abhasa--overlapping of transcendental mellows; siddhanta-viruddha--against the conclusive understanding; sunite--to hear; na--not; haya--there is; ullasa--joy.
TRANSLATION
"In the writings of so-called poets there is generally a possibility of overlapping transcendental mellows. When the mellows thus go against the conclusive understanding, no one likes to hear such poetry.
PURPORT
Yadva-tadva kavi refers to anyone who writes poetry without knowledge of how to do so. Writing poetry, especially poetry concerning the Vaisnava conclusion, is very difficult. If one writes poetry without proper knowledge, there is every possibility that the mellows will overlap. When this occurs, no learned or advanced Vaisnava will like to hear it.
TEXT 103
TEXT
'rasa', 'rasabhasa' yara nahika vicara
bhakti-siddhanta-sindhu nahi paya para
SYNONYMS
rasa--transcendental mellows; rasa-abhasa--overlapping of transcendental mellows; yara--of whom; nahika vicara--there is no consideration; bhakti-siddhanta-sindhu--the ocean of the conclusions of devotional service; nahi--not; paya--attains; para--the limit.
TRANSLATION
"A so-called poet who has no knowledge of transcendentaI mellows and the overlapping of transcendental mellows cannot cross the ocean of the conclusions of devotional service.
TEXTS 104-105
TEXT
'vyakarana' nahi jane, na jane 'alankara'
'natakalankara'-jnana nahika yahara
krsna-lila varnite na jane sei chara!
visese durgama ei caitanya-vihara
SYNONYMS
vyakarana--grammar; nahi jane--does not know; na jane--does not know; alankara--metaphorical ornaments; nataka-alankara--of the metaphorical ornaments of drama; jnana--knowledge; nahika--there is not; yahara--of whom; krsna-lila--the pastimes of Lord Krsna; varnite--to describe; na jane--does not know; sei--he; chara--condemned; visese--especially; durgama--very, very difficult; ei--these; caitanya-vihara--the pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TRANSLATION
"A poet who does not know the grammatical regulative principles, who is unfamiliar with metaphorical ornaments, especially those employed in drama, and who does not know how to present the pastimes of Lord Krsna is condemned. Moreover, the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are especially difficult to understand.
TEXT 106
TEXT
krsna-lila, gaura-lila se kare varnana
gaura-pada-padma yanra haya prana-dhana
SYNONYMS
krsna-lila--the pastimes of Lord Krsna; gaura-lila--the pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; se--he; kare varnana--describes; gaura-pada-padma--the lotus feet of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; yanra--whose; haya--is; prana-dhana--the life and soul.
TRANSLATION
"One who has accepted the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as his life and soul can describe the pastimes of Lord Krsna or the pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 107
TEXT
gramya-kavira kavitva sunite haya 'duhkha'
vidagdha-atmiya-vakya sunite haya 'sukha'
SYNONYMS
gramya-kavira--of a poet who writes poetry concerning man and woman; kavitva--poetry; sunite--to hear; haya--there is; duhkha--unhappiness; vidagdha-atmiya--of a devotee fully absorbed in ecstatic love; vakya--the words; sunite--to hear; haya--there is; sukha--happiness.
TRANSLATION
"Hearing the poetry of a person who has no transcendental knowledge and who writes about the relationships between man and woman simply causes unhappiness, whereas hearing the words of a devotee fully absorbed in ecstatic love causes great happiness.
PURPORT
Gramya-kavi refers to a poet or writer such as the authors of novels and other fiction who write only about the relationships between man and woman. Vidagdha-atmiya-vakya, however, refers to words written by a devotee who fully understands pure devotional service. Such devotees, who follow the parampara system, are sometimes described as sajatiyasaya-snigdha, or "pleasing to the same class of people." Only the poetry and other writings of such devotees are accepted with great happiness by devotees.
TEXT 108
TEXT
rupa yaiche dui nataka kariyache arambhe
sunite ananda bade yara mukha-bandhe"
SYNONYMS
rupa--Rupa Gosvami; yaiche--as; dui--two; nataka--dramas; kariyache arambhe--has compiled; sunite--to hear; ananda bade--transcendental happiness increases; yara--of which; mukha-bandhe--even the introductory portion.
TRANSLATION
"The standard for writing dramas has been set by Rupa Gosvami. If a devotee hears the introductory portions of his two dramas, they enhance his transcendental pleasure."
TEXT 109
TEXT
bhagavan-acarya kahe,----'suna eka-bara
tumi sunile bhala-manda janibe vicara'
SYNONYMS
bhagavan-acarya--Bhagavan Acarya; kahe--says; suna--please hear; eka-bara--once; tumi sunile--if you hear; bhala-manda--good or bad; janibe vicara--will be able to understand.
TRANSLATION
Despite the explanation of Svarupa Damodara, Bhagavan Acarya requested, "Please hear the drama once. If you hear it, you can consider whether it is good or bad."
TEXT 110
TEXT
dui tina dina acarya agraha karila
tanra agrahe svarupera sunite iccha ha-ila
SYNONYMS
dui tina dina--for two or three days; acarya--Bhagavan Acarya; agraha karila--expressed his ardent desire; tanra agrahe--by his eagerness; svarupera--of Svarupa Damodara; sunite--to hear; iccha--desire; ha-ila--there was.
TRANSLATION
For two or three days Bhagavan Acarya continually asked Svarupa Damodara Gosvami to hear the poetry. Because of his repeated requests, Svarupa Damodara Gosvami wanted to hear the poetry written by the brahmana from Bengal.
TEXT 111
TEXT
saba lana svarupa gosani sunite vasila
tabe sei kavi nandi-sloka padila
SYNONYMS
saba lana--in the company of other devotees; svarupa gosani--Svarupa Damodara Gosvami; sunite vasila--sat down to hear; tabe--thereafter; sei kavi--that poet; nandi-sloka--the introductory verse; padila--read.
TRANSLATION
Svarupa Damodara Gosvami sat down with other devotees to hear the poetry, and then the poet began to read the introductory verse.
TEXT 112
TEXT
vikaca-kamala-netre sri-jagannatha-samjne
kanaka-rucir ihatmany atmatam yah prapannah
prakrti-jadam asesam cetayann avirasit
sa disatu tava bhavyam krsna-caitanya-devah
SYNONYMS
vikaca--expanded; kamala-netre--whose lotus eyes; sri-jagannatha-samjne--named Sri Jagannatha; kanaka-rucih--possessing a golden hue; iha--here in Jagannatha Puri; atmani--in the body; atmatam--the state of being the self; yah--who; prapannah--has obtained; prakrti--matter; jadam--inert; asesam--unlimitedly; cetayan--enlivening; avirasit--has appeared; sah--He; disatu--may bestow; tava--unto you; bhavyam--auspiciousness; krsna-caitanya-devah--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, known as Krsna Caitanya.
TRANSLATION
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead has assumed a golden complexion and has become the soul of the body named Lord Jagannatha, whose blooming lotus eyes are widely expanded. Thus He has appeared in Jagannatha Puri and brought dull matter to life. May that Lord, Sri Krsna Caitanyadeva, bestow upon you all good fortune."
TEXT 113
TEXT
sloka suni' sarva-loka tahare vakhane
svarupa kahe,----'ei sloka karaha vyakhyane'
SYNONYMS
sloka suni'--hearing the verse; sarva-loka--everyone; tahare--him; vakhane--praised; svarupa kahe--Svarupa Damodara Gosvami said; ei sloka--this verse; karaha vyakhyane--kindly explain.
TRANSLATION
When everyone present heard the verse, they all commended the poet, but Svarupa Damodara Gosvami requested him, "Kindly explain this verse."
TEXT 114
TEXT
kavi kahe,----'jagannatha----sundara-sarira
caitanya-gosani----sariri maha-dhira
SYNONYMS
kavi kahe--the poet said; jagannatha--Lord Jagannatha; sundara-sarira--very beautiful body; caitanya-gosani--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sariri--possessor of the body; maha-dhira--very grave.
TRANSLATION
The poet said, "Lord Jagannatha is a most beautiful body, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is exceptionally grave, is the owner of that body.
PURPORT
Sariri refers to a person who owns the sarira, or body. As stated in Bhagavad-gita:
dehino 'smin yatha dehe
kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara-praptir
dhiras tatra na muhyati
"As the embodied soul continually 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." (Bg. 2.13) For the ordinary living being in material existence there is a division or distinction between the body and the owner of the body. In spiritual existence, however, there is no such distinction, for the body is the owner himself and the owner is the body itself. In spiritual existence, everything must be spiritual. Therefore there is no distinction between the body and its owner.
TEXT 115
TEXT
sahaje jada-jagatera cetana karaite
nilacale mahaprabhu haila avirbhute
SYNONYMS
sahaje--naturally; jada-jagatera--the dull material world; cetana karaite--to inspire to spiritual consciousness; nilacale--at Jagannatha Puri; mahaprabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; haila avirbhute--has appeared.
TRANSLATION
"Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has appeared here in Nilacala [Jagannatha Puri] to spiritualize the entire dull material world."
TEXT 116
TEXT
suniya sabara haila anandita-mana
duhkha pana svarupa kahe sakrodha vacana
SYNONYMS
suniya--hearing; sabara--of all of them; haila--there was; anandita-mana--great happiness in the mind; duhkha pana--becoming unhappy; svarupa kahe--Svarupa Damodara Gosvami began to speak; sa-krodha vacana--angry words.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this, everyone present was greatly happy. But Svarupa Damodara, who alone was very unhappy, began to speak in great anger.
TEXT 117
TEXT
"are murkha, apanara kaili sarva-nasa!
dui ta' isvare tora nahika visvasa
SYNONYMS
are murkha--O fool; apanara--of yourself; kaili--you have done; sarva-nasa--loss of all auspiciousness; dui ta' isvare--in the two controllers; tora--your; nahika visvasa--there is no faith.
TRANSLATION
"You are a fool," he said."You have brought ill fortune upon yourself, for you have no knowledge of the existence of the two Lords, Jagannathadeva and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, nor have you faith in Them.
TEXT 118
TEXT
purnananda-cit-svarupa jagannatha-raya
tanre kaili jada-nasvara-prakrta-kaya!!
SYNONYMS
purna-ananda--complete transcendental bliss; cit-svarupa--the spiritual identity; jagannatha-raya--Lord Jagannatha; tanre--Him; kaili--you have made; jada--inert; nasvara--perishable; prakrta--material; kaya--possessing a body.
TRANSLATION
"Lord Jagannatha is completely spiritual and full of transcendental bliss, but you have compared Him to a dull, destructible body composed of the inert, external energy of the Lord.
PURPORT
If one thinks that the form of Lord Jagannatha is an idol made of wood, he immediately brings ill fortune into his life. According to the direction of the Padma Purana: arcye visnau sila-dhih. ..yasya va naraki sah. Thus one who thinks that the body of Lord Jagannatha is made of matter and who distinguishes between Lord Jagannatha's body and soul is condemned, for he is an offender. A pure devotee who knows the science of Krsna consciousness makes no distinction between Lord Jagannatha and His body. He knows that they are identical, just as Lord Krsna and His soul are one and the same. When one's eyes are purified by devotional service performed on the spiritual platform, one can actually envision Lord Jagannatha and His body as being completely spiritual. The advanced devotee, therefore, does not see the worshipable Deity to have a soul within a body like an ordinary human being. There is no distinction between the body and soul of Lord Jagannatha, for Lord Jagannatha is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, just as the body of Krsna is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. There is actually no difference between Lord Jagannatha and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but the ignorant poet from Bengal applied a material distinction to the body of Lord Sri Jagannatha.
TEXT 119
TEXT
purna-sad-aisvarya caitanya----svayam bhagavan
tanre kaili ksudra jiva sphulinga-samana!!
SYNONYMS
purna--complete; sat-aisvarya--possessing six opulences; caitanya--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; svayam--Himself; bhagavan--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tanre--Him; kaili--you have made; ksudra jiva--an ordinary living entity; sphulinga-samana--exactly equal to the spark.
TRANSLATION
"You have calculated Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full in six opulences, to be on the level of an ordinary living being. Instead of knowing Him as the supreme fire, you have accepted Him as a spark."
PURPORT
In the Upanisads it is said, yathagner visphulinga vyuccaranti: the living entities are like sparks of fire, and His Lordship the Supreme Personality of Godhead is considered the original great fire. When we hear this sruti-vakya, or message from the Vedas, we should understand the distinction between the Supreme Lord Krsna and the living entities. A person under the control of the external energy, however, cannot understand that distinction. Such a person cannot understand that the Supreme Person is the original great fire, whereas the living entities are simply small fragmental parts of that Supreme Personality of Godhead. As Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (15.7):
mamaivamso jiva-loke
jiva-bhutah sanatanah
manah sasthanindriyani
prakrti-sthani karsati
"The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind."
There is a distinction between the body and soul of the materially existing living being, but because Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Jagannatha do not possess material bodies, there is no distinction between Their bodies and souls. On the spiritual platform, body and soul are identical; there is no distinction between them. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam:
etad isanam isasya
prakrti-stho 'pi tad-gunaih
na yujyate sadatma-sthair
yatha buddhis tad-asraya
"This is the divinity of the Personality of Godhead. He is not affected by the qualities of material nature, even though He is in contact with them. Similarly, the devotees who have taken shelter of the Lord cannot be influenced by the material qualities." (Bhag. 1.11.38) His Lordship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is unaffected by the influence of the three modes of material nature. Indeed, His devotees are also unpolluted by the influence of the external energy because they engage in the service of His Lordship. Even the very body of a devotee becomes spiritualized, just as an iron rod put into fire becomes as qualified as fire because it becomes red hot and will immediately burn anything it touches. Therefore the poet from Bengal committed a great offense by treating Lord Jagannatha's body and Lord Jagannatha, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as two different entities, material and spiritual, as if the Lord were an ordinary living being. The Lord is always the master of the material energy; therefore He is not doomed to be covered by the material energy like an ordinary living entity.
TEXT 120
TEXT
dui-thani aparadhe paibi durgati!
atattva-jna 'tattva' varne, tara ei riti!
SYNONYMS
dui-thani--unto both; aparadhe--by offense; paibi--you will get; durgati--hellish destination; a-tattva-jna--one who has no knowledge of the Absolute Truth; tattva varne--describes the Absolute Truth; tara--his; ei--this; riti--course.
TRANSLATION
Svarupa Damodara continued, "Because you have committed an offense to Lord Jagannatha and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, you will attain a hellish destination. You do not know how to describe the Absolute Truth, but nevertheless you have tried to do so. Therefore you must be condemned.
PURPORT
The brahmana poet from Bengal was an offender in the estimation of Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, for although the poet had no knowledge of the Absolute Truth, he had nevertheless tried to describe it. The Bengali poet was an offender to both Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Jagannatha. Because he had made a distinction between Lord Jagannatha's body and soul and because he had indicated that Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was different from Lord Jagannatha, he had committed offenses to Them both. A-tattva-jna refers to one who has no knowledge of the Absolute Truth or who worships his own body as the Supreme personality of Godhead. If an ahangrahopasaka-mayavadi, a person engaged in fruitive activities or a person interested only in sense gratification, describes the Absolute Truth, he immediately becomes an offender.
TEXT 121
TEXT
ara eka kariyacha parama 'pramada'!
deha-dehi-bheda isvare kaile 'aparadha'!
SYNONYMS
ara eka--another one; kariyacha--you have done; parama--the supreme; pramada--illusion; deha-dehi-bheda--the distinction between the body and soul; isvare--in His Lordship; kaile--you have done; aparadha--an offense.
TRANSLATION
"You are in complete illusion, for you have distinguished between the body and soul of His Lordship [Lord Jagannatha or Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu]. That is a great offense.
PURPORT
When one differentiates between the body and soul of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he immediately becomes an offender. Because the living entities in the material world are generally covered by material bodies, the body and soul of an ordinary human being cannot be identical. The Supreme Lord bestows the fruits of one's activities, for He is the Lord of the results of fruitive action. He is also the cause of all causes, and He is the master of the material energy. Therefore He is supreme. An ordinary living being, however, in his material condition, enjoys the results of his own fruitive activities and therefore falls under their influence. Even in the liberated stage of brahma-bhuta identification, he engages in rendering service to His Lordship. Thus there are distinctions between an ordinary human being and the Supreme Lord. Karmis and jnanis who ignore these distinctions are offenders against the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
An ordinary human being is prone to be subjugated by the material energy, whereas His Lordship the Supreme Personality of Godhead--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Krsna or Lord Jagannatha--is always the master of the material energy and is therefore never subject to its influence. His Lordship the Supreme Personality of Godhead has an unlimited spiritual identity, never to be broken, whereas the consciousness of the living entity is limited and fragmented. The living entities are fragmental portions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead eternally (mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah). It is not that they are covered by the material energy in conditioned life but become one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead when freed from the influence of material energy. Such an idea is offensive.
According to the considerations of Mayavadi fools, the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts a material body when He appears in the material world. A Vaisnava, however, knows perfectly well that for Krsna, Lord Jagannatha or Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu--unlike ordinary human beings--there is no distinction between the body and the soul. Even in the material world His Lordship retains His spiritual identity; therefore Lord Krsna exhibited all opulences even in His childhood body. There is no distinction between the body and soul of Krsna; whether He is in His childhood body or His youthful body, He is always identical with His body. Even though Krsna appears like an ordinary human being, He is never subjected to the rules and regulations of the material world. He is svarat, or fully independent. He can appear in the material world, but contrary to the offensive conclusion of the Mayavada school, He has no material body. In this connection one may again refer to the above-mentioned verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.11.38):
etad isanam isasya
prakrti-stho 'pi tad-gunaih
na yujyate sadatma-sthair
yatha buddhis tad-asraya
The Supreme Person has an eternal spiritual body. If one tries to distinguish between the body and soul of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he commits a great offense.
TEXT 122
TEXT
isvarera nahi kabhu deha-dehi-bheda
svarupa, deha,----cid-ananda, nahika vibheda
SYNONYMS
isvarera--of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; nahi--there is not; kabhu--at any time; deha-dehi-bheda--distinction between the body and soul; svarupa--personal identity; deha--body; cit-ananda--all made of blissful spiritual energy; nahika vibheda--there is no distinction.
TRANSLATION
"At no time is there a distinction between the body and soul of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His personal identity and His body are made of blissful spiritual energy. There is no distinction between them.
PURPORT
Lord Krsna, the son of Nanda Maharaja, is advaya-jnana; in other words, there is no distinction between His body and soul, for His existence is completely spiritual. According to the verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam beginning with the words vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam (1.2.11), the Absolute Truth is always to be understood from three angles of vision as Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan. Unlike the objects of the material world, however, the Absolute Truth is always one and always the same. Thus there is no distinction between His body and soul. His form, name, attributes and pastimes, therefore, are completely distinct from those of the material world. One should know perfectly well that there is no difference between the body and soul of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When one conceives of a distinction between His body and soul, one is immediately conditioned by material nature. Because a person in the material world makes such distinctions, he is called baddha-jiva, a conditioned soul.
TEXT 123
TEXT
"deha-dehi-vibhago 'yam
nesvare vidyate kvacit"
SYNONYMS
deha--of the body; dehi--of the embodied; vibhagah--distinction; ayam--this; na--not; isvare--in the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vidyate--exists; kvacit--at any time.
TRANSLATION
"There is no distinction between the body and soul of the Supreme Personality of Godhead at any time.'
PURPORT
This quotation, which is included in the Laghu-bhagavatamrta (1.5.342), is from the Kurma Purana.
TEXTS 124-125
TEXT
natah param parama yad bhavatah svarupam
ananda-matram avikalpam aviddha-varcah
pasyami visva-srjam ekam avisvam atman
bhutendriyatmaka-madas ta upasrito 'smi
tad va idam bhuvana-mangala mangalaya
dhyane sma no darasitam ta upasakanam
tasmai namo bhagavate 'nuvidhema tubhyam
yo 'nadrto naraka-bhagbhir asat-prasangaih
SYNONYMS
na--do not; atah param--here after; parama--O Supreme; yat--that which; bhavatah--of Your Lordship; svarupam--eternal form; ananda-matram--impersonal Brahman effulgence; avikalpam--without changes; aviddha-varcah--without deterioration of potency; pasyami--do I see; visva-srjam--creator of the cosmic manifestation; ekam--one without a second; avisvam--and yet not of matter; atman--O supreme cause; bhuta--body; indriya--senses; atmaka--on such identification; madah--pride; te--unto You; upasritah--surrendered; asmi--I am; tat--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; va--or; idam--this present form; bhuvana-mangala--they are all-auspicious for all the universes; mangalaya--for the sake of all prosperity; dhyane--in meditation; sma--as it were; nah--unto us; darasitam--manifested; te--Your; upasakanam--of the devotees; tasmai--unto Him; namah--my respectful obeisances; bhagavate--unto the Personality of Godhead; anuvidhema--I perform; tubhyam--unto You; yah--which; anadrtah--is neglected; naraka-bhagbhih--by persons destined for hell; asat-prasangaih--by material topics.
TRANSLATION
"O my Lord, I do not see a form superior to Your present form of eternal bliss and knowledge. In Your impersonal Brahman effulgence in the spiritual sky, there is no occasional change and no deterioration of internal potency. I surrender unto You because, whereas I am proud of my material body and senses, Your Lordship is the cause of the cosmic manifestation. Yet You are untouched by matter.
" 'This present form, or any transcendental form expanded by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, is equally auspicious for all the universes. Since You have manifested this eternal personal form upon whom Your devotees meditate, I therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto You. Those who are destined to be dispatched to the path of hell neglect Your personal form because of speculating on material topics.'
PURPORT
These verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.9.3-4) were spoken by Lord Brahma.
TEXT 126
TEXT
kahan 'purnanandaisvarya' krsna 'mayesvara'!
kahan'ksudra' jiva 'duhkhi', 'mayara kinkara'!
SYNONYMS
kahan--whereas; purna--full; ananda--bliss; aisvarya--opulences; krsna--Lord Krsna; maya-isvara--the master of the material energy; kahan--whereas; ksudra jiva--the little conditioned soul; duhkhi--unhappy; mayara kinkara--the servant of the material energy.
TRANSLATION
"Whereas Krsna, the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is full of transcendental bliss, possesses all six spiritual opulences in full, and is the master of the material energy, the small conditioned soul, who is always unhappy, is the servant of the material energy.
PURPORT
The living entity is an ever-conditioned servant of the material energy, whereas Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is master of the material energy. How, then, could they be on an equal level? There can be no comparison between them. His Lordship is always in a happy condition of transcendental bliss, whereas the conditioned soul is always unhappy because of his contact with the material energy. The Supreme Lord controls the material energy, and the material energy controls the conditioned souls. There is therefore no comparison between the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the ordinary living entities.
TEXT 127
TEXT
"hladinya samvidaslistah
sac-cid-ananda-isvarah
svavidya samvrto jivah
sanklesa-nikarakara"
SYNONYMS
hladinya--by the hladini potency; samvida--by the samvit potency; aslistah--surrounded; sat-cit-ananda--always transcendentally blissful; isvarah--the Supreme Controller; sva--own; avidya--by ignorance; samvrtah--surrounded; jivah--the living entity; sanklesa--of the three fold miseries; nikara--of the multitude; akara--the mine.
TRANSLATION
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Controller, is always full of transcendental bliss and is accompanied by the potencies known as hladini and samvit. The conditioned soul, however, is always covered by ignorance and embarassed by the threefold miseries of life. Thus he is a treasure house of all kinds of tribulations."
PURPORT
This verse is found in Sridhara Svami's Bhavartha-dipika (1.7.6), wherein he quotes Sri Visnusvami.
TEXT 128
TEXT
suni' sabha-sadera citte haila camatkara
'satya kahe gosani, dunhara kariyache tiraskara'
SYNONYMS
suni'--hearing; sabha-sadera--of all the members of the assembly; citte--in the minds; haila--there was; camatkara--wonder; satya--the truth; kahe--said; gosani--Svarupa Damodara Gosvami; dunhara--of both; kariyache--has done; tiraskara--offense.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this explanation, all the members of the assembly were struck with wonder. "Svarupa Damodara Gosvami has spoken the real truth," they admitted. "The brahmana from Bengal has committed an offense by wrongly describing Lord Jagannatha and Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu."
TEXT 129
TEXT
suniya kavira haila lajja, bhaya, vismaya
hamsa-madhye baka yaiche kichu nahi kaya
SYNONYMS
suniya--hearing; kavira--of the poet; haila--there was; lajja--shame; bhaya--fear; vismaya--astonishment; hamsa-madhye--in a society of white swans; baka--a duck; yaiche--just as; kichu--anything; nahi--not; kaya--utters.
TRANSLATION
When the Bengali poet heard this chastisement from Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, he was ashamed, fearfuI and astonished. Indeed, being like a duck in a society of white swans, he could not say anything.
TEXT 130
TEXT
tara duhkha dekhi, svarupa sadaya-hrdaya
upadesa kaila tare yaiche 'hita' haya
SYNONYMS
tara--his; duhkha dekhi--observing the unhappiness; svarupa--Svarupa Damodara Gosvami; sadaya-hrdaya--very kindhearted; upadesa kaila--gave instruction; tare--unto him; yaiche--so that; hita--benefit; haya--there can be.
TRANSLATION
Seeing the poet's unhappiness, Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, who was naturally very kindhearted, advised him so that he could derive some benefit.
TEXT 131
TEXT
"yaha, bhagavata pada vaisnavera sthane
ekanta asraya kara caitanya-carane
SYNONYMS
yaha--just go; bhagavata pada--read Srimad-Bhagavatam; vaisnavera sthane--from a self-realized Vaisnava; ekanta asraya kara--fully surrender; caitanya-carane--at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TRANSLATION
"If you want to understand Srimad-Bhagavatam," he said, "you must approach a self-realized Vaisnava and hear from him. You can do this when you have completely taken shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu."
PURPORT
Herein Svarupa Damodara Gosvami instructs the poet from Bengal to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam from a pure Vaisnava and learn from him. In India especially, there is now a class of professional Bhagavatam readers whose means of livelihood is to go from village to village, town to town, reading Bhagavatam and collecting daksina, or rewards, in the form of money or goods, like umbrellas, cloth and fruit. Thus there is now a system of Bhagavata business, with recitations called Bhagavata-saptaha that continue for one week, although this is not mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Nowhere does Srimad-Bhagavatam say that the Bhagavatam should be heard for one week from professionals. Rather, Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.17) says: srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah. One should regularly hear Srimad-Bhagavatam from a self-realized Vaisnava. By such hearing, one becomes pious. Hrdy antahstho hy abhadrani vidhunoti suhrt-satam. As one thus hears the Bhagavatam regularly and sincerely, his heart is purified of all material contamination.
nasta-prayesv abhadresu
nityam bhagavata-sevaya
bhagavaty uttama-sloke
bhaktir bhavati naisthiki
"As one regularly hears the Bhagavatam or renders service unto the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is practically destroyed, and loving service unto the glorious Lord, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact." (Bhag. 1.2.18)
This is the proper process, but people are accustomed to being misled by professional Bhagavatam reciters. Therefore Svarupa Damodara Gosvami herein advises that one should not hear Srimad-Bhagavatam from professional reciters. Instead, one must hear and learn the Bhagavatam from a self-realized Vaisnava. Sometimes it is seen that when a Mayavadi sannyasi reads the Bhagavatam, flocks of men go to hear jugglery of words that cannot awaken their dormant love for Krsna. Sometimes people go to see professional dramas and offer food and money to the players, who are expert at collecting these offerings very nicely. The result is that the members of the audience remain in the same position of grham andha-kupam, family affection, and do not awaken their love for Krsna.
In the Bhagavatam (7.5.30), it is said, matir na krsne paratah svato va mitho 'bhipadyeta grha-vratanam: the grhavratas, those who are determined to continue following the materialistic way of life, will never awaken their dormant love of Krsna, fur they hear the Bhagavatam only to solidify their position in household life and to be happy in family affairs and sex. Condemning this process of hearing the Bhagavatam from professionals, Svarupa Damodara Gosvami says, yaha, bhagavata pada vaisnavera sthane: "To understand the Srimad-Bhagavatam, you must approach a self-realized Vaisnava." One should rigidly avoid hearing the Bhagavatam from a Mayavadi or other nondevotee who simply performs a grammatical jugglery of words to twist some meaning from the text, collect money from the innocent public, and thus keep people in darkness.
Svarupa Damodara Gosvami strictly prohibits the behavior of the materialistic so-called hearers of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Instead of awakening real love for Krsna, such hearers of the Bhagavatam become more and more attached to household affairs and sex life (yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham). One should hear Srimad-Bhagavatam from a person who has no connection with material activities, or, in other words, from a paramahamsa Vaisnava, one who has achieved the highest stage of sannyasa. This, of course, is not possible unless one takes shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Srimad-Bhagavatam is understandable only for one who can follow in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 132
TEXT
caitanyera bhakta-ganera nitya kara 'sanga'
tabeta janiba siddhanta-samudra-taranga
SYNONYMS
caitanyera--of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; bhakta-ganera--of the devotees; nitya--regularly; kara--do; sanga--association; tabeta--then only; janiba--you will understand; siddhanta-samudra-taranga--the waves of the ocean of devotional service.
TRANSLATION
Svarupa Damodara continued, "Associate regularly with the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, for then only will you understand the waves of the ocean of devotional service.
PURPORT
It is clearly to be understood in this connection that the followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's way of devotional service are eternally associates of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and perfect knowers of the Absolute Truth. If one immediately follows the principles of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by associating with His devotees, lusty desires for material enjoyment will vanish from one's heart. Then one will be able to understand the meaning of Srimad-Bhagavatam and the purpose of listening to it. Otherwise such understanding is impossible.
TEXT 133
TEXT
tabeta panditya tomara ha-ibe saphala
krsnera svarupa-lila varniba nirmala
SYNONYMS
tabeta--then only; panditya--learning; tomara--your; ha-ibe--will become; sa-phala--successful; krsnera--of Lord Krsna; svarupa-lila--the transcendental pastimes; varniba--you will describe; nirmala--without material contamination.
TRANSLATION
"Only if you follow the principles of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His devotees will your learning be successful. Then you will be able to write about the transcendental pastimes of Krsna without material contamination.
TEXT 134
TEXT
ei sloka kariyacha pana santosa
tomara hrdayera arthe dunhaya lage 'dosa'
SYNONYMS
ei sloka--this verse; kariyacha--you have composed; pana santosa--getting satisfaction; tomara hrdayera--of your heart; arthe--by the meaning; dunhaya--to both; lage dosa--there is an offense.
TRANSLATION
"You have composed this introductory verse to your great satisfaction, but the meaning you have expressed is contaminated by offenses to both Lord Jagannatha and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 135
TEXT
tumi yaiche-taiche kaha, na janiya riti
sarasvati sei-sabde kariyache stuti
SYNONYMS
tumi--you; yaiche-taiche--somehow or other; kaha--speak; na janiya riti--not knowing the regulative principles; sarasvati--the goddess of learning; sei-sabde--in those words; kariyache stuti--has made prayers.
TRANSLATION
"You have written something irregular, not knowing the regulative principles, but the goddess of learning, Sarasvati, has used your words to offer her prayers to the Supreme Lord.
PURPORT
Svarupa Damodara Gosvami informed the Bengali poet, "Because of your ignorance and your leaning toward Mayavada philosophy, you cannot distinguish the difference between the Mayavada and Vaisnava philosophies. Therefore the process you have adopted to praise Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Jagannatha does not follow the proper system; indeed, it is irregular and offensive. Fortunately, however, through your words, the goddess of learning, mother Sarasvati, has tactfully offered her prayers to her master, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu."
TEXT 136
TEXT
yaiche indra, daityadi kare krsnera bhartsana
sei-sabde sarasvati karena stavana
SYNONYMS
yaiche--just like; indra--Lord Indra, the King of heaven; daitya--demons; adi--and others; kare--do; krsnera bhartsana--chastisement to Krsna; sei-sabde--by those words; sarasvati--the goddess of learning; karena stavana--offers prayers.
TRANSLATION
"Sometimes demons, and even Lord Indra, the King of heaven, chastised Krsna, but mother Sarasvati, taking advantage of their words, offered prayers to the Lord.
TEXT 137
TEXT
vacalam balisam stabdham
ajnam pandita-maninam
krsnam martyam upasritya
gopa me cakrur apriyam
SYNONYMS
vacalam--talkative; balisam--childish; stabdham--impudent; ajnam--foolish; pandita-maninam--thinking Himself a very learned scholar; krsnam--Krsna; martyam--an ordinary mortal human being; upasritya--taking shelter of; gopah--the cowherd men; me--unto me; cakruh--committed; apriyam--that which is not very much appreciated.
TRANSLATION
"[Lord Indra said:] 'This Krsna, who is an ordinary human being, is talkative, childish, impudent and ignorant, although He thinks Himself very learned. The cowherd men in Vrndavana have offended me by accepting Him. This has not been greatly appreciated by me.'
PURPORT
This verse is from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.25.5).
TEXT 138
TEXT
aisvarya-made matta indra,----yena matoyala
buddhi-nasa haila, kevala nahika sambhala
SYNONYMS
aisvarya-made--being proud of his opulence; matta--maddened; indra--the King of heaven; yena--as if; matoyala--a mad person; buddhi-nasa--bereft of intelligence; haila--became; kevala--only; nahika--there is not; sambhala--caution.
TRANSLATION
"Indra, the King of heaven, being too proud of his heavenly opulences, became like a madman. Thus bereft of his intelligence, he could not restrain himself from speaking nonsensically about Krsna.
TEXT 139
TEXT
indra bale,----"muni krsnera kariyachi nindana"
tara-i mukhe sarasvati karena stavana
SYNONYMS
indra bale--Indra says; muni--I; krsnera--of Lord Krsna; kariyachi--have done; nindana--chastisement and defamation; tara-i mukhe--from his mouth; sarasvati--mother Sarasvati, the goddess of learning; karena stavana--offers prayers.
TRANSLATION
"Thus Indra thought, 'I have properly chastised Krsna and defamed Him.' But Sarasvati, the goddess of learning, took this opportunity to offer prayers to Krsna.
TEXT 140
TEXT
'vacala kahiye----'veda-pravartaka' dhanya
'balisa'----tathapi 'sisu-praya' garva-sunya
SYNONYMS
vacala--talkative; kahiye--I say; veda-pravartaka--one who can speak with the authority of the Vedas; dhanya--glorious; balisa--childish; tathapi--still; sisu-praya--like a child; garva-sunya--without pride.
TRANSLATION
"The word 'vacala' is used to refer to a person who can speak according to Vedic authority, and the word 'balisa' means 'innocent.' Krsna spoke the Vedic knowledge, yet He always presents Himself as a prideless, innocent boy.
TEXT 141
TEXT
vandyabhave 'anamra'----'stabdha'-sabde kaya
yaha haite anya 'vijna' nahi----se 'ajna' haya
SYNONYMS
vandya-abhave--because there is no one else to be offered obeisances; anamra--the one who does not offer obeisances; stabdha-sadbe--by the word stabdha ("impudent"); kaya--says; yaha haite--than whom; anya--other,; vijna--learned scholar; nahi--is not; se--He; ajna--one by whom nothing is unknown; haya--is.
TRANSLATION
"When there is no one else to receive obeisances, one may be called 'anamra,' or one who offers obeisances to no one. This is the meaning of the word 'stabdha.' And because no one is found to be more learned than Krsna, He may be called 'ajna,' indicating that nothing is unknown to Him.
TEXT 142
TEXT
'panditera manya-patra----haya 'pandita-mani'
tathapi bhakta-vatsalye 'manusya' abhimani
SYNONYMS
panditera--of learned scholars; manya-patra--worshipable object; haya--is; pandita-mani--a person honored by the learned scholars; tathapi--still; bhakta-vatsalye--because of being very affectionate to the devotees; manusya abhimani--presents Himself as an ordinary human being.
TRANSLATION
"The word 'pandita-mani' can be used to indicate that Krsna is honored even by learned scholars. Nevertheless, because of affection for His devotees, Krsna appears like an ordinary human being and may therefore be called 'martya.'
TEXT 143
TEXT
jarasandha kahe,----"krsna----purusa-adhama
tora sange na yujhimu, "yahi bandhu-han"
SYNONYMS
jarasandha kahe--Jarasandha says; krsna--Krsna; purusa-adhama--the lowest of human beings; tora sange--with You; na yujhimu--I shall not fight; yahi--because; bandhu-han--killer of Your own relatives.
TRANSLATION
"The demon Jarasandha chastised Krsna, saying, 'You are the lowest of human beings. I shall not fight with You, for You killed Your own relatives.'
PURPORT
In this verse also, mother Sarasvati offers prayers to Krsna. The word purusa-adhama refers to the Personality of Godhead, under whom all other persons remain, or, in other words, purusa-uttama, the best of all living beings. Similarly, the word bandhu-han means "the killer of maya." In the conditioned state of life, one is closely related with maya as a friend, but when one comes in contact with Krsna one is freed from that relationship.
TEXT 144
TEXT
yaha haite anya purusa-sakala----'adhama'
sei haya 'purusadhama'----sarasvatira mana
SYNONYMS
yaha haite--from whom; anya--other; purusa--persons; sakala--all; adhama--subordinate; sei--he; haya--is; purusa-adhama--the person under whom all others remain; sarasvatira mana--the explanation of mother Sarasvati.
TRANSLATION
"Mother Sarasvati takes 'purusadhama' to mean 'purusottama,' He to whom all men are subordinate.
TEXT 145
TEXT
'bandhe sabare'----tate avidya 'bandhu' haya
'avidya-nasaka'----'bandhu-han'-sabde kaya
SYNONYMS
bandhe--binds; sabare--everyone; tate--therefore; avidya--nescience, or maya; bandhu--binder or relative; haya--is; avidya-nasaka--vanquisher of maya; bandhu-han-sabde--by the word "bandhu-han"; kaya--mother Sarasvati says.
TRANSLATION
"Nescience, or maya, may be called 'bandhu' because she entangles everyone in the material world. Therefore by using the word 'bandhu-han,' mother Sarasvati says that Lord Krsna is the vanquisher of maya.
PURPORT
Everyone is entangled in the illusory energy, but as stated in Bhagavad-gita, mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te: as soon as one surrenders to Krsna, he is freed from maya. Therefore Krsna may be called bandhu-han, the killer of maya.
TEXT 146
TEXT
ei-mata sisupala karila nindana
sei-vakye sarasvati karena stavana
SYNONYMS
ei-mata--in this way; sisu-pala--of the name Sisupala; karila nindana--blasphemed; sei-vakye--by those words; sarasvati--the goddess of learning; karena stavana--offers prayers.
TRANSLATION
"Sisupala also blasphemed Krsna in this way, but the goddess of learning, Sarasvati, offered her prayers to Krsna even by his words.
TEXT 147
TEXT
taiche ei sloke tomara arthe 'ninda' aise
sarasvatira artha suna, yate 'stuti' bhase
SYNONYMS
taiche--in that way; ei sloke--in this verse; tomara--your; arthe--by the meaning; ninda--blasphemy; aise--comes; sarasvatira artha--the meaning of mother Sarasvati; suna--hear; yate--by which; stuti--prayers; bhase--appear.
TRANSLATION
"In that way, although your verse is blasphemous according to your meaning, mother Sarasvati has taken advantage of it to offer prayers to the Lord.
TEXT 148
TEXT
jagannatha hana krsnera 'atma-svarupa'
kintu ihan daru-brahma----sthavara-svarupa
SYNONYMS
jagannatha--Lord Jagannatha; hana--is; krsnera atma-svarupa--identical with Krsna; kintu--but; ihan--here, at Jagannatha Puri; daru-brahma--the Absolute appearing as wood; sthavara-svarupa--nonmoving identity.
TRANSLATION
"There is no difference between Lord Jagannatha and Krsna, but here Lord Jagannatha is fixed as the Absolute Person appearing in wood. Therefore He does not move.
TEXT 149
TEXT
tanha-saha atmata eka-rupa hana
krsna eka-tattva-rupa----dui rupa hana
SYNONYMS
tanha-saha--with Him; atmata--the quality of being the self; eka-rupa hana--being one form; krsna--Lord Krsna; eka-tattva-rupa--one principle; dui--two; rupa--forms; hana--becoming.
TRANSLATION
"Thus Lord Jagannatha and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, although appearing as two, are one because They are both Krsna, who is one alone.
TEXT 150
TEXT
samsara-tarana-hetu yei iccha-sakti
tahara milana kari' ekata yaiche prapti
SYNONYMS
samsara-tarana-hetu--for delivering the entire world; yei--that; iccha-sakti--the potency of will; tahara--of that will; milana kari'--by the meeting; ekata--oneness; yaiche--so that; prapti--obtainment.
TRANSLATION
"The supreme desire to deliver the entire world meets in both of Them, and for that reason also They are one and the same.
TEXT 151
TEXT
sakala samsari lokera karite uddhara
gaura-jangama-rupe kaila avatara
SYNONYMS
sakala--all; samsari--materially contaminated; lokera--persons; karite uddhara--to deliver; gaura--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; jangama--moving; rupe--in the form; kaila avatara--has descended.
TRANSLATION
"To deliver all the materially contaminated people of the world, that same Krsna has descended, moving as Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 152
TEXT
jagannathera darsane khandaya samsara
saba-desera saba-loka nare asibara
SYNONYMS
jagannathera--of Lord Jagannatha; darsane--by visiting; khandaya samsara--one is freed from material existence; saba-desera--of all countries; saba-loka--all men; nare asibara--cannot come.
TRANSLATION
"By visiting Lord Jagannatha one is freed from material existence, but not all men of all countries can come or be admitted here in Jagannatha Puri.
TEXT 153
TEXT
sri-krsna-caitanya-prabhu dese dese yana
saba-loke nistarila jangama-brahma hana
SYNONYMS
sri-krsna-caitanya-prabhu--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; dese dese yana--moving from one country to another; saba-loke nistarila--delivered all conditioned souls; jangama-brahma--moving Brahman; hana--being.
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, however, moves from one country to another, personally or by His representative. Thus He, as the moving Brahman, delivers all the people of the world.
TEXT 154
TEXT
sarasvatira artha ei kahilun vivarana
eho bhagya tomara aiche karile varnana
SYNONYMS
sarasvatira--of Sarasvati; artha--meaning; ei--this; kahilun vivarana--I have explained; eho--this; bhagya--great fortune; tomara aiche--in such a way; karile varnana--you have described.
TRANSLATION
"Thus I have explained the meaning intended by mother Sarasvati, the goddess of learning. It is your great fortune that you have described Lord Jagannatha and Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in that way.
TEXT 155
TEXT
krsne gali dite kare nama uccarana
sei nama haya tara 'muktira' karana"
SYNONYMS
krsne--Lord Krsna; gali dite--to blaspheme or chastise; kare nama uccarana--chants the name of Krsna; sei nama--that holy name; haya--becomes; tara--his; muktira karana--the cause of liberation.
TRANSLATION
"Sometimes it so happens that one who wants to chastise Krsna utters the holy name, and thus the holy name becomes the cause of his liberation."
TEXT 156
TEXT
tabe sei kavi sabara carane padiya
sabara sarana laila dante trna lana
SYNONYMS
tabe--thereupon; sei--that; kavi--poet; sabara--of all; carane--at the feet; padiya--falling down; sabara--of all the devotees; sarana laila--took shelter; dante--in the mouth; trna lana--taking a straw.
TRANSLATION
Upon hearing this proper explanation by Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, the Bengali poet fell down at the feet of all the devotees and took shelter of them with a straw in his mouth.
TEXT 157
TEXT
tabe saba bhakta tare angikara kaila
tara guna kahi' mahaprabhure milaila
SYNONYMS
tabe--thereupon; saba bhakta--all the devotees; tare--him; angikara kaila--accepted as one of the associates; tara guna kahi'--explaining his humble behavior; mahaprabhure milaila--introduced him to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TRANSLATION
Thereupon all the devotees accepted his association. Explaining his humble behavior, they introduced him to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 158
TEXT
sei kavi sarva tyaji' rahila nilacale
gaura-bhakta-ganera krpa ke kahite pare?
SYNONYMS
sei kavi--that poet; sarva tyaji'--giving up all nonsensical activities; rahila--remained; nilacale--at Jagannatha Puri; gaura-bhakta-ganera--of the devotees of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; krpa--the mercy; ke--who; kahite pare--can explain.
TRANSLATION
By the mercy of the devotees of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that poet from Bengal gave up all other activities and stayed with them at Jagannatha Puri. Who can explain the mercy of the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu?
TEXT 159
TEXT
ei ta' kahilun pradyumna-misra-vivarana
prabhura ajnaya kaila krsna-kathara sravana
SYNONYMS
ei ta' kahilun--thus I have described; pradyumna-misra-vivarana--the descriptive narration of Pradyumna Misra; prabhura ajnaya--on the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kaila--did; krsna-kathara sravana--listening to discourses on topics concerning Krsna.
TRANSLATION
I have thus described the narration concerning Pradyumna Misra and how, following the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he listened to discourses about Krsna spoken by Ramananda Raya.
TEXT 160
TEXT
tara madhye kahilun ramanandera mahima
apane sri-mukhe prabhu varne yanra sima
SYNONYMS
tara madhye--within these statements; kahilun--I have explained; ramanandera mahima--the glories of Ramananda Raya; apane--personally; sri-mukhe--from his mouth; prabhu--the Lord; varne--explains; yanra--of whom; sima--the limit of ecstatic love.
TRANSLATION
Within the narration I have explained the glorious characteristics of Sri Ramananda Raya, through whom Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally described the limits of ecstatic love for Krsna.
TEXT 161
TEXT
prastave kahilun kavira nataka-vivarana
ajna hana sraddhaya paila prabhura carana
SYNONYMS
prastave--by the way; kahilun--I have explained; kavira--of the poet; nataka-vivarana--description of the drama; ajna hana--although being ignorant; sraddhaya--with faith and love; paila--got; prabhura carana--the shelter of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TRANSLATION
In the course of the narration, I have also told about the drama by the poet from Bengal. Although he was ignorant, because of his faith and humility he nevertheless obtained the shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 162
TEXT
sri-krsna-caitanya-lila----amrtera sara
eka-lila-pravahe vahe sata-sata dhara
SYNONYMS
sri-krsna-caitanya-lila--the pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; amrtera sara--the essence of nectar; eka-lila--of one pastime; pravahe--by the stream; vahe--flow; sata-sata dhara--hundreds and hundreds of branches.
TRANSLATION
The pastimes of Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu are the essence of nectar. From the stream of one of His pastimes flow hundreds and thousands of branches.
TEXT 163
TEXT
sraddha kari' ei lila yei pade, sune
gaura-lila, bhakti-bhakta-rasa-tattva jane
SYNONYMS
sraddha kari'--with faith and love; ei lila--these pastimes; yei--anyone who; pade, sune--reads and hears; gaura-lila--the pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; bhakti-bhakta-rasa-tattva--the truth about devotional service, devotees and their transcendental mellows; jane--understands.
TRANSLATION
Anyone who reads and hears these pastimes with faith and love can understand the truth about devotional service, devotees and the transcendental mellows of the pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 164
TEXT
sri-rupa-raghunatha-pade yara asa
caitanya-caritamrta kahe krsnadasa
SYNONYMS
sri-rupa--Srila Rupa Gosvami; raghunatha--Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami; pade--at the lotus feet; yara--whose; asa--expectation; caitanya-caritamrta--the book named Caitanya-caritamrta; kahe--describes; krsnadasa--Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami.
TRANSLATION
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.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, Fifth Chapter, describing how Pradyumna Misra received instructions from Ramananda Raya.