New Age of Activism.com Presents : CAITANYA CARITAMRTA: ADI LILA CHAPTER 10: The Trunk, Branches and Subbranches of the Caitanya Tree

 This chapter describes the branches of the tree named Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 1

śrī-caitanya-padāmbhoja-

madhupebhyo namo namaḥ

kathañcid āśrayād yeṣāṁ

śvāpi tad-gandha-bhāg bhavet

SYNONYMS

śrī-caitanya-Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; pada-ambhoja-the lotus feet; madhu-honey; pebhyaḥ-unto those who drink; namaḥ-respectful obeisances; namaḥ-respectful obeisances; kathañcit-a little of it; āśrayāt-taking shelter of; yeṣām-of whom; śvā-dog; api-also; tat-gandha-the aroma of the lotus flower; bhāk-shareholder; bhavet-may become.

TRANSLATION

Let me repeatedly offer my respectful obeisances unto the beelike devotees who always taste the honey of the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. If even a doggish nondevotee somehow takes shelter of such devotees, he enjoys the aroma of the lotus flower.

PURPORT

The example of a dog is very significant in this connection. A dog naturally does not become a devotee at any time, but still it is sometimes found that a dog of a devotee gradually becomes a devotee also. We have actually seen that a dog has no respect even for the tulasī plant. Indeed, a dog is especially inclined to pass urine on the tulasī plant. Therefore the dog is the number one nondevotee. But Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtana movement is so strong that even a doglike nondevotee can gradually become a devotee by the association of a devotee of Lord Caitanya. Śrīla Śivānanda Sena, a great householder devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, attracted a dog on the street while going to Jagannātha Purī. The dog began to follow him and ultimately went to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu and was liberated. Similarly, cats and dogs in the household of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura were also liberated. Cats and dogs and other animals are not expected to become devotees, but in the association of a pure devotee they are also delivered.

TEXT 2

jaya jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nityānanda

jayādvaitacandra jaya gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

SYNONYMS

jaya jaya-all glories; śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu; nityānanda-Lord Nityānanda; jaya advaita-candra-all glories to Advaita Prabhu; jaya-all glories; gaura-bhakta-vṛnda-to the devotees of Lord Caitanya, headed by Śrīvāsa.

TRANSLATION

All glories to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Nityānanda! All glories to Advaita Prabhu, and all glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya, headed by Śrīvāsa!

TEXT 3

ei mālīra–ei vṛkṣera akathya kathana

ebe śuna mukhya-śākhāra nāma-vivaraṇa

SYNONYMS

ei mālīra-of this gardener; ei vṛkṣera-of this tree; akathya kathana-inconceivable description; ebe-now; śuna-hear; mukhya-chief; śākhāra-branches; nāma-of the names; vivaraṇa-description.

TRANSLATION

The description of Lord Caitanya as the gardener and the tree is inconceivable. Now hear with attention about the branches of this tree.

TEXT 4

caitanya-gosāñira yata pāriṣada-caya

guru-laghu-bhāva tāṅra nā haya niścaya

SYNONYMS

caitanya-Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; gosāñira-of the supreme spiritual master; yata-all; pāriṣada-caya-groups of associates; guru-laghu-bhāva-conceptions of high and low; tāṅra-of them; nā-never; haya-become; niścaya-ascertained.

TRANSLATION

The associates of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu were many, but none of them should be considered lower or higher. This cannot be ascertained.

TEXT 5

yata yata mahānta kailā tāṅ-sabāra gaṇana

keha karibāre nāre jyeṣṭha-laghu-krama

SYNONYMS

yata yata-as many as there are; mahānta-great devotees; kailā-made; tāṅ-sabāra-of all of them; gaṇana-counting; keha-all of them; karibāre nāre-can not do; jyeṣṭha-elder; laghu-younger; krama-chronology.

TRANSLATION

All the great personalities in the line of Lord Caitanya enumerated these devotees, but they could not distinguish between the greater and the lesser.

TEXT 6

ataeva tāṅ-sabāre kari’ namaskāra

nāma-mātra kari, doṣa nā labe āmāra

SYNONYMS

ataeva-therefore; tāṅ-sabāre-to all of them; kari’-doing; namaskāra-offer my obeisances; nāma-mātra-that is also a token; kari-I do; doṣa-fault; nā-do not; labe-take; āmāra-of me.

TRANSLATION

I offer my obeisances unto them as a token of respect. I request them not to consider my offenses.

TEXT 7

vande śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-

premāmara-taroḥ priyān

śākhā-rūpān bhakta-gaṇān

kṛṣṇa-prema-phala-pradān

SYNONYMS

vande-I offer my obeisances; śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-to Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; prema-amara-taroḥ-of the eternal tree full of love of Godhead; priyān-those who are devotees; śākhā-rūpān-represented as branches; bhakta-gaṇān-all the devotees; kṛṣṇa-prema-of love of Kṛṣṇa; phala-of the fruit; pradān-the givers.

TRANSLATION

I offer my obeisances to all the dear devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the eternal tree of love of Godhead. I offer my respects to all the branches of the tree, the devotees of the Lord who distribute the fruit of love of Kṛṣṇa.

PURPORT

Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī sets the example of offering obeisances to all the preacher devotees of Lord Caitanya, without distinction as to higher and lower. Unfortunately, at present there are many foolish so-called devotees of Lord Caitanya who make such distinctions. For example, the title Prabhupāda is offered to a spiritual master, especially to a distinguished spiritual master such as Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī Prabhupāda or Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda. When our disciples similarly wanted to address their spiritual master as Prabhupāda, some foolish people became envious. Not considering the propaganda work of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, simply because these disciples addressed their spiritual master as Prabhupāda they became so envious that they formed a faction along with other such envious persons just to minimize the value of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. To chastise such fools, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī very frankly says, keha karibāre nāre jyeṣṭha-laghu-krama. Anyone who is a bona fide preacher of the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu must be respectful to the real devotees of Lord Caitanya; one should not be envious, considering one preacher to be very great and another to be very lowly. This is a material distinction and has no place on the platform of spiritual activities. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī therefore offers equal respect to all the preachers of the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who are compared to the branches of the tree. ISKCON is one of these branches, and it should therefore be respected by all sincere devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 8

śrīvāsa paṇḍita, āra śrī-rāma paṇḍita

dui bhāi–dui śākhā, jagate vidita

SYNONYMS

śrīvāsa paṇḍita-of the name Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita; āra-and; śrī-rāma paṇḍita-of the name Śrī Rāma Paṇḍita; dui bhāi-two brothers; dui śākhā-two branches; jagate-in the world; vidita-well known.

TRANSLATION

The two brothers Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita and Śrī Rāma Paṇḍita started two branches that are well known in the world.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 90, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita (Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura) is described as an incarnation of Nārada Muni, and Śrī Rāma Paṇḍita, his younger brother, is said to be an incarnation of Parvata Muni, a great friend of Nārada’s. Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s wife, Mālinī, is celebrated as an incarnation of the nurse Ambikā, who fed Lord Kṛṣṇa with her breast milk, and as already noted, his niece Nārāyaṇī, the mother of Ṭhākura Vṛndāvana dāsa, the author of Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, was the sister of Ambikā in kṛṣṇa-līlā. We also understand from the description of Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata that after Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s acceptance of the sannyāsa order, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita left Navadvīpa, possibly because of feelings of separation, and domiciled at Kumārahaṭṭa.

TEXT 9

śrīpati, śrīnidhi–tāṅra dui sahodara

cāri bhāira dāsa-dāsī, gṛha-parikara

SYNONYMS

śrīpati-of the name Śrīpati; śrīnidhi-of the name Śrīnidhi; tāṅra-their; dui-two; sahodara-own brothers; cāri-four; bhāira-brothers; dāsa-dāsī-family members, manservants and maidservants; gṛha-parikara-all counted in one family.

TRANSLATION

Their two brothers were named Śrīpati and Śrīnidhi. These four brothers and their servants and maidservants are considered one big branch.

TEXT 10

dui śākhāra upaśākhāya tāṅ-sabāra gaṇana

yāṅra gṛhe mahāprabhura sadā saṅkīrtana

SYNONYMS

dui śākhāra-of the two branches; upaśākhāya-on the subbranches; tāṅ-sabāra-of all of them; gaṇana-counting; yāṅra gṛhe-in whose house; mahāprabhura-of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; sadā-always; saṅkīrtana-congregational chanting.

TRANSLATION

There is no counting the subbranches of these two branches. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu held congregational chanting daily at the house of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita.

TEXT 11

cāri bhāi sa-vaṁśe kare caitanyera sevā

gauracandra vinā nāhi jāne devī-devā

SYNONYMS

cāri bhāi-four brothers; sa-vaṁśe-with all family members; kare-do; caitanyera-of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; sevā-service; gauracandra-Gaurasundara (Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu); vinā-except; nāhi jāne-they do not know; devī-goddess; devā-or god.

TRANSLATION

These four brothers and their family members fully engaged in the service of Lord Caitanya. They knew no other god or goddess.

PURPORT

Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has said, anya-devāśraya nāi, tomāre kahinu bhāi, ei bhakti parama-kāraṇa: if one wants to become a pure, staunch devotee, one should not take shelter of any of the demigods or -goddesses. Foolish Māyāvādīs say that worshiping demigods is as good as worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but that is not a fact. This philosophy misleads people to atheism. One who has no idea what God actually is thinks that any form he imagines or any rascal he accepts can be God. This acceptance of cheap gods or incarnations of God is actually atheism. It is to be concluded, therefore, that those who worship demigods or self-proclaimed incarnations of God are all atheists. They have lost their knowledge, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.20): kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante ‘nya-devatāḥ. “Those whose minds are distorted by material desires surrender unto demigods.” Unfortunately, those who do not cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness and do not properly understand the Vedic knowledge accept any rascal to be an incarnation of God, and they are of the opinion that one can become an incarnation simply by worshiping a demigod. This philosophical hodge-podge exists under the name of the Hindu religion, but the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement does not approve of it. Indeed, we strongly condemn it. Such worship of demigods and so-called incarnations of God should never be confused with the pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

TEXT 12

‘ācāryaratna’ nāma dhare baḍa eka śākhā

tāṅra parikara, tāṅra śākhā-upaśākhā

SYNONYMS

ācāryaratna-of the name Ācāryaratna; nāma-name; dhare-he accepts; baḍa-big; eka-one; śākhā-branch; tāṅra-his; parikara-associates; tāṅra-his; śākhā-branch; upaśākhā-subbranches.

TRANSLATION

Another big branch was Ācāryaratna, and his associates were subbranches.

TEXT 13

ācāryaratnera nāma ‘śrī-candraśekhara’–

yāṅra ghare devī-bhāve nācilā īśvara

SYNONYMS

ācāryaratnera-of Ācāryaratna; nāma-name; śrī-candraśekhara-of the name Śrī Candraśekhara; yāṅra-of whom; ghare-in the home; devī-bhāve-as the goddess; nācilā-danced; īśvara-Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TRANSLATION

Ācāryaratna was also named Śrī Candraśekhara Ācārya. In a drama in his house, Lord Caitanya played the goddess of fortune.

PURPORT

Dramatic performances were also enacted during the presence of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but the players who took part in such dramas were all pure devotees; no outsiders were allowed. The members of ISKCON should follow this example. Whenever they stage dramatic performances about the lives of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu or Lord Kṛṣṇa, the players must be pure devotees. Professional players and dramatic actors have no sense of devotional service, and therefore although they can perform very artistically, there is no life in such performances. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura used to refer to such an actor as yātrā-dale nārada, which means “farcical Nārada.” Sometimes an actor in a drama plays the part of Nārada Muni, although in his private life he is not at all like Nārada Muni because he is not a devotee. Such actors are not needed in dramatic performances about the lives of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to perform dramas with Advaita Prabhu, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and other devotees in the house of Candraśekhara. The place where Candraśekhara’s house was situated is now known as Vrajapattana. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura established a branch of his Śrī Caitanya Maṭha at this place. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu decided to accept the renounced order of life, Candraśekhara Ācārya was informed of this by Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, and therefore he was also present when Lord Caitanya accepted sannyāsa from Keśava Bhāratī in Katwa. It is he who first spread the word in Navadvīpa of Lord Caitanya’s accepting sannyāsa. Śrī Candraśekhara Ācārya was present during many important incidents in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He therefore forms the second branch of the tree of Lord Caitanya.

TEXT 14

puṇḍarīka vidyānidhi–baḍa-śākhā jāni

yāṅra nāma lañā prabhu kāndilā āpani

SYNONYMS

puṇḍarīka vidyānidhi-of the name Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi; baḍa-śākhā-another big branch; jāni-I know; yāṅra nāma-whose name; lañā-taking; prabhu-the Lord; kāndilā-cried; āpani-Himself.

TRANSLATION

Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, the third big branch, was so dear to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu that in his absence Lord Caitanya Himself would sometimes cry.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā Śrīla Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi is described as the father of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī in kṛṣṇa-līlā. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore treated him as His father. Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi’s father was known as Bāṇeśvara or, according to another opinion, Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī, and his mother’s name was Gaṅgādevī. According to one opinion, Bāṇeśvara was a descendent of Śrī Śivarāma Gaṅgopādhyāya. The original home of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi was in East Bengal, in a village near Dacca named Bāghiyā, which belonged to the Vārendra group of brāhmaṇa families. Sometimes these Vārendra brāhmaṇas were at odds with another group known as Rāḍhīya brāhmaṇas, and therefore Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi’s family was ostracized and at that time was not living as a respectable family. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī informs us that one of the members of this family is living in Vṛndāvana and is named Sarojānanda Gosvāmī. One special characteristic of this family is that each of its members had only one son or no son at all, and therefore the family was not very expansive. There is a place in the district of Caṭṭagrāma in East Bengal that is known as Hāta-hājāri, and a short distance from this place is a village known as Mekhalā-grāma in which Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi’s forefathers lived. One can approach Mekhalā-grāma from Caṭṭagrāma either on horseback, by bullock cart or by steamer. The steamer station is known as Annapūrṇāra-ghāṭa. The birthplace of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi is about two miles southwest of Annapūrṇāra-ghāṭa. The temple constructed there by Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi is now very old and much in need of repair. Without repair, the temple may soon crumble. There are two inscriptions on the bricks of that temple, but they are so old that one cannot read them. There is another temple, however, about two hundred yards south of this one, and some people say that this is the old temple constructed by Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu called Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi “father,” and He gave him the title Premanidhi. Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi later became the spiritual master of Gadādhara Paṇḍita and an intimate friend of Svarūpa Dāmodara’s. Gadādhara Paṇḍita at first misunderstood Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi to be an ordinary pounds-and-shillings man, but later, upon being corrected by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he became his disciple. Another incident in the life of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi involves his criticizing the priest of the Jagannātha temple, for which Jagannātha Prabhu chastised him personally by slapping his cheeks. This is described in Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-līlā, Chapter Seven. Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura informs us that there are still two living descendants of the family of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, who are named Śrī Harakumāra Smṛtitīrtha and Śrī Kṛṣṇakiṅkara Vidyālaṅkāra. For further information one should refer to the dictionary known as Vaiṣṇava-mañjuṣā.

TEXT 15

baḍa śākhā,–gadādhara paṇḍita-gosāñi

teṅho lakṣmī-rūpā, tāṅra sama keha nāi

SYNONYMS

baḍa śākhā-big branch; gadādhara paṇḍita-gosāñi-the descendants or disciplic succession of Gadādhara Paṇḍita; teṅho-Gadādhara Paṇḍita; lakṣmī-rūpā-incarnation of the pleasure potency of Lord Kṛṣṇa; tāṅra-his; sama-equal; keha-anyone; nāi-there is none.

TRANSLATION

Gadādhara Paṇḍita, the fourth branch, is described as an incarnation of the pleasure potency of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. No one, therefore, can equal him.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verses 147 through 153, it is stated: “The pleasure potency of Śrī Kṛṣṇa formerly known as Vṛndāvaneśvarī is now personified in the form of Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.” Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī has pointed out that in the shape of Lakṣmī, the pleasure potency of Kṛṣṇa, she was formerly very dear to the Lord as Śyāmasundara-vallabhā. The same Śyāmasundara-vallabhā is now present as Gadādhara Paṇḍita. Formerly, as Lalitā-sakhī, she was always devoted to Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. In the Twelfth Chapter of this part of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta there is a description of the descendants or disciplic succession of Gadādhara Paṇḍita.

TEXT 16

tāṅra śiṣya-upaśiṣya,–tāṅra upaśākhā

eimata saba śākhā-upaśākhāra lekhā

SYNONYMS

tāṅra-his; śiṣya-disciples; upaśiṣya-granddisciples and admirers; tāṅra-his; upaśākhā-subbranches; eimata-in this way; saba-all; śākhā-branches; upaśākhāra-subbranches; lekhā-to describe by writing.

TRANSLATION

His disciples and granddisciples are his subbranches. To describe them all would be difficult.

TEXT 17

vakreśvara paṇḍita–prabhura baḍa priya bhṛtya

eka-bhāve cabbiśa prahara yāṅra nṛtya

SYNONYMS

vakreśvara paṇḍita-of the name Vakreśvara Paṇḍita; prabhura-of the Lord; baḍa-very; priya-dear; bhṛtya-servant; eka-bhāve-continuously in the same ecstasy; cabbiśa-twenty-four; prahara-a duration of time comprising three hours; yāṅra-whose; nṛtya-dancing.

TRANSLATION

Vakreśvara Paṇḍita, the fifth branch of the tree, was a very dear servant of Lord Caitanya’s. He could dance with constant ecstasy for seventy-two hours.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 71, it is stated that Vakreśvara Paṇḍita was an incarnation of Aniruddha, one of the quadruple expansions of Viṣṇu (Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha and Pradyumna). He could dance wonderfully for seventy-two continuous hours. When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu played in dramatic performances in the house of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, Vakreśvara Paṇḍita was one of the chief dancers, and he danced continuously for that length of time. Śrī Govinda dāsa, an Oriyā devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, has described the life of Vakreśvara Paṇḍita in his book Gaura-kṛṣṇodaya. There are many disciples of Vakreśvara Paṇḍita in Orissa, and they are known as Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas although they are Oriyās. Among these disciples are Śrī Gopālaguru and his disciple Śrī Dhyānacandra Gosvāmī.

TEXT 18

āpane mahāprabhu gāya yāṅra nṛtya-kāle

prabhura caraṇa dhari’ vakreśvara bale

SYNONYMS

āpane-personally; mahāprabhu-Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; gāya-sang; yāṅra-whose; nṛtya-kāle-at the time of dancing; prabhura-of the Lord; caraṇa-lotus feet; dhari’-embracing; vakreśvara-Vakreśvara Paṇḍita; bale-said.

TRANSLATION

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally sang while Vakreśvara Paṇḍita danced, and thus Vakreśvara Paṇḍita fell at the lotus feet of the Lord and spoke as follows.

TEXT 19

“daśa-sahasra gandharva more deha’ candramukha

tārā gāya, muñi nācoṅ–tabe mora sukha”

SYNONYMS

daśa-sahasra-ten thousand; gandharva-residents of Gandharvaloka; more-unto me; deha’-please deliver; candra-mukha-O moon-faced one; tārā gāya-let them sing; muñi nācoṅ-let me dance; tabe-then; mora-my; sukha-happiness.

TRANSLATION

“O Candramukha! Please give me ten thousand Gandharvas. Let them sing as I dance, and then I will be greatly happy.”

PURPORT

The Gandharvas, who are residents of Gandharvaloka, are celebrated as celestial singers. Whenever singing is needed in the celestial planets, the Gandharvas are invited to sing. The Gandharvas can sing continuously for days, and therefore Vakreśvara Paṇḍita wanted to dance as they sang.

TEXT 20

prabhu bale–tumi mora pakṣa eka śākhā

ākāśe uḍitāma yadi pāṅ āra pākhā

SYNONYMS

prabhu bale-Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied; tumi-you; mora-My; pakṣa-wing; eka-one; śākhā-one-sided; ākāśe-in the sky; uḍitāma-I could fly; yadi-if; pāṅ-I could get; āra-another; pākhā-wing.

TRANSLATION

Lord Caitanya replied, “I have only one wing like you, but if I had another, certainly I would fly in the sky!”

TEXT 21

paṇḍita jagadānanda prabhura prāṇa-rūpa

loke khyāta yeṅho satyabhāmāra svarūpa

SYNONYMS

paṇḍita jagadānanda-of the name Paṇḍita Jagadānanda; prabhura-of the Lord; prāṇa-rūpa-life and soul; loke-in the world; khyāta-celebrated; yeṅho-who; satyabhāmāra-of Satyabhāmā; svarūpa-personification.

TRANSLATION

Paṇḍita Jagadānanda, the sixth branch of the Caitanya tree, was celebrated as the life and soul of the Lord. He is known to have been an incarnation of Satyabhāmā [one of the chief queens of Lord Kṛṣṇa].

PURPORT

There are many dealings of Jagadānanda Paṇḍita with Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Most importantly, he was the Lord’s constant companion and especially took part in all the pastimes of the Lord in the houses of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita and Candraśekhara Ācārya.

TEXT 22

prītye karite cāhe prabhura lālana-pālana

vairāgya-loka-bhaye prabhu nā māne kakhana

SYNONYMS

prītye-in intimacy or affection; karite-to do; cāhe-wanted; prabhura-the Lord’s; lālana-pālana-maintenance; vairāgya-renouncement; loka-bhaye-fearing the public; prabhu-the Lord; nā-did not; māne-accept; kakhana-any time.

TRANSLATION

Jagadānanda Paṇḍita [as an incarnation of Satyabhāmā] always wanted to see to the comfort of Lord Caitanya, but since the Lord was a sannyāsī He did not accept the luxuries that Jagadānanda Paṇḍita offered.

TEXT 23

dui-jane khaṭmaṭi lāgāya kondala

tāṅra prītyera kathā āge kahiba sakala

SYNONYMS

dui-jane-two persons; khaṭmaṭi-fighting over trifles; lāgāya-continued; kondala-quarrel; tāṅra-his; prītyera-affection; kathā-narration; āge-ahead; kahiba-I shall speak; sakala-all.

TRANSLATION

They sometimes appeared to fight over trifles, but these quarrels were based on their affection, of which I shall speak later.

TEXT 24

rāghava-paṇḍita–prabhura ādya-anucara

tāṅra eka śākhā mukhya–makaradhvaja kara

SYNONYMS

rāghava paṇḍita-of the name Rāghava Paṇḍita; prabhura-of the Lord; ādya-original; anucara-follower; tāṅra-his; eka-one; śākhā-branch; mukhya-chief; makaradhvaja-of the name Makaradhvaja; kara-surname.

TRANSLATION

Rāghava Paṇḍita, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s original follower, is understood to have been the seventh branch. From him proceeded another subbranch, headed by Makaradhvaja Kara.

PURPORT

Kara was the surname of Makaradhvaja. At present this surname is generally found in the Kāyastha community. The Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 166, states:

dhaniṣṭhā bhakṣya-sāmagrīṁ
kṛṣṇāyādād vraje ‘mitām
saiva sāmprataṁ gaurāṅga-
priyo rāghava-paṇḍitaḥ

Rāghava Paṇḍita was formerly a confidential gopī in Vraja during the time of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, and his former name was Dhaniṣṭhā. This gopī, Dhaniṣṭhā, always engaged in preparing foods for Kṛṣṇa.

TEXT 25

tāṅhāra bhaginī damayantī prabhura priya dāsī

prabhura bhoga-sāmagrī ye kare vāra-māsi

SYNONYMS

tāṅhāra-his; bhaginī-sister; damayantī-of the name Damayantī; prabhura-of the Lord; priya-dear; dāsī-maidservant; prabhura-of the Lord; bhoga-sāmagrī-cooking materials; ye-who; kare-does; vāra-māsi-throughout the whole year.

TRANSLATION

Rāghava Paṇḍita’s sister Damayantī was the dear maidservant of the Lord. She always collected various ingredients with which to cook for Lord Caitanya.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 167, it is mentioned, guṇamālā vraje yāsīd damayantī tu tat-svasā: The gopī named Guṇamālā appeared as Rāghava Paṇḍita’s sister Damayantī. On the East Bengal railway line beginning from the Sealdah station in Calcutta, there is a station named Sodapura, which is not very far from Calcutta. Within one mile of this station, toward the western side of the Ganges, is a village known as Pāṇihāṭī, in which the residential quarters of Rāghava Paṇḍita still exist. On Rāghava Paṇḍita’s tomb is a creeper on a concrete platform. There is also a Madana-mohana Deity in a broken-down temple nearby. This temple is managed by a local Zamindar of the name Śrī Śivacandra Rāya Caudhurī. Makaradhvaja Kara was also an inhabitant of Pāṇihāṭī.

TEXT 26

se saba sāmagrī yata jhālite bhariyā

rāghava la-iyā yā’na gupata kariyā

SYNONYMS

se saba-all those; sāmagrī-ingredients; yata-all of them; jhālite bhariyā-packing in bags; rāghava-Rāghava Paṇḍita; la-iyā-carried; yā’na-goes; gupata kariyā-very confidentially.

TRANSLATION

The foods Damayantī cooked for Lord Caitanya when He was at Purī were carried in bags by her brother Rāghava without the knowledge of others.

TEXT 27

vāra-māsa tāhā prabhu karena aṅgīkāra

‘rāghavera jhāli’ bali’ prasiddhi yāhāra

SYNONYMS

vāra-māsa-the whole year; tāhā-all those foods; prabhu-Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; karena-did; aṅgīkāra-accept; rāghavera jhāli-the bags of Rāghava Paṇḍita; bali’-so called; prasiddhi-celebrated; yāhāra-of which.

TRANSLATION

The Lord accepted these foods throughout the entire year. Those bags are still celebrated as rāghavera jhāli [“the bags of Rāghava Paṇḍita”].

TEXT 28

se-saba sāmagrī āge kariba vistāra

yāhāra śravaṇe bhaktera vahe aśrudhāra

SYNONYMS

se-saba-all these things; sāmagrī-ingredients of the foods; āge-further on; kariba-I shall describe; vistāra-vividly; yāhāra-of which; śravaṇe-by the hearing; bhaktera-of a devotee; vahe-flowing; aśru-dhāra-tears.

TRANSLATION

I shall describe the contents of the bags of Rāghava Paṇḍita later in this book. Hearing this narration, devotees generally cry, and tears glide down from their eyes.

PURPORT

A vivid description of these rāghavera jhāli is to be found in Chapter Ten of the Antya-līlā portion of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

TEXT 29

prabhura atyanta priya–paṇḍita gaṅgādāsa

yāṅhāra smaraṇe haya sarva-bandha-nāśa

SYNONYMS

prabhura-of the Lord; atyanta-very much; priya-dear; paṇḍita gaṅgādāsa-of the name Paṇḍita Gaṅgādāsa; yāṅhāra-who; smaraṇe-by remembering; haya-it becomes; sarva-bandha-nāśa-freedom from all kinds of bondage.

TRANSLATION

Paṇḍita Gaṅgādāsa was the eighth dear branch of the tree of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. One who remembers his activities attains freedom from all bondage.

TEXT 30

caitanya-pārṣada–śrī-ācārya purandara

pitā kari’ yāṅre bale gaurāṅga-sundara

SYNONYMS

caitanya-pārṣada-associate of Lord Caitanya; śrī-ācārya purandara-of the name Śrī Ācārya Purandara; pitā-father; kari’-taking him; yāṅre-whom; bale-says; gaurāṅga-sundara-Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TRANSLATION

Śrī Ācārya Purandara, the ninth branch, was a constant associate of Lord Caitanya. The Lord accepted him as His father.

PURPORT

It is described in the Caitanya-bhāgavata that whenever Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited the house of Rāghava Paṇḍita, He also visited Purandara Ācārya immediately upon receiving an invitation. Purandara Ācārya is to be considered most fortunate because the Lord used to greet him by addressing him as His father and embracing him in great love.

TEXT 31

dāmodara-paṇḍita śākhā premete pracaṇḍa

prabhura upare yeṅho kaila vākya-daṇḍa

SYNONYMS

dāmodara-paṇḍita-of the name Dāmodara Paṇḍita; śākhā-another branch (the tenth branch); premete-in affection; pracaṇḍa-very much advanced; prabhura-the Lord; upare-upon; yeṅho-he who; kaila-did; vākya-daṇḍa-chastisement by speaking.

TRANSLATION

Dāmodara Paṇḍita, the tenth branch of the Caitanya tree, was so elevated in love of Lord Caitanya that he once unhesitatingly chastised the Lord with strong words.

TEXT 32

daṇḍa-kathā kahiba āge vistāra kariyā

daṇḍe tuṣṭa prabhu tāṅre pāṭhāilā nadīyā

SYNONYMS

daṇḍa-kathā-the narration of such chastisement; kahiba-I shall speak; āge-ahead; vistāra-detailed description; kariyā-making; daṇḍe-in the matter of chastisement; tuṣṭa prabhu-the Lord is very much satisfied; tāṅre-him; pāṭhāilā-sent back; nadīyā-Nadia (a district in Bengal).

TRANSLATION

Later in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta I shall describe this incident of chastisement in detail. The Lord, being very much satisfied by this chastisement, sent Dāmodara Paṇḍita to Navadvīpa.

PURPORT

Dāmodara Paṇḍita, who was formerly known as Śaibyā in Vraja-dhāma, used to carry messages from Lord Caitanya to Śacīmātā, and during the Ratha-yātrā festival he carried messages from Śacīmātā to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 33

tāṅhāra anuja śākhā–śaṅkara-paṇḍita

‘prabhu-pādopādhāna’ yāṅra nāma vidita

SYNONYMS

tāṅhāra-his (Dāmodara Paṇḍita’s); anuja-younger brother; śākhā-the eleventh branch; śaṅkara-paṇḍita-of the name Śaṅkara Paṇḍita; prabhu-the Lord’s; pāda-upadhāna-shoes; yāṅra-whose; nāma-name; vidita-celebrated.

TRANSLATION

The eleventh branch, the younger brother of Dāmodara Paṇḍita, was known as Śaṅkara Paṇḍita. He was celebrated as the shoes of the Lord.

TEXT 34

sadāśiva-paṇḍita yāṅra prabhu-pade āśa

prathamei nityānandera yāṅra ghare vāsa

SYNONYMS

sadāśiva-paṇḍita-of the name Sadāśiva Paṇḍita; yāṅra-whose; prabhu-pade-unto the lotus feet of the Lord; āśa-constant desire; prathamei-in the beginning; nityānandera-of Lord Nityānanda; yāṅra-of whom; ghare-in the home; vāsa-residence.

TRANSLATION

Sadāśiva Paṇḍita, the twelfth branch, was always anxious to serve the lotus feet of the Lord. It was his good fortune that when Lord Nityānanda came to Navadvīpa He resided at his house.

PURPORT

It is mentioned in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-līlā, Chapter Nine, that Sadāśiva Paṇḍita was a pure devotee and that Nityānanda Prabhu resided at his house.

TEXT 35

śrī-nṛsiṁha-upāsaka–pradyumna brahmacārī

prabhu tāṅra nāma kailā ‘nṛsiṁhānanda’ kari’

SYNONYMS

śrī-nṛsiṁha-upāsaka-the worshiper of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva; pradyumna brahmacārī-of the name Pradyumna Brahmacārī; prabhu-the Lord; tāṅra-his; nāma-name; kailā-turned into; nṛsiṁhānanda-of the name Nṛsiṁhānanda; kari’-by such a name.

TRANSLATION

The thirteenth branch was Pradyumna Brahmacārī. Since he was a worshiper of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu changed his name to Nṛsiṁhānanda Brahmacārī.

PURPORT

Pradyumna Brahmacārī is described in the Antya-līlā, Second Chapter, of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. He was a great devotee of Lord Caitanya’s who changed his name to Nṛsiṁhānanda. While coming from the house of Rāghava Paṇḍita at Pānihāṭī to the house of Śivānanda, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in the heart of Nṛsiṁhānanda Brahmacārī. To acknowledge this, Nṛsiṁhānanda Brahmacārī used to accept as eatables the food of three Deities, namely, Jagannātha, Nṛsiṁhadeva and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This is stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, Second Chapter, verses 48 through 78. Upon receiving information that Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was proceeding toward Vṛndāvana from Kuliyā, Nṛsiṁhānanda absorbed himself in meditation and by his mental activities began constructing a very nice road from Kuliyā to Vṛndāvana. All of a sudden, however, he broke his meditation and told the other devotees that this time Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu would not go to Vṛndāvana but only as far as the place known as Kānāi Nāṭaśālā. This is described in the Madhya-līlā, Chapter One, verses 155 through 162. The Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 74, says, āveśaś ca tathājñeyo miśre pradyumna-saṁjñake: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu changed the name of Pradyumna Miśra, or Pradyumna Brahmacārī, to Nṛsiṁhānanda Brahmacārī, for in his heart Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva was manifest. It is said that Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva used to talk with him directly.

TEXT 36

nārāyaṇa-paṇḍita eka baḍa-i udāra

caitanya-caraṇa vinu nāhi jāne āra

SYNONYMS

nārāyaṇa-paṇḍita-of the name Nārāyaṇa Paṇḍita; eka-one; baḍai-very; udāra-liberal; caitanya-caraṇa-the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya; vinu-except; nāhi-not; jāne-know; āra-anything else.

TRANSLATION

Nārāyaṇa Paṇḍita, the fourteenth branch, a great and liberal devotee, did not know any shelter but Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet.

PURPORT

Nārāyaṇa Paṇḍita was one of the associates of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. It is mentioned in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ninth Chapter, verse 93, that he went to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Jagannātha Purī with Ṭhākura’s brother Śrī Rāma Paṇḍita.

TEXT 37

śrīmān-paṇḍita śākhā–prabhura nija bhṛtya

deuṭi dharena, yabe prabhu karena nṛtya

SYNONYMS

śrīmān-paṇḍita-of the name Śrīmān Paṇḍita; śākhā-branch; prabhura-of the Lord; nija-own; bhṛtya-servant; deuṭi-torch light; dharena-carries; yabe-while; prabhu-Lord Caitanya; karena-does; nṛtya-dance.

TRANSLATION

The fifteenth branch was Śrīmān Paṇḍita, who was a constant servitor of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He used to carry a torch while the Lord danced.

PURPORT

Śrīmān Paṇḍita was among the companions of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu when the Lord performed saṅkīrtana. When Lord Caitanya dressed Himself in the form of the goddess Lakṣmī and danced in the streets of Navadvīpa, Śrīmān Paṇḍita carried a torch to light the way.

TEXT 38

śuklāmbara-brahmacārī baḍa bhāgyavān

yāṅra anna māgi’ kāḍi’ khāilā bhagavān

SYNONYMS

śuklāmbara-brahmacārī-of the name Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī; baḍa-very; bhāgyavān-fortunate; yāṅra-whose; anna-food; māgi’-begging; kāḍi’-snatching; khāilā-ate; bhagavān-the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

The sixteenth branch, Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī, was very fortunate because Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu jokingly or seriously begged food from him or sometimes snatched it from him forcibly and ate it.

PURPORT

It is stated that Suklāmbara Brahmacārī, an inhabitant of Navadvīpa, was Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s first companion in the saṅkīrtana movement. When Lord Caitanya returned from Gayā after initiation, He stayed with Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī because He wanted to hear from this devotee about the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī collected alms of rice from the inhabitants of Navadvīpa, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took pleasure in eating the rice that he cooked. It is said that Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī was one of the wives of the yajñic brāhmaṇas during the time of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Vṛndāvana. Lord Kṛṣṇa begged food from the wives of the yajñic brāhmaṇas, and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu performed a similar pastime by begging rice from Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī.

TEXT 39

nandana-ācārya-śākhā jagate vidita

lukāiyā dui prabhura yāṅra ghare sthita

SYNONYMS

nandana-ācārya-of the name Nandana Ācārya; śākhā-the seventeenth branch; jagate-in the world; vidita-celebrated; lukāiyā-hiding; dui-two; prabhura-of the Lords; yāṅra-of whom; ghare-in the house; sthita-situated.

TRANSLATION

Nandana Ācārya, the seventeenth branch of the Caitanya tree, is celebrated within the world because the two Prabhus [Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda] sometimes hid in his house.

PURPORT

Nandana Ācārya was another companion of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu during His kīrtana pastimes in Navadvīpa. Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu, as Avadhūta, traveled on many pilgrimages, and when He first came to Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma He remained hidden in the house of Nandana Ācārya. It is there that He first met all the devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu exhibited His mahā-prakāśa, He asked Rāmāi Paṇḍita to call Advaita Prabhu, who was hiding in the home of Nandana Ācārya, for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu could understand that He was hiding. Similarly, Lord Caitanya also sometimes hid in the home of Nandana Ācārya. In this connection one may refer to Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-līlā Chapters Six and Seventeen.

TEXT 40

śrī-mukunda-datta śākhā–prabhura samādhyāyī

yāṅhāra kīrtane nāce caitanya-gosāñi

SYNONYMS

śrī-mukunda-datta-of the name Śrī Mukunda Datta; śākhā-another branch; prabhura-of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; samādhyāyī-class friend; yāṅhāra-whose; kīrtane-in saṅkīrtana; nāce-dances; caitanya-gosāñi-Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TRANSLATION

Mukunda Datta, a class friend of Lord Caitanya’s, was another branch of the Caitanya tree. Lord Caitanya danced while he sang.

PURPORT

Śrī Mukunda Datta was born in the Caṭṭagrāma district, in the village of Chanharā, which is under the jurisdiction of the police station named Paṭiyā. This village is situated ten krośas, or about twenty miles, from the home of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (140) it is said:

vraje sthitau gāyakau yau
madhukaṇṭha-madhuvratau
mukunda-vāsudevau tau
dattau gaurāṅga-gāyakau

“In Vraja there were two very nice singers named Madhukaṇṭha and Madhuvrata. They appeared in caitanya-līlā as Mukunda and Vāsudeva Datta, who were singers in the society of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.” When Lord Caitanya was a student, Mukunda Datta was His class friend, and they frequently engaged in logical arguments. Sometimes Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu would fight with Mukunda Datta, using tricks of logic. This is described in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi-līlā, Chapters Eleven and Twelve. When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned from Gayā, Mukunda Datta gave Him pleasure by reciting verses from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam about kṛṣṇa-līlā. It was by his endeavor that Gadādhara Paṇḍita Gosvāmī became a disciple of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, as stated in Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-līlā, Chapter Seven. When Mukunda Datta sang in the courtyard of Śrīvāsa Prabhu, Mahāprabhu danced with His singing, and when Lord Caitanya for twenty-one hours exhibited an ecstatic manifestation known as sāta-prahariyā, Mukunda Datta inaugurated the function by singing.

Sometimes Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu chastised Mukunda Datta by calling him khaḍajāṭhiyā beṭā because he attended many functions held by different classes of nondevotees. This is stated in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-līlā, Chapter Ten. When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu dressed Himself as the goddess of fortune to dance in the house of Candraśekhara, Mukunda Datta began the first song.

Before disclosing His desire to take the renounced order of life, Lord Caitanya first went to the house of Mukunda Datta, but at that time Mukunda Datta requested Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to continue His saṅkīrtana movement for a few days more before taking sannyāsa. This is stated in Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-līlā Chapter Twenty-six. The information of Lord Caitanya’s accepting the renounced order was made known to Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Candraśekhara Ācārya and Mukunda Datta by Nityānanda Prabhu, and therefore all of them went to Katwa and arranged for kīrtana and all the paraphernalia for Lord Caitanya’s acceptance of sannyāsa. After the Lord took sannyāsa, they all followed Him, especially Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Gadādhara Prabhu and Govinda, who followed Him all the way to Puruṣottama-kṣetra. In this connection one may refer to Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-līlā, Chapter Two. In the place known as Jaleśvara, Nityānanda Prabhu broke the sannyāsa rod of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Mukunda Datta was also present at that time. He went every year from Bengal to see Lord Caitanya at Jagannātha Purī.

TEXT 41

vāsudeva datta–prabhura bhṛtya mahāśaya

sahasra-mukhe yāṅra guṇa kahile nā haya

SYNONYMS

vāsudeva datta-of the name Vāsudeva Datta; prabhura-of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; bhṛtya-servant; mahāśaya-great personality; sahasra-mukhe-with thousands of mouths; yāṅra-whose; guṇa-qualities; kahile-describing; nā-never; haya-becomes fulfilled.

TRANSLATION

Vāsudeva Datta, the nineteenth branch of the Śrī Caitanya tree, was a great personality and a most confidential devotee of the Lord. One could not describe his qualities even with thousands of mouths.

PURPORT

Vāsudeva Datta, the brother of Mukunda Datta, was also a resident of Caṭṭagrāma. In the Caitanya-bhāgavata it is said, yāṅra sthāne kṛṣṇa haya āpane vikraya: Vāsudeva Datta was such a powerful devotee that Kṛṣṇa was purchased by him. Vāsudeva Datta stayed at Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s house, and in the Caitanya-bhāgavata it is described that Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so pleased with Vāsudeva Datta and so affectionate toward him that He used to say, “I am only Vāsudeva Datta’s man. My body is only meant to please Vāsudeva Datta, and he can sell Me anywhere.” Thrice He vowed that this was a fact and that no one should disbelieve these statements. “All My dear devotees,” He said, “I tell you the truth. My body is especially meant for Vāsudeva Datta.” Vāsudeva Datta initiated Śrī Yadunandana Ācārya, the spiritual master of Raghunātha dāsa, who later became Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. This will be found in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līla, Sixth Chapter, verse 161. Vāsudeva Datta spent money very liberally; therefore Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked Śivānanda Sena to become his sarakhela, or secretary, in order to control his extravagant expenses. Vāsudeva Datta was so kind to the living entities that he wanted to take all their sinful reactions so that they might be delivered by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This is described in the Fifteenth Chapter of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta’s Madhya-līlā, verses 159 through 180.

There is a railway station named Pūrvasthalī near the Navadvīpa railway station, and about one mile away, in a village known as Māmagāchi, which is the birthplace of Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura, there is presently a temple of Madana-gopāla that was established by Vāsudeva Datta. The Gauḍīya Maṭha devotees have now taken charge of this temple, and the sevā-pūjā is going on very nicely. Every year all the pilgrims on the navadvīpa-parikrama visit Māmagāchi. Since Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura inaugurated the navadvīpa-parikrama function, the temple has been very well managed.

TEXT 42

jagate yateka jīva, tāra pāpa lañā

naraka bhuñjite cāhe jīva chāḍāiyā

SYNONYMS

jagate-in the world; yateka-all; jīva-living entities; tāra-their; pāpa-sinful activities; lañā-taking; naraka-hell; bhuñjite-to suffer; cāhe-wanted; jīva-the living entities; chāḍāiyā-liberating them.

TRANSLATION

Śrīla Vāsudeva Datta Ṭhākura wanted to suffer for the sinful activities of all the people of the world so that Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu might deliver them.

TEXT 43

haridāsa-ṭhākura śākhāra adbhuta carita

tina lakṣa nāma teṅho layena apatita

SYNONYMS

haridāsa-ṭhākura-of the name Haridāsa Ṭhākura; śākhāra-of the branch; adbhuta-wonderful; carita-characteristics; tina-three; lakṣa-hundred thousand; nāma-names; teṅho-he; layena-chanted; apatita-without fail.

TRANSLATION

The twentieth branch of the Caitanya tree was Haridāsa Ṭhākura. His character was wonderful. He used to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa 300,000 times a day without fail.

PURPORT

Certainly the chanting of 300,000 holy names of the Lord is wonderful. No ordinary person can chant so many names, nor should one artificially imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura’s behavior. It is essential, however, that everyone fulfill a specific vow to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Therefore we have prescribed in our Society that all our students must chant at least sixteen rounds daily. Such chanting must be offenseless in order to be of high quality. Mechanical chanting is not as powerful as chanting of the holy name without offenses. It is stated in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi-līlā, Chapter Two, that Haridāsa Ṭhākura was born in a village known as Buḍhana but after some time came to live on the bank of the Ganges at Phuliyā near Śāntipura. From the description of his chastisement by a Muslim magistrate, which is found in the Sixteenth Chapter of the Ādi-līlā of Caitanya-bhāgavata, we can understand how humble and meek Haridāsa Ṭhākura was and how he achieved the causeless mercy of the Lord. In the dramas performed by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Haridāsa Ṭhākura played the part of a police chief. While chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra in Benāpola, he was personally tested by Māyādevī herself. Haridāsa Ṭhākura’s passing away is described in the Antya-līlā of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Eleventh Chapter. It is not definitely certain whether Śrī Haridāsa Ṭhākura appeared in the village named Buḍhana that is in the district of Khulnā. Formerly this village was within a district of twenty-four pargaṇas within the Sātakṣīrā division.

TEXT 44

tāṅhāra ananta guṇa–kahi diṅmātra

ācārya gosāñi yāṅre bhuñjāya śrāddha-pātra

SYNONYMS

tāṅhāra-Haridāsa Ṭhākura’s; ananta-unlimited; guṇa-qualities; kahi-I speak; diṅ-mātra-only a small part; ācārya gosāñi-Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu; yāṅre-to whom; bhuñjāya-offered to eat; śrāddha-pātra-prasāda offered to Lord Viṣṇu.

TRANSLATION

There was no end to the transcendental qualities of Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Here I mention but a fraction of his qualities. He was so exalted that Advaita Gosvāmī, when performing the śrāddha ceremony of his father, offered him the first plate.

TEXT 45

prahlāda-samāna tāṅra guṇera taraṅga

yavana-tāḍaneo yāṅra nāhika bhrū-bhaṅga

SYNONYMS

prahlāda-samāna-exactly like Prahlāda Mahārāja; tāṅra-his; guṇera-qualities; taraṅga-waves; yavana-of the Muslims; tāḍaneo-even by the persecution; yāṅra-whose; nāhika-there was none; bhrū-bhaṅga-even the slightest agitation of an eyebrow.

TRANSLATION

The waves of his good qualities were like those of Prahlāda Mahārāja. He did not even slightly raise an eyebrow when persecuted by the Muslim ruler.

TEXT 46

teṅho siddhi pāile tāṅra deha lañā kole

nācila caitanya-prabhu mahā-kutūhale

SYNONYMS

teṅho-he; siddhi-perfection; pāile-after achieving; tāṅra-his; deha-body; lañā-taking; kole-on the lap; nācila-danced; caitanya-prabhu-Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; mahā-kutūhale-in great ecstasy.

TRANSLATION

After the passing away of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, the Lord Himself took his body on His lap, and He danced with it in great ecstasy.

TEXT 47

tāṅra līlā varṇiyāchena vṛndāvana-dāsa

yebā avaśiṣṭa, āge kariba prakāśa

SYNONYMS

tāṅra-his; līlā-pastimes; varṇiyāchena-described; vṛndāvana-dāsa-Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura; yebā-whatever; avaśiṣṭa-remained undescribed; āge-later in the book; kariba-I shall make; prakāśa-manifest.

TRANSLATION

Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura vividly described the pastimes of Haridāsa Ṭhākura in his Caitanya-bhāgavata. Whatever has remained undescribed I shall try to explain later in this book.

TEXT 48

tāṅra upaśākhā–yata kulīna-grāmī jana

satyarāja-ādi–tāṅra kṛpāra bhājana

SYNONYMS

tāṅra upaśākhā-his subbranch; yata-all; kulīna-grāmī jana-the inhabitants of Kulīna-grāma; satyarāja-of the name Satyarāja; ādi-heading the list; tāṅra-his; kṛpāra-of mercy; bhājana-recipient.

TRANSLATION

One subbranch of Haridāsa Ṭhākura consisted of the residents of Kulīna-grāma. The most important among them was Satyarāja Khān, or Satyarāja Vasu, who was a recipient of all the mercy of Haridāsa Ṭhākura.

PURPORT

Satyarāja Khān was the son of Guṇarāja Khān and father of Rāmānanda Vasu. Haridāsa Ṭhākura lived for some time during the Cāturmāsya period in the village named Kulīna-grāma, where he chanted the holy name, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, and distributed his mercy to the descendants of the Vasu family. Satyarāja Khān was allotted the service of supplying silk ropes for the Jagannātha Deity during the Rathayātrā festival. The answers to his inquiries from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu about the duty of householder devotees are vividly described in the Madhya-līlā, Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen. The village of Kulīna-grāma is situated two miles from the railway station named Jaugrāma on the Newcord line from Howrah to Burdwan. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu very highly praised the people of Kulīna-grāma, and He stated that even a dog of Kulīna-grāma was very dear to Him.

TEXT 49

śrī-murāri gupta śākhā–premera bhāṇḍāra

prabhura hṛdaya drave śuni’ dainya yāṅra

SYNONYMS

śrī-murāri gupta-of the name Śrī Murāri Gupta; śākhā-branch; premera-of love of Godhead; bhāṇḍāra-store; prabhura-of the Lord; hṛdaya-the heart; drave-melts; śuni’-hearing; dainya-humility; yāṅra-of whom.

TRANSLATION

Murāri Gupta, the twenty-first branch of the tree of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, was a storehouse of love of Godhead. His great humility and meekness melted the heart of Lord Caitanya.

PURPORT

Śrī Murāri Gupta wrote a book called Śrī Caitanya-carita. He belonged to a vaidya physician family of Śrīhaṭṭa, the paternal home of Lord Caitanya, and later became a resident of Navadvīpa. He was among the elders of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Lord Caitanya exhibited His Varāha form in the house of Murāri Gupta, as described in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-līlā, Third Chapter. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu exhibited His mahā-prakāśa form, He appeared before Murāri Gupta as Lord Rāmacandra. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu were sitting together in the house of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, Murāri Gupta first offered his respects to Lord Caitanya and then to Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. Nityānanda Prabhu, however, was older than Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and therefore Lord Caitanya remarked that Murāri Gupta had violated social etiquette, for he should have first shown respect to Nityānanda Prabhu and then to Him. In this way, by the grace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Murāri Gupta was informed about the position of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, and the next day he offered obeisances first to Lord Nityānanda and then to Lord Caitanya. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave chewed pan, or betel nut, to Murāri Gupta. Once Śivānanda Sena offered food to Lord Caitanya that had been cooked with excessive ghee, and the next day the Lord became sick and went to Murāri Gupta for treatment. Lord Caitanya accepted some water from the waterpot of Murāri Gupta, and thus He was cured. The natural remedy for indigestion is to drink a little water, and since Murāri Gupta was a physician, he gave the Lord some drinking water and cured Him.

When Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in the house of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura in His Caturbhuja mūrti, Murāri Gupta became His carrier in the form of Garuḍa, and in these pastimes of ecstasy the Lord then got up on his back. It was the desire of Murāri Gupta to leave his body before the disappearance of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but the Lord forbade him to do so. This is described in Caitanya-bhagāvata, Madhya-līlā, Chapter Twenty. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu one day appeared in ecstasy as the Varāha mūrti, Murāri Gupta offered Him prayers. He was a great devotee of Lord Rāmacandra, and his staunch devotion is vividly described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, Fifteenth Chapter, verses 137 through 157.

TEXT 50

pratigraha nāhi kare, nā laya kāra dhana

ātma-vṛtti kari’ kare kuṭumba bharaṇa

SYNONYMS

pratigraha nāhi kare-he did not accept charity from anyone; nā-not; laya-take; kāra-anyone’s; dhana-wealth; ātma-vṛtti-own profession; kari’-executing; kare-maintained; kuṭumba-family; bharaṇa-provision.

TRANSLATION

Śrīla Murāri Gupta never accepted charity from friends, nor did he accept money from anyone. He practiced as a physician and maintained his family with his earnings.

PURPORT

It should be noted that a gṛhastha (householder) must not make his livelihood by begging from anyone. Every householder of the higher castes should engage himself in his own occupational duty as a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya, but he should not engage in the service of others, for this is the duty of a śūdra. One should simply accept whatever he earns by his own profession. The engagements of a brāhmaṇa are yajana, yājana, paṭhana, pāṭhana, dāna and pratigraha. A brāhmaṇa should be a worshiper of Viṣṇu, and he should also instruct others how to worship Him. A kṣatriya can become a landholder and earn his livelihood by levying taxes or collecting rent from tenants. A vaiśya can accept agriculture or general trade as an occupational duty. Since Murāri Gupta was born in a physician’s family (vaidya-vaṁśa), he practiced as a physician, and with whatever income he earned he maintained his family. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, everyone should try to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the execution of his occupational duty. That is the perfection of life. This system is called daivī-varṇāśrama. Murāri Gupta was an ideal gṛhastha, for he was a great devotee of Lord Rāmacandra and Caitanya Mahāprabhu. By practicing as a physician he maintained his family and at the same time satisfied Lord Caitanya to the best of his ability. This is the ideal of householder life.

TEXT 51

cikitsā karena yāre ha-iyā sadaya

deha-roga bhāva-roga,–dui tāra kṣaya

SYNONYMS

cikitsā-medical treatment; karena-did; yāre-upon whom; ha-iyā-becoming; sadaya-merciful; deha-roga-the disease of the body; bhāva-roga-the disease of material existence; dui-both; tāra-his; kṣaya-diminished.

TRANSLATION

As Murāri Gupta treated his patients, by his mercy both their bodily and spiritual diseases subsided.

PURPORT

Murāri Gupta could treat both bodily and spiritual disease because he was a physician by profession and a great devotee of the Lord in terms of spiritual advancement. This is an example of service to humanity. Everyone should know that there are two kinds of diseases in human society. One disease, which is called adhyātmika, or material disease, pertains to the body, but the main disease is spiritual. The living entity is eternal, but somehow or other, when in contact with the material energy, he is subjected to the repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. The physicians of the modern day should learn from Murāri Gupta. Although modern philanthropic physicians open gigantic hospitals, there are no hospitals to cure the material disease of the spirit soul. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has taken up the mission of curing this disease, but people are not very appreciative because they do not know what this disease is. A diseased person needs both proper medicine and a proper diet, and therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement supplies materially stricken people with the medicine of the chanting of the holy name, or the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, and the diet of prasāda. There are many hospitals and medical clinics to cure bodily diseases, but there are no such hospitals to cure the material disease of the spirit soul. The centers of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are the only established hospitals that can cure man of birth, death, old age and disease.

TEXT 52

śrīmān sena prabhura sevaka pradhāna

caitanya-caraṇa vinu nāhi jāne āna

SYNONYMS

śrīmān sena-of the name Śrīmān Sena; prabhura-of the Lord; sevaka-servant; pradhāna-chief; caitanya-caraṇa-the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; vinu-except; nāhi-does not; jāne-know; āna-anything else.

TRANSLATION

Śrīmān Sena, the twenty-second branch of the Caitanya tree, was a very faithful servant of Lord Caitanya. He knew nothing else but the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

PURPORT

Śrīmān Sena was one of the inhabitants of Navadvīpa and was a constant companion of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 53

śrī-gadādhara dāsa śākhā sarvopari

kājī-gaṇera mukhe yeṅha bolāila hari

SYNONYMS

śrī-gadādhara dāsa-of the name Śrī Gadādhara dāsa; śākhā-another branch; sarva-upari-above all; kājī-gaṇera-of the Kāzīs (Muslim magistrates); mukhe-in the mouth; yeṅha-one who; bolāila-caused to speak; hari-the holy name of Hari.

TRANSLATION

Śrī Gadādhara dāsa, the twenty-third branch, was understood to be the topmost, for he induced all the Muslim Kāzīs to chant the holy name of Lord Hari.

PURPORT

About eight or ten miles from Calcutta on the banks of the Ganges is a village known as Eṅḍiyādaha-grāma. Śrīla Gadādhara dāsa was known as an inhabitant of this village (eṅḍiyādaha-vāsī gadādhara dāsa). The Bhakti-ratnākara (Seventh Wave), informs us that after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Gadādhara dāsa came from Navadvīpa to Katwa. Thereafter he came to Eṅḍiyādaha and resided there. He is stated to be the luster of the body of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, just as Śrīla Gadādhara Paṇḍita Gosvāmī is an incarnation of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī Herself. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is sometimes explained to be rādhā-bhāva-dyuti-suvalita, or characterized by the emotions and bodily luster of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Gadādhara dāsa is this dyuti, or luster. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā he is described to be the expansion potency of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. He counts among the associates of both Śrīla Gaurahari and Nityānanda Prabhu; as a devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu he was one of the associates of Lord Kṛṣṇa in conjugal love, and as a devotee of Lord Nityānanda he is considered to have been one of the friends of Kṛṣṇa in pure devotional service. Even though he was an associate of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, he was not among the cowherd boys but was situated in the transcendental mellow of conjugal love. He established a temple of Śrī Gaurasundara in Katwa.

In 1434 śakābda (A.D. 1513), when Lord Nityānanda Prabhu was empowered by Lord Caitanya to preach the saṅkīrtana movement in Bengal, Śrī Gadādhara dāsa was one of Lord Nityānanda’s chief assistants. He preached the saṅkīrtana movement by requesting everyone to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. This simple preaching method of Śrīla Gadādhara dāsa can be followed by anyone and everyone in any position of society. One must simply be a sincere and serious servant of Nityānanda Prabhu and preach this cult door to door.

When Śrīla Gadādhara dāsa Prabhu was preaching the cult of hari-kīrtana, there was a magistrate who was very much against his saṅkīrtana movement. Following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrīla Gadādhara dāsa one night went to the house of the Kāzī and requested him to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. The Kāzī replied, “All right, I shall chant Hare Kṛṣṇa tomorrow.” On hearing this, Śrīla Gadādhara dāsa Prabhu began to dance, and he said, “Why tomorrow? You have already chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, so simply continue.”

In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (verses 154-55) it is said:

rādhā-vibhūti-rūpā yā
candrakāntiḥ purā vraje
sa śrī-gaurāṅga-nikaṭe
dāsa-vaṁśyo gadādharaḥ

pūrṇānandā vraje yāsīd
baladeva-priyāgraṇī
sāpi kārya-vaśād eva
prāviśat taṁ gadādharam

Śrīla Gadādhara dāsa is considered to be a united form of Candrakānti, who is the effulgence of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and Pūrṇānandā, who is the foremost of Lord Balarāma’s very dear girlfriends. Thus Śrīla Gadādhara dāsa Prabhu was one of the associates of both Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu.

Once while Śrīla Gadādhara dāsa Prabhu was returning to Bengal from Jagannātha Purī with Nityānanda Prabhu, he forgot himself and began talking very loudly as if he were a girl of Vrajabhūmi selling yogurt, and Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu noted this. Another time, while absorbed in the ecstasy of the gopīs, he carried a jug filled with Ganges water on his head as if he were selling milk. When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in the house of Rāghava Paṇḍita while going to Vṛndāvana, Gadādhara dāsa went to see Him, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so glad that He put His foot on his head. When Gadādhara dāsa Prabhu was present in Eṅḍiyādaha he established a Bāla Gopāla mūrti for worship there. Śrī Mādhava Ghoṣa performed a drama known as “Dāna-khaṇḍa” with the help of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Gadādhara dāsa. This is explained in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-līlā 5.318-94.

The tomb of Gadādhara dāsa Prabhu, which is in the village of Eṅḍiyādaha, was under the control of the Saṁyogī Vaiṣṇavas and later under the direction of Siddha Bhagavān dāsa Bābājī of Kālnā. By his order, Śrī Madhusūdana Mullik, one of the members of the aristocratic Mullik family of the Nārikelaḍāṅgā in Calcutta, established a pāṭavāṭī (monastery) there in the Bengali year 1256 (A.D. 1849). He also arranged for the worship of a Deity named Śrī Rādhākānta. His son Balāicāṅda Mullik established Gaura-Nitāi Deities there in the Bengali year 1312 (A.D. 1905). Thus on the throne of the temple are both Gaura-Nityānanda Deities and Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities. Below the throne is a tablet with an inscription written in Sanskrit. In that temple there is also a small Deity of Lord Śiva as Gopeśvara. This is all described on a stone by the side of the entrance door.

TEXT 54

śivānanda sena–prabhura bhṛtya antaraṅga

prabhu-sthāne yāite sabe layena yāṅra saṅga

SYNONYMS

śivānanda sena-of the name Śivānanda Sena; prabhura-of the Lord; bhṛtya-servant; antaraṅga-very confidential; prabhu-sthāne-in Jagannātha Purī, where the Lord was staying; yāite-while going; sabe-all; layena-took; yāṅra-whose; saṅga-shelter.

TRANSLATION

Śivananda Sena, the twenty-fourth branch of the tree, was an extremely confidential servant of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Everyone who went to Jagannātha Purī to visit Lord Caitanya took shelter and guidance from Śrī Śivananda Sena.

TEXT 55

prativarṣe prabhu-gaṇa saṅgete lā-iyā

nīlācale calena pathe pālana kariyā

SYNONYMS

prati-varṣe-every year; prabhu-gaṇa-the devotees of Lord Caitanya; saṅgete-along with; lā-iyā-taking; nīlācale-to Jagannātha Purī; calena-goes; pathe-on the road; pālana-maintenance; kariyā-providing.

TRANSLATION

Every year he took a party of devotees from Bengal to Jagannātha Purī to visit Lord Caitanya. He maintained the entire party as they journeyed on the road.

TEXT 56

bhakte kṛpā karena prabhu e-tina svarūpe

‘sākṣāt,’ ‘āveśa’ āra ‘āvirbhāva’-rūpe

SYNONYMS

bhakte-unto devotees; kṛpā-mercy; karena-bestows; prabhu-Lord Caitanya; e-these; tina-three; svarūpe-features; sākṣāt-directly; āveśa-empowered by the Lord; āra-and; āvirbhāva-appearance; rūpe-in the features.

TRANSLATION

Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu bestows His causeless mercy upon His devotees in three features: His own direct appearance [sākṣāt], His prowess within someone He empowers [āveśa], and His manifestation [āvirbhāva].

PURPORT

The sākṣāt feature of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is His personal presence. Āveśa refers to invested power, like that invested in Nakula Brahmacārī. Āvirbhāva is a manifestation of the Lord that appears even though He is personally not present. For example, Śrī Śacīmātā offered food at home to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu although He was far away in Jagannātha Purī, and when she opened her eyes after offering the food she saw that it had actually been eaten by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Similarly, when Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura performed saṅkīrtana, everyone felt the presence of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, even in His absence. This is another example of āvirbhāva.

TEXT 57

‘sākṣāte’ sakala bhakta dekhe nirviśeṣa

nakula brahmacāri-dehe prabhura ‘āveśa’

SYNONYMS

sākṣāte-directly; sakala-all; bhakta-devotees; dekhe-see; nirviśeṣa-nothing peculiar but as He is; nakula brahmacārī-of the name Nakula Brahmacārī; dehe-in the body; prabhura-the Lord’s; āveśa-symptoms of power.

TRANSLATION

The appearance of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in every devotee’s presence is called sākṣāt. His appearance in Nakula Brahmacārī as a symptom of special prowess is an example of āveśa.

TEXT 58

‘pradyumna brahmacārī’ tāṅra āge nāma chila

‘nṛsiṁhānanda’ nāma prabhu pāche ta’ rākhila

SYNONYMS

pradyumna brahmacārī-of the name Pradyumna Brahmacārī; tāṅra-his; āge-previously; nāma-name; chila-was; nṛsiṁhānanda-of the name Nṛsiṁhānanda; nāma-the name; prabhu-the Lord; pāche-afterward; ta’-certainly; rākhila-kept it.

TRANSLATION

The former Pradyumna Brahmacārī was given the name Nṛsiṁhānanda Brahmacārī by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 59

tāṅhāte ha-ila caitanyera ‘āvirbhāva’

alaukika aiche prabhura aneka svabhāva

SYNONYMS

tāṅhāte-in him; ha-ila-there was; caitanyera-of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; āvirbhāva-appearance; alaukika-uncommon; aiche-like that; prabhura-of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; aneka-various; svabhāva-features.

TRANSLATION

In his body there were symptoms of āvirbhāva. Such appearances are uncommon, but Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu displayed many such pastimes through His different features.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (74) it is said that Nakula Brahmacārī displayed the prowess (āveśa) and Pradyumna Brahmacārī the appearance (āvirbhāva) of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. There are many hundreds and thousands of devotees of Lord Caitanya among whom there are no special symptoms, but when a devotee of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu functions with specific prowess, he displays the feature called āveśa. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally spread the saṅkīrtana movement, and He advised all the inhabitants of Bhāratavarṣa to take up His cult and preach it all over the world. The visible bodily symptoms of devotees who follow such instructions are called āveśa. Śrīla Śivānanda Sena observed such āveśa symptoms in Nakula Brahmacārī, who displayed symptoms exactly like those of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta states that in the Age of Kali the only spiritual function is to broadcast the holy name of the Lord, but this function can be performed only by one who is actually empowered by Lord Kṛṣṇa. The process by which a devotee is thus empowered is called āveśa, or sometimes it is called śakty-āveśa.

Pradyumna Brahmacārī was formerly a resident of a village known as Piyārīgañja in Kālnā. There is a description of him in the Antya-līlā of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Second Chapter, and in the Antya-līlā of Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, chapters Three and Nine.

TEXT 60

āsvādila e saba rasa sena śivānanda

vistāri’ kahiba āge esaba ānanda

SYNONYMS

āsvādila-tasted; e-these; saba-all; rasa-mellows; sena śivānanda-Śivānanda Sena; vistāri’-describing vividly; kahiba-I shall speak; āge-later on; esaba-all this; ānanda-transcendental bliss.

TRANSLATION

Śrīla Śivānanda Sena experienced the three features sākṣāt, āveśa and āvirbhāva. Later I shall vividly describe this transcendentally blissful subject.

PURPORT

Śrīla Śivānanda Sena has been described by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Mahārāja as follows: He was a resident of Kumārahaṭṭa, which is also known as Hālisahara, and was a great devotee of the Lord. About one and a half miles from Kumārahaṭṭa is another village, known as Kāṅcaḍāpāḍā, in which there are Gaura-Gopāla Deities installed by Śivānanda Sena, who also established a temple of Kṛṣṇarāya that is still existing. Śivānanda Sena was the father of Paramānanda Sena, who was also known as Purī dāsa or Kavi-karṇapūra. Paramānanda Sena wrote in his Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (176) that two of the gopīs of Vṛndāvana, whose former names were Vīrā and Dūtī, combined to become his father. Śrīla Śivānanda Sena guided all the devotees of Lord Caitanya who went from Bengal to Jagannātha Purī, and he personally bore all the expenses for their journey. This is described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, Chapter Sixteen, verses 19 through 27. Śrīla Śivānanda Sena had three sons, named Caitanya dāsa, Rāmadāsa and Paramānanda. This last son later became Kavi-karṇapūra, and he is the author of Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā. His spiritual master was Śrīnātha Paṇḍita, who was Śivānanda Sena’s priest. Due to Vāsudeva Datta’s lavish spending, Śivānanda Sena was engaged to supervise his expenditures.

Śrī Śivānanda Sena actually experienced Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s features of sākṣat, āveśa and āvirbhāva. He once picked up a dog while on his way to Jagannātha Purī, and it is described in the Antya-līlā, First Chapter, that this dog later attained salvation by his association. When Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa, who later became Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, fled his paternal home to join Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, his father wrote a letter to Śivānanda Sena to get information about him. Śivānanda Sena supplied him the details for which he asked, and later Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī’s father sent some servants and money to Śivānanda Sena to take care of Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. Once Śrī Śivānanda Sena invited Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to his home and fed Him so sumptuously that the Lord felt indigestion and was somewhat sick. This became known to Śivānanda Sena’s son, who gave the Lord the kinds of food that would help His digestion, and thus Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very pleased. This is described in the Antya-līlā, Tenth Chapter, verses 142 through 151.

Once while going to Jagannātha Purī all the devotees had to stay underneath a tree, without the shelter of a house or even a shed, and Nityānanda Prabhu became very angry, as if He were greatly disturbed by hunger. Thus He cursed Śivānanda’s sons to die. Śivānanda’s wife was very much aggrieved at this, and she began to cry. She very seriously thought that since her sons had been cursed by Nityānanda Prabhu, certainly they would die. When Śivānanda later returned and saw his wife crying, he said, “Why are you crying? Let us all die if Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu desires.” When Śivānanda Sena returned and Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu saw him, the Lord kicked him severely, complaining that He was very hungry, and asked why he did not arrange for His food. Such is the behavior of the Lord with His devotees. Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu behaved like an ordinary hungry man, as if completely dependent on the arrangements of Śivānanda Sena.

There was a nephew of Śivānanda Sena’s named Śrīkānta who left the company in protest of Nityānanda Prabhu’s curse and went directly to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Jagannātha Purī, where the Lord pacified him. On that occasion, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu allowed His toe to be sucked by Purī dāsa, who was then a child. It is by the order of Caitanya Mahāprabhu that he could immediately compose Sanskrit verses. During the misunderstanding with Śivānanda’s family, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ordered His personal attendant Govinda to give them all the remnants of His food. This is described in the Antya-līlā, Chapter Twelve, verse 53.

TEXT 61

śivānandera upaśākhā, tāṅra parikara

putra-bhṛty-ādi kari’ caitanya-kiṅkara

SYNONYMS

śivānandera-of Śivānanda Sena; upaśākhā-subbranch; tāṅra-his; parikara-associates; putra-sons; bhṛtya-servants; ādi-all these; kari’-taking together; caitanya-kiṅkara-servants of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TRANSLATION

The sons, servants and family members of Śivānanda Sena constituted a subbranch. They were all sincere servants of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 62

caitanya-dāsa, rāmadāsa, āra karṇapūra

tina putra śivānandera prabhura bhakta-śūra

SYNONYMS

caitanya-dāsa-of the name Caitanya dāsa; rāmadāsa-of the name Rāmadāsa; āra-and; karṇapūra-of the name Karṇapūra; tina putra-three sons; śivānandera-of Śivānanda Sena; prabhura-of the Lord; bhakta-śūra-of the heroic devotees.

TRANSLATION

The three sons of Śivānanda Sena, named Caitanya dāsa, Rāmadāsa and Karṇapūra, were all heroic devotees of Lord Caitanya.

PURPORT

Caitanya dāsa, the eldest son of Śivānanda Sena, wrote a commentary on Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta that was later translated by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in his paper Sajjana-toṣaṇī. According to expert opinion, Caitanya dāsa was the author of the book Caitanya-carita (also known as Caitanya-caritāmṛta), which was written in Sanskrit. The author was not Kavi-karṇapūra, as generally supposed. This is the opinion of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Śrī Rāmadāsa was the second son of Śivānanda Sena. It is stated in the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (145) that the two famous parrots named Dakṣa and Vicakṣaṇa in kṛṣṇa-līlā became the elder brothers of Kavi-karṇapūra, namely, Caitanya dāsa and Rāmadāsa. Karṇapūra, the third son, who was also known as Paramānanda dāsa or Purī dāsa, was initiated by Śrīnātha Paṇḍita, who was a disciple of Śrī Advaita Prabhu. Karṇapūra wrote many books that are important in Vaiṣṇava literature, such as Ānanda-vṛndāvana-campū, Alaṅkāra-kaustubha, Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā and the great epic Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka. He was born in the year 1448 śakābda (A.D. 1527). He continually wrote books for ten years, from 1488 until 1498.

TEXT 63

śrī-vallabhasena, āra sena śrīkānta

śivānanda-sambandhe prabhura bhakta ekānta

SYNONYMS

śrī-vallabha-sena-of the name Śrīvallabha Sena; āra-and; sena śrīkānta-of the name Śrīkānta Sena; śivānanda-Śivānanda Sena; sambandhe-in relationship; prabhura-the Lord’s; bhakta-devotees; ekānta-unflinching.

TRANSLATION

Śrīvallabha Sena and Śrīkānta Sena were also subbranches of Śivānanda Sena, for they were not only his nephews but also unalloyed devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

PURPORT

When Lord Nityānanda Prabhu rebuked Śivānanda Sena on the way to Purī, these two nephews of Śivānanda left the company as a protest and went to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Jagannātha Purī. The Lord could understand the feelings of the boys, and He asked His personal assistant Govinda to supply them prasāda until the party of Śivānanda arrived. During the Ratha-yātrā saṅkīrtana festival these two brothers were members of the party led by Mukunda. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 174, it is said that the gopī whose name was Kātyāyanī appeared as Śrīkānta Sena.

TEXT 64

prabhu-priya govindānanda mahābhāgavata

prabhura kīrtanīyā ādi śrī-govinda datta

SYNONYMS

prabhu-priya-the most dear to the Lord; govindānanda-of the name Govindānanda; mahā-bhāgavata-great devotee; prabhura-of the Lord; kīrtanīyā-performer of kīrtana; ādi-originally; śrī-govinda datta-of the name of Śrī Govinda Datta.

TRANSLATION

Govindānanda and Govinda Datta, the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth branches of the tree, were performers of kīrtana in the company of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Govinda Datta was the principal singer in Lord Caitanya’s kīrtana party.

PURPORT

Govinda Datta appeared in the village of Sukhacara near Khaḍadaha.

TEXT 65

śrī-vijaya-dāsa-nāma prabhura ākhariyā

prabhure aneka puṅthi diyāche likhiyā

SYNONYMS

śrī-vijaya-dāsa-of the name Śrī Vijaya dāsa; nāma-name; prabhura-of the Lord; ākhariyā-chief singer; prabhure-unto the Lord; aneka-many; puṅthi-literatures; diyāche-has given; likhiyā-by writing.

TRANSLATION

Śrī Vijaya dāsa, the twenty-seventh branch, another of the Lord’s chief singers, gave the Lord many books written by hand.

PURPORT

Formerly there were no printing presses or printed books. All books were handwritten. Precious books were kept in manuscript form in temples or important places, and anyone who was interested in a book had to copy it by hand. Vijaya dāsa was a professional writer who copied many manuscripts and gave them to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 66

‘ratnabāhu’ bali’ prabhu thuila tāṅra nāma

akiñcana prabhura priya kṛṣṇadāsa-nāma

SYNONYMS

ratnabāhu-the title Ratnabāhu; bali’-calling him; prabhu-the Lord; thuila-kept; tāṅra-his; nāma-name; akiñcana-unalloyed; prabhura-of the Lord; priya-dear; kṛṣṇadāsa-of the name Kṛṣṇadāsa; nāma-name.

TRANSLATION

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave Vijaya dāsa the name Ratnabāhu [“jewel-handed”] because he copied many manuscripts for Him. The twenty-eighth branch was Kṛṣṇadāsa, who was very dear to the Lord. He was known as Akiñcana Kṛṣṇadāsa.

PURPORT

Akiñcana means “one who possesses nothing in this world.”

TEXT 67

kholā-vecā śrīdhara prabhura priya-dāsa

yāṅhā-sane prabhu kare nitya parihāsa

SYNONYMS

kholā-vecā-a person who sells the bark of banana trees; śrīdhara-Śrīdhara Prabhu; prabhura-of the Lord; priya-dāsa-very dear servant; yāṅha-sane-with whom; prabhu-the Lord; kare-does; nitya-daily; parihāsa-joking.

TRANSLATION

The twenty-ninth branch was Śrīdhara, a trader in banana-tree bark. He was a very dear servant of the Lord. On many occasions, the Lord played jokes on him.

PURPORT

Śrīdhara was a poor brāhmaṇa who made a living by selling banana-tree bark to be made into cups. Most probably he had a banana-tree garden and collected the leaves, skin and pulp of the banana trees to sell daily in the market. He spent fifty percent of his income to worship the Ganges, and the balance he used for his subsistence. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu started His civil disobedience movement in defiance of the Kāzī, Śrīdhara danced in jubilation.The Lord used to drink water from his water jug. Śrīdhara presented a squash to Śacīdevī to cook before Lord Caitanya took sannyāsa. Every year he went to see Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Jagannātha Purī. According to Kavi-karṇapūra, Śrīdhara was a cowherd boy of Vṛndāvana whose name was Kusumāsava. In his Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 133, it is stated:

kholā-vecātayā khyātaḥ
paṇḍitaḥ śrīdharo dvijaḥ
āsīd vraje hāsya-karo
yo nāmnā kusumāsavaḥ

“The cowherd boy known as Kusumāsava in kṛṣṇa-līlā later became Kholāvecā Śrīdhara during Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s līlā at Navadvīpa.”

TEXT 68

prabhu yāṅra nitya laya thoḍa-mocā-phala

yāṅra phuṭā-lauhapātre prabhu pilā jala

SYNONYMS

prabhu-the Lord; yāṅra-whose; nitya-daily; laya-takes; thoḍa-the pulp of the banana tree; mocā-the flowers of the banana tree; phala-the fruits of the banana tree; yāṅra-whose; phuṭā-broken; lauha-pātre-in the iron pot; prabhu-the Lord; pilā-drank; jala-water.

TRANSLATION

Every day Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu jokingly snatched fruits, flowers and pulp from Śrīdhara and drank from his broken iron pot.

TEXT 69

prabhura atipriya dāsa bhagavān paṇḍita

yāṅra dehe kṛṣṇa pūrve hailā adhiṣṭhita

SYNONYMS

prabhura-of the Lord; atipriya-very dear; dāsa-servant; bhagavān paṇḍita-of the name Bhagavān Paṇḍita; yāṅra-whose; dehe-in the body; kṛṣṇa-Lord Kṛṣṇa; pūrve-previously; hailā-became; adhiṣṭhita-established.

TRANSLATION

The thirtieth branch was Bhagavān Paṇḍita. He was an extremely dear servant of the Lord, but even previously he was a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa who always kept the Lord within his heart.

TEXT 70

jagadīśa paṇḍita, āra hiraṇya mahāśaya

yāre kṛpā kaila bālye prabhu dayāmaya

SYNONYMS

jagadīśa paṇḍita-of the name Jagadīśa Paṇḍita; āra-and; hiraṇya-of the name Hiraṇya; mahāśaya-great personality; yāre-unto whom; kṛpā-mercy; kaila-showed; bālye-in childhood; prabhu-the Lord; dayāmaya-merciful.

TRANSLATION

The thirty-first branch was Jagadīśa Paṇḍita, and the thirty-second was Hiraṇya Mahāśaya, unto whom Lord Caitanya in His childhood showed His causeless mercy.

PURPORT

Jagadīśa Paṇḍita was formerly a great dancer in kṛṣṇa-līla and was known as Candrahāsa. Regarding Hiraṇya Paṇḍita, it is said that once when Lord Nityānanda, decorated with valuable jewels, was staying at his home, a great thief attempted all night long to plunder these jewels but was unsuccessful. Later he came to Nityānanda Prabhu and surrendered unto Him.

TEXT 71

ei dui-ghare prabhu ekādaśī dine

viṣṇura naivedya māgi’ khāila āpane

SYNONYMS

ei dui-ghare-in these two houses; prabhu-the Lord; ekādaśī dine-on the Ekādaśī day; viṣṇura-of Lord Viṣṇu; naivedya-food offered to Lord Viṣṇu; māgi’-begging; khāila-ate; āpane-personally.

TRANSLATION

In their two houses Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu begged food on the Ekādaśī day and personally ate it.

PURPORT

The injunction to fast on Ekādaśī is especially meant for devotees; on Ekādaśī there are no restrictions regarding food that may be offered to the Lord. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took the food of Lord Viṣṇu in His ecstasy as viṣṇu-tattva.

TEXT 72

prabhura paḍuyā dui,–puruṣottama, sañjaya

vyākaraṇe dui śiṣya–dui mahāśaya

SYNONYMS

prabhura paḍuyā dui-the Lord’s two students; puruṣottama-of the name Puruṣottama; sañjaya-of the name Sañjaya; vyākaraṇe-studying grammar; dui śiṣya-two disciples; dui mahāśaya-very great personalities.

TRANSLATION

The thirty-third and thirty-fourth branches were the two students of Caitanya Mahāprabhu named Puruṣottama and Sañjaya, who were stalwart students in grammar. They were very great personalities.

PURPORT

These two students were inhabitants of Navadvīpa and were the Lord’s first companions in the saṅkīrtana movement. According to the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Puruṣottama Sañjaya was the son of Mukunda Sañjaya, but the author of Śrī Caitanya-caritamṛta has clarified that Puruṣottama and Sañjaya were two people, not one.

TEXT 73

vanamālī paṇḍita śākhā vikhyāta jagate

soṇāra muṣala hala dekhila prabhura hāte

SYNONYMS

vanamālī paṇḍita-of the name Vanamālī Paṇḍita; śākhā-the next branch; vikhyāta-celebrated; jagate-in the world; soṇāra-made of gold; muṣala-club; hala-plow; dekhila-saw; prabhura-of the Lord; hāte-in the hand.

TRANSLATION

Vanamālī Paṇḍita, the thirty-fifth branch of the tree, was very celebrated in this world. He saw a golden club and plow in the hands of the Lord.

PURPORT

Vanamālī Paṇḍita saw Lord Caitanya in the ecstasy of Balarāma. This is described vividly in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-līlā, Chapter Nine.

TEXT 74

śrī-caitanyera ati priya buddhimanta khān

ājanma ājñākārī teṅho sevaka-pradhāna

SYNONYMS

śrī-caitanyera-of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; ati priya-very dear; buddhimanta khān-of the name Buddhimanta Khān; ājanma-from the very beginning of his life; ājñā-kārī-follower of the orders; teṅho-he; sevaka-servant; pradhāna-chief.

TRANSLATION

The thirty-sixth branch, Buddhimanta Khān, was extremely dear to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He was always prepared to carry out the Lord’s orders, and therefore he was considered a chief servant of the Lord.

PURPORT

Śrī Buddhimanta Khān was one of the inhabitants of Navadvīpa. He was very rich, and it is he who arranged for the marriage of Lord Caitanya with Viṣṇupriyā, the daughter of Sanātana Miśra, who was the priest of the local Zamindar. He personally defrayed all the expenditures for the marriage ceremony. When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was attacked by vāyu-vyādhi (derangement of the air within the body) Buddhimanta Khān paid for all requisite medicines and treatments to cure the Lord. He was the Lord’s constant companion in the kīrtana movement. He collected ornaments for the Lord when He played the part of the goddess of fortune in the house of Candraśekhara Ācārya. He also went to see Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He was staying at Jagannātha Purī.

TEXT 75

garuḍa paṇḍita laya śrīnāma-maṅgala

nāma-bale viṣa yāṅre nā karila bala

SYNONYMS

garuḍa paṇḍita-of the name Garuḍa Paṇḍita; laya-takes; śrī-nāma-maṅgala-the auspicious Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra; nāma-bale-by the strength of this chanting; viṣa-poison; yāṅre-whom; nā-did not; karila-affect; bala-strength.

TRANSLATION

Garuḍa Paṇḍita, the thirty-seventh branch of the tree, always engaged in chanting the auspicious name of the Lord. Because of the strength of this chanting, even the effects of poison could not touch him.

PURPORT

Garuḍa Paṇḍita was once bitten by a poisonous snake, but the snake’s poison could not affect him because of his chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

TEXT 76

gopīnātha siṁha–eka caitanyera dāsa

akrūra bali’ prabhu yāṅre kailā parihāsa

SYNONYMS

gopīnātha siṁha-of the name of Gopīnātha Siṁha; eka-one; caitanyera dāsa-servant of Lord Caitanya; akrūra bali’-famous as Akrūra; prabhu-the Lord; yāṅre-whom; kaila-did; parihāsa-joking.

TRANSLATION

Gopīnātha Siṁha, the thirty-eighth branch of the tree, was a faithful servant of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The Lord jokingly addressed him as Akrūra.

PURPORT

Actually he was Akrūra, as stated in the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 117.

TEXT 77

bhāgavatī devānanda vakreśvara-kṛpāte

bhāgavatera bhakti-artha pāila prabhu haite

SYNONYMS

bhāgavatī devānanda-Devānanda, who used to recite Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; vakreśvara-kṛpāte-by the mercy of Vakreśvara; bhāgavatera-of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; bhakti-artha-the bhakti interpretation; pāila-got; prabhu haite-from the Lord.

TRANSLATION

Devānanda Paṇḍita was a professional reciter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but by the mercy of Vakreśvara Paṇḍita and the grace of the Lord he understood the devotional interpretation of the Bhāgavatam.

PURPORT

In the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-līlā, Chapter Twenty-one, it is stated that Devānanda Paṇḍita and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s father, Viśārada, lived in the same village. Devānanda Paṇḍita was a professional reciter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not like his interpretation of it. In the present town of Navadvīpa, which was formerly known as Kuliyā, Lord Caitanya showed such mercy to him that he gave up the Māyāvādī interpretation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and learned how to explain Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in terms of bhakti. Formerly, when Devānanda was expounding the Māyāvādī interpretation, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura was once present in his meeting, and when he began to cry, Devānanda’s students drove him away. Some days later, Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed that way, and when He met Devānanda He chastised him severely because of his Māyāvāda interpretation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. At that time Devānanda had little faith in Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as an incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, but one night some time later Vakreśvara Paṇḍita was a guest in his house, and when he explained the science of Kṛṣṇa, Devānanda was convinced about the identity of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Thus he was induced to explain Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam according to the Vaiṣṇava understanding In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 106, it is described that he was formerly Bhāguri Muni, who was the sabhā-paṇḍita who recited Vedic literature in the house of Nanda Mahārāja.

TEXTS 78-79

khaṇḍavāsī mukunda-dāsa, śrī-raghunandana

narahari-dāsa, cirañjīva, sulocana

ei saba mahāśākhā–caitanya-kṛpādhāma

prema-phala-phula kare yāhāṅ tāhāṅ dāna

SYNONYMS

khaṇḍa-vāsī mukunda-dāsa-of the name Mukunda dāsa; śrī-raghunandana-of the name Raghunandana; narahari-dāsa-of the name Narahari dāsa; cirañjīva-of the name Cirañjīva; sulocana-of the name Sulocana; ei saba-all of them; mahā-śākhā-great branches; caitanya-kṛpā-dhāma-of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the reservoir of mercy; prema-love of God; phala-fruit; phula-flower; kare-does; yāhāṅ-anywhere; tāhāṅ-everywhere; dāna-distribution.

TRANSLATION

Śrī Khaṇḍavāsī Mukunda and his son Raghunandana were the thirty-ninth branch of the tree, Narahari was the fortieth, Cirañjīva the forty-first and Sulocana the forty-second. They were all big branches of the all-merciful tree of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They distributed the fruits and flowers of love of Godhead anywhere and everywhere.

PURPORT

Śrī Mukunda dāsa was the son of Nārāyaṇa dāsa and eldest brother of Narahari Sarakāra. His second brother’s name was Mādhava dāsa, and his son was named Raghunandana dāsa. Descendants of Raghunandana dāsa still live four miles west of Katwa in the village named Śrīkhaṇḍa, where Raghunandana dāsa used to live. Raghunandana had one son named Kānāi, who had two sons-Madana Rāya, who was a disciple of Narahari Ṭhākura, and Vaṁśīvadana. It is estimated that at least four hundred men descended in this dynasty. All their names are recorded in the village known as Śrīkhaṇḍa. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 175, it is stated that the gopī whose name was Vṛndādevī became Mukunda dāsa, lived in Śrīkhaṇḍa village and was very dear to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. His wonderful devotion and love for Kṛṣṇa are described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, Chapter Fifteen. It is stated in the Bhakti-ratnākara (Eighth Wave), that Raghunandana used to serve a Deity of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Narahari dāsa Sarakāra was a very famous devotee. Locana dāsa Ṭhākura, the celebrated author of Śrī Caitanya-maṅgala, was his disciple. In the Caitanya-maṅgala it is stated that Śrī Gadādhara dāsa and Narahari Sarakāra were extremely dear to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but there is no specific statement regarding the inhabitants of the village of Śrīkhaṇḍa.

Cirañjīva and Sulocana were both residents of Śrīkhaṇḍa, where their descendants are still living. Of Cirañjīva’s two sons, the elder, Rāmacandra Kavirāja, was a disciple of Śrīnivāsācārya and an intimate associate of Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. The younger son was Govinda dāsa Kavirāja, the famous Vaiṣṇava poet. Cirañjīva’s wife was Sunandā, and his father-in-law was Dāmodara Sena Kavirāja. Cirañjīva previously lived on the bank of the Ganges River in the village of Kumāranagara. The Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 207, states that he was formerly Candrikā in Vṛndāvana.

TEXT 80

kulīnagrāma-vāsī satyarāja, rāmānanda

yadunātha, puruṣottama, śaṅkara, vidyānanda

SYNONYMS

kulīna-grāma-vāsī-the inhabitants of Kulīna-grāma; satyarāja-of the name Satyarāja; rāmānanda-of the name Rāmānanda; yadunātha-of the name Yadunātha; puruṣottama-of the name Puruṣottama; śaṅkara-of the name Śaṅkara; vidyānanda-of the name Vidyānanda.

TRANSLATION

Satyarāja, Rāmānanda, Yadunātha, Puruṣottama, Śaṅkara and Vidyānanda all belonged to the twentieth branch. They were inhabitants of the village known as Kulīna-grāma.

TEXT 81

vāṇīnātha vasu ādi yata grāmī jana

sabei caitanya-bhṛtya,–caitanya-prāṇadhana

SYNONYMS

vāṇīnātha vasu-of the name Vāṇīnātha Vasu; ādi-heading the list; yata-all; grāmī-of the village; jana-inhabitants; sabei-all of them; caitanya-bhṛtya-servants of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; caitanya-prāṇa-dhana-their life and soul was Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TRANSLATION

All the inhabitants of Kulīna-grāma village, headed by Vāṇīnātha Vasu, were servants of Lord Caitanya, who was their only life and wealth.

TEXT 82

prabhu kahe, kulīnagrāmera ye haya kukkura

sei mora priya, anya jana rahu dūra

SYNONYMS

prabhu-the Lord; kahe-says; kulīna-grāmera-of the village of Kulīna-grāma; ye-anyone who; haya-becomes; kukkura-even a dog; sei-he; mora-My; priya-dear; anya-others; jana-persons; rahu-let them remain; dūra-away.

TRANSLATION

The Lord said, “What to speak of others, even a dog in the village of Kulīna-grāma is My dear friend.

TEXT 83

kulīnagrāmīra bhāgya kahane nā yāya

śūkara carāya ḍoma, seha kṛṣṇa gāya

SYNONYMS

kulīna-grāmīra-the residents of Kulīna-grāma; bhāgya-fortune; kahane-to speak; nā-not; yāya-is possible; śūkara-hogs; carāya-tending; ḍoma-sweeper; seha-he also; kṛṣṇa-Lord Kṛṣṇa; gāya-chants.

TRANSLATION

“No one can describe the fortunate position of Kulīna-grāma. It is so sublime that even sweepers who tend their hogs there also chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.”

TEXT 84

anupama-vallabha, śrī-rūpa, sanātana

ei tina śākhā vṛkṣera paścime sarvottama

SYNONYMS

anupama-of the name Anupama; vallabha-of the name Vallabha; śrī-rūpa-of the name Śrī Rūpa; sanātana-of the name Sanātana; ei-these; tina-three; śākhā-branches; vṛkṣera-of the tree; paścime-on the western side; sarvottama-very great.

TRANSLATION

On the western side were the forty-third, forty-fourth and forty-fifth branches-Śrī Sanātana, Śrī Rūpa and Anupama. They were the best of all.

PURPORT

Śrī Anupama was the father of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī and youngest brother of Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī and Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī. His former name was Vallabha, but after Lord Caitanya met him He gave him the name Anupama. Because of working in the Muslim government, these three brothers were given the title Mullik. Our personal family is connected with the Mulliks of Mahatma Gandhi Road in Calcutta, and we often used to visit their Rādhā-Govinda temple. They belong to the same family as we do. (Our family gotra, or original genealogical line, is the Gautama-gotra, or line of disciples of Gautama Muni, and our surname is De.) But due to their accepting the posts of Zamindars in the Muslim government, they received the title Mullik. Similarly, Rūpa, Sanātana and Vallabha were also given the title Mullik. Mullik means “lord.” Just as the English government gives rich and respectable persons the title “lord,” so the Muslims give the title Mullik to rich, respectable families that have intimate connections with the government. The title Mullik is found not only among the Hindu aristocracy but also among Muslims. This title is not restricted to a particular family but is given to different families and castes. The qualifications for receiving it are wealth and respectabilityi

Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī belonged to the Bharadvāja-gotra, which indicates that they belonged either to the family or disciplic succession of Bharadvāja Muni. As members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we belong to the family, or disciplic succession, of Sarasvatī Gosvāmī, and thus we are known as Sārasvatas. Obeisances are therefore offered to the spiritual master as sārasvata-deva, or a member of the Sārasvata family (namas te sārasvate deve), whose mission is to broadcast the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu (gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe) and to fight with impersonalists and voidists (nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe). This was also the occupational duty of Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī and Anupama Gosvāmī.

The genealogical table of Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī and Vallabha Gosvāmī can be traced back to the twelfth century śakābda, when a gentleman of the name Sarvajña appeared in a very rich and opulent brāhmaṇa family in the province of Karṇāṭa. He had two sons, named Aniruddhera Rūpeśvara and Harihara, who were both bereft of their kingdoms and thus obliged to reside in the highlands. The son of Rūpeśvara, who was named Padmanābha, moved to a place in Bengal known as Naihāṭī on the bank of the Ganges. There he had five sons, of whom the youngest, Mukunda, had a well-behaved son named Kumāradeva, who was the father of Rūpa, Sanātana and Vallabha. Kumāradeva lived in Bāklācandradvīpa, which was in the district of Jessore and is now known as Phateyābād. Of his many sons, three took to the path of Vaiṣṇavism. Later, Śrī Vallabha and his elder brothers Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana came from Candradvīpa to the village in the Maldah district of Bengal known as Rāmakeli. It is in this village that Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī took birth, accepting Vallabha as his father. Because of engaging in the service of the Muslim government, the three brothers received the title Mullik. When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited the village of Rāmakeli, He met Vallabha there. Later, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, after meeting Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, resigned from government service, and when he went to Vṛndāvana to meet Lord Caitanya, Vallabha accompanied him. The meeting of Rūpa Gosvāmī and Vallabha with Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Allahabad is described in the Madhya-līlā, Chapter Nineteen.

Actually, it is to be understood from the statement of Sanātana Gosvāmī that Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and Vallabha went to Vṛndāvana under the instructions of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. First they went to Mathurā, where they met a gentleman named Subuddhi Rāya, who maintained himself by selling dry fuel wood. He was very pleased to meet Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and Anupama, and he showed them the twelve forests of Vṛndāvana. Thus they lived in Vṛndāvana for one month and then again went to search for Sanātana Gosvāmī. Following the course of the Ganges, they reached Allahabad, or Prayāga-tīrtha, but because Sanātana Gosvāmī had come there by a different road, they did not meet him there, and when Sanātana Gosvāmī came to Mathurā he was informed of the visit of Rūpa Gosvāmī and Anupama by Subuddhi Rāya. When Rūpa Gosvāmī and Anupama met Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Benares, they heard about Sanātana Gosvāmī’s travels from Him, and thus they returned to Bengal, adjusted their affairs with the state and, on the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, went to see the Lord at Jagannātha Purī.

In the year 1436 śakābda (A.D. 1515), the youngest brother, Anupama, died and went back home, back to Godhead. He went to the abode in the spiritual sky where Śrī Rāmacandra is situated. At Jagannātha Purī, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī informed Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu of this incident. Vallabha was a great devotee of Śrī Rāmacandra; therefore he could not seriously consider the worship of Rādhā-Govinda according to the instructions of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Yet he directly accepted Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Rāmacandra. In the Bhakti-ratnākara there is the following statement: “Vallabha was given the name Anupama by Śrī Gaurasundara, but he was always absorbed in the devotional service of Lord Rāmacandra. He did not know anyone but Śrī Rāmacandra, but he knew that Caitanya Gosāñi was the same Lord Rāmacandra.”

In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (180) Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī is described to be the gopī named Śrī Rūpa-mañjarī. In the Bhakti-ratnākara there is a list of the books Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī compiled. Of all his books, the following sixteen are very popular among Vaiṣṇavas: (1) Haṁsadūta, (2) Uddhava-sandeśa, (3) Kṛṣṇa-janma-tithi-vidhi, (4 and 5) Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, Bṛhat (major) and Laghu (minor), (6) Stavamālā, (7) Vidagdha-mādhava, (8) Lalita-mādhava, (9) Dāna-keli-kaumudi, (10) Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (this is the most celebrated book by Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī), (11) Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi, (12) Ākhyāta-candrikā, (13) Mathurā-mahimā, (14) Padyāvalī, (15) Nāṭaka-candrikā and (16) Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta. Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī gave up all family connections, joined the renounced order of life and divided his money, giving fifty percent to the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas and twenty-five percent to his kuṭumba (family members) and keeping twenty-five percent for personal emergencies. He met Haridāsa Ṭhākura in Jagannātha Purī, where he also met Lord Caitanya and His other associates. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to praise the handwriting of Rūpa Gosvāmī. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī could compose verses according to the desires of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and by His direction he wrote two books named Lalita-mādhava and Vidagdha-mādhava. Lord Caitanya desired the two brothers, Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī, to publish many books in support of the Vaiṣṇava religion. When Sanātana Gosvāmī met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Lord advised him also to go to Vṛndāvana.

Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī is described in the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (181). He was formerly known as Rati-mañjarī or sometimes Lavaṅga-mañjarī. In the Bhakti-ratnākara it is stated that his spiritual master, Vidyāvācaspati, sometimes stayed in the village of Rāmakeli, and Sanātana Gosvāmī studied all the Vedic literature from him. He was so devoted to his spiritual master that this cannot be described. According to the Vedic system, if someone sees a Muslim he must perform rituals to atone for the meeting. Sanātana Gosvāmī always associated with Muslim kings. Not giving much attention to the Vedic injunctions, he used to visit the houses of Muslim kings, and thus he considered himself to have been converted into a Muslim. He was therefore always very humble and meek. When Sanātana Gosvāmī presented himself before Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he admitted, “I am always in association with lower-class people, and my behavior is therefore very abominable.” He actually belonged to a respectable brāhmaṇa family, but because he considered his behavior to be abominable, he did not try to place himself among the brāhmaṇas but always remained among people of the lower castes. He wrote the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa and Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī, which is a commentary on the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In the year 1476 śakābda (A.D. 1555) he completed the Bṛhad-vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In the year 1504 śakābda (A.D. 1583) he finished the Laghu-toṣaṇī.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught His principles through four chief followers. Among them, Rāmānanda Rāya is exceptional, for through him the Lord taught how a devotee can completely vanquish the power of Cupid. By Cupid’s power, as soon as one sees a beautiful woman he is conquered by her beauty. Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya, however, vanquished Cupid’s pride. Indeed, while rehearsing the Jagannātha-vallabha-nāṭaka he personally directed extremely beautiful young girls in dancing, but he was never affected by their youthful beauty. Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya personally bathed these girls, touching them and washing them with his own hands, yet he remained calm and passionless, as a great devotee should be. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu certified that this was possible only for Rāmānanda Rāya. Similarly, Dāmodara Paṇḍita was notable for his objectivity as a critic. He did not even spare Caitanya Mahāprabhu from his criticism. This also cannot be imitated by anyone else. Haridāsa Ṭhākura is exceptional for his forbearance because although he was beaten with canes in twenty-two marketplaces, nevertheless he was tolerant. Similarly, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, although he belonged to a most respectable brāhmaṇa family, was exceptional for his humility and meekness.

In the Madhya-līlā, Chapter Nineteen, the device adopted by Sanātana Gosvāmī to get free from the government service is described. He served a notice of sickness to the Nawab, the Moslem governer, but actually he was studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with brāhmaṇas at home. The Nawab received information of this through a royal physician, and he immediately went to see Sanātana Gosvāmī to discover his intentions. The Nawab requested Sanātana to accompany him on an expedition to Orissa, but when Sanātana Gosvāmī refused, the Nawab ordered that he be imprisoned. When Rūpa Gosvāmī left home, he wrote a note for Sanātana Gosvāmī informing him of some money that he had entrusted to a local grocer. Sanātana Gosvāmī took advantage of this money to bribe the jail keeper and get free from detention. Then he left for Benares to meet Caitanya Mahāprabhu, bringing with him only one servant, whose name was Īśāna. On the way they stopped at a sarāi, or hotel, and when the hotel keeper found out that Īśāna had some gold coins with him, he planned to kill both Sanātana Gosvāmī and Īśāna to take away the coins. Later Sanātana Gosvāmī saw that although the hotel keeper did not know them, he was being especially attentive to their comfort. Therefore he concluded that Īśāna was secretly carrying some money and that the hotel keeper was aware of this and therefore planned to kill them for it. Upon being questioned by Sanātana Gosvāmī, Īśāna admitted that he indeed had money with him, and immediately Sanātana Gosvāmī took the money and gave it to the hotel keeper, requesting him to help them get though the jungle. Thus with the help of the hotel keeper, who was also the chief of the thieves of that territory, he crossed over the Hazipur mountains, which are presently known as the Hazaribags. He then met his brother-in-law Śrīkānta, who requested that he stay with him. Sanātana Gosvāmī refused, but before they parted Śrīkānta gave him a valuable blanket.

Somehow or other Sanātana Gosvāmī reached Vārāṇasī and met Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu at the house of Candraśekhara. By the order of the Lord, Sanātana Gosvāmī was cleanly shaved and his dress changed to that of a mendicant, or bābājī. He put on old garments of Tapana Miśra and took prasāda at the house of a Maharashtran brāhmaṇa. Then, in discourses with Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Lord Himself explained everything about devotional service to Sanātana Gosvāmī. He advised Sanātana Gosvāmī to write books on devotional service, including a book of directions for Vaiṣṇava activities, and to excavate the lost places of pilgrimage in Vṛndāvana. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave him His blessings to do all this work and also explained to Sanātana Gosvāmī the import of the ātmārāma verse from sixty-one different angles of vision.

Sanātana Gosvāmī went to Vṛndāvana by the main road, and when he reached Mathurā he met Subuddhi Rāya. Then he returned to Jagannātha Purī through Jhārikhaṇḍa, the Uttar Pradesh jungle. At Jagannātha Purī he decided to give up his body by falling down beneath a wheel of the Jagannātha ratha, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu saved him. Then Sanātana Gosvāmī met Haridāsa Ṭhākura and heard about the disappearance of Anupama. Sanātana Gosvāmī later described the glories of Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Sanātana observed the etiquette of Jagannātha’s temple by going through the beach to visit Lord Caitanya, although it was extremely hot due to the sun. He requested Jagadānanda Paṇḍita to give him permission to return to Vṛndāvana. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu praised the character of Sanātana Gosvāmī, and He embraced Sanātana, accepting his body as spiritual. Sanātana Gosvāmī was ordered by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to live at Jagannātha Purī for one year. When he returned to Vṛndāvana after many years, he again met Rūpa Gosvāmī, and both brothers remained in Vṛndāvana to execute the orders of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

The place where Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī formerly lived has now become a place of pilgrimage. It is generally known as Gupta Vṛndāvana, or hidden Vṛndāvana, and is situated about eight miles south of English Bazaar. There the following places are still visited: (1) the temple of Śrī Madana-mohana Deity, (2) the Keli-kadamba tree under which Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu met Sanātana Gosvāmī at night and (3) Rūpasāgara, a large pond excavated by Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī. A society named Rāmakeli-saṁskāra-samiti was established in 1924 to repair the temple and renovate the pond.

TEXT 85

tāṅra madhye rūpa-sanātana–baḍa śākhā

anupama, jīva, rājendrādi upaśākhā

SYNONYMS

tāṅra-within that; madhye-in the midst of; rūpa-sanātana-the branch known as Rūpa-Sanātana; baḍa śākhā-the big branch; anupama-of the name Anupama; jīva-of the name Jīva; rājendra-ādi-and Rājendra and others; upaśākhā-their subbranches.

TRANSLATION

Among these branches, Rūpa and Sanātana were principal. Anupama, Jīva Gosvāmī and others, headed by Rājendra, were their subbranches.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 195, it is said that Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī was formerly Vilāsa-mañjarī gopī. From his very childhood Jīva Gosvāmī was greatly fond of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He later came to Navadvīpa to study Sanskrit, and, following in the footsteps of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, he circumambulated the entire Navadvīpa-dhāma. After visiting Navadvīpa-dhāma he went to Benares to study Sanskrit under Madhusūdana Vācaspati, and after finishing his studies in Benares he went to Vṛndāvana and took shelter of his uncles, Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana. This is described in the Bhakti-ratnākara. As far as our information goes, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī composed and edited at least twenty-five books. They are all very celebrated, and they are listed as follows: (1) Hari-nāmāmṛta-vyākaraṇa, (2) Sūtra-mālikā, (3) Dhātu-saṅgraha, (4) Kṛṣṇārcā-dīpikā, (5) Gopāla-virudāvalī, (6) Rasāmṛta-śeṣa, (7) Śrī Mādhava-mahotsava, (8) Śrī Saṅkalpa-kalpavṛkṣa, (9) Bhāvārtha-sūcaka-campū, (10) Gopāla-tāpanī-ṭīkā, (11) a commentary on the Brahma-saṁhitā, (12) a commentary on the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, (13) a commentary on the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi, (14) a commentary on the Yogasāra-stava, (15) a commentary on the Gāyatrī-mantra, as described in the Agni Purāṇa, (16) a description of the Lord’s lotus feet derived from the Padma Purāṇa, (17) a description of the lotus feet of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, (18) Gopāla-campū (in two parts) and (19-25) seven sandarbhas: the Krama-, Tattva-, Bhagavat-, Paramātma-, Kṛṣṇa-, Bhakti- and Prīti-sandarbha. After the disappearance of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī in Vṛndāvana, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī became the ācārya of all the Vaiṣṇavas in Bengal, Orissa and the rest of the world, and it is he who used to guide them in their devotional service. In Vṛndāvana he established the Rādhā-Dāmodara temple, where we had the opportunity to live and retire until the age of sixty-five, when we decided to come to the United States of America. When Jīva Gosvāmī was still present, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī compiled his famous Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Later, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī inspired Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura and Duḥkhī Kṛṣṇadāsa to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Bengal. Jīva Gosvāmī was informed that all the manuscripts that had been collected from Vṛndāvana and sent to Bengal for preaching purposes were plundered near Viṣṇupura, in Bengal, but later he received the information that the books had been recovered. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī awarded the designation Kavirāja to Rāmacandra Sena, a disciple of Śrīnivāsa Ācārya’s, and to Rāmacandra’s younger brother Govinda. While Jīva Gosvāmī was alive, Śrīmatī Jāhnavī-devī, the pleasure potency of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, went to Vṛndāvana with a few devotees. Jīva Gosvāmī was very kind to the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, the Vaiṣṇavas from Bengal. Whoever went to Vṛndāvana he provided with a residence and prasāda. His disciple Kṛṣṇadāsa Adhikārī listed all the books of the Gosvāmīs in his diary.

The sahajiyās level three accusations against Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. This is certainly not congenial for the execution of devotional service. The first accusation concerns a materialist who was very proud of his reputation as a great Sanskrit scholar and approached Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana to argue with them about the revealed scriptures. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī, not wanting to waste their time, gave him a written statement that he had defeated them in a debate on the revealed scriptures. Taking this paper, the scholar approached Jīva Gosvāmī for a similar certificate of defeat, but Jīva Gosvāmī did not agree to give him one. On the contrary, he argued with him regarding the scriptures and defeated him. Certainly it was right for Jīva Gosvāmī to stop such a dishonest scholar from advertising that he had defeated Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī, but due to their illiteracy the sahajiyā class refer to this incident to accuse Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī of deviating from the principle of humility. They do not know, however, that humility and meekness are appropriate when one’s own honor is insulted but not when Lord Viṣṇu or the ācāryas are blasphemed. In such cases one should not be humble and meek but must act. One should follow the example given by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Lord Caitanya says in His Śikṣāṣṭaka (3):

tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror ivasahiṣṇunā
amāninā mānadena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

“One can chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.” Nevertheless, when the Lord was informed that Nityānanda Prabhu was injured by Jagāi and Mādhāi, He immediately went to the spot, angry like fire, wanting to kill them. Thus Lord Caitanya has explained His verse by the example of His own behavior. One should tolerate insults against oneself, but when there is blasphemy committed against superiors such as other Vaiṣṇavas, one should be neither humble nor meek; one must take proper steps to counteract such blasphemy. This is the duty of a servant of a guru and Vaiṣṇavas. Anyone who understands the principle of eternal servitude to the guru and Vaiṣṇavas will appreciate the action of Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī in connection with the so-called scholar’s victory over his gurus, Śrīla Rūpa and Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī.

Another story fabricated to defame Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī states that after compiling Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī showed the manuscript to Jīva Gosvāmī, who thought that it would hamper his reputation as a big scholar and therefore threw it into a well. Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī was greatly shocked, and he died immediately. Fortunately a copy of the manuscript of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta had been kept by a person named Mukunda, and therefore later it was possible to publish the book. This story is another ignominious example of blasphemy against a guru and Vaiṣṇava. Such a story should never be accepted as authoritative.

According to another accusation, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī did not approve of the principles of the pārakīya-rasa of Vraja-dhāma and therefore supported svakīya-rasa, showing that Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are eternally married. Actually, when Jīva Gosvāmī was alive, some of his followers disliked the pārakīya-rasa of the gopīs. Therefore Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, for their spiritual benefit, supported svakīya-rasa, for he could understand that sahajiyās would otherwise exploit the pārakīya-rasa, as they are actually doing at the present. Unfortunately, in Vṛndāvana and Navadvīpa it has become fashionable among sahajiyās, in their debauchery, to find an unmarried sexual partner to live with to execute so-called devotional service in pārakīya-rasa. Foreseeing this, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī supported svakīya-rasa, and later all the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas also approved of it. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī was never opposed to the transcendental pārakīya-rasa, nor has any other Vaiṣṇava disapproved of it. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī strictly followed his predecessor gurus and Vaiṣṇavas, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī, and Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī accepted him as one of his instructor gurus.

TEXT 86

mālīra icchāya śākhā bahuta bāḍila

bāḍiyā paścima deśa saba ācchādila

SYNONYMS

mālīra icchāya-on the desire of the gardener; śākhā-branches; bahuta-many; bāḍila-expanded; bāḍiyā-so expanding; paścima-western; deśa-countries; saba-all; ācchādila-covered.

TRANSLATION

By the will of the supreme gardener, the branches of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī grew many times over, expanding throughout the western countries and covering the entire region.

TEXT 87

ā-sindhunadī-tīra āra himālaya

vṛndāvana-mathurādi yata tīrtha haya

SYNONYMS

ā-sindhu-nadī-to the border of the river Sindhu; tīra-border; āra-and; himālaya-the Himalayan Mountains; vṛndāvana-of the name Vṛndāvana; mathurā-of the name Mathurā; ādi-heading the list; yata-all; tīrtha-places of pilgrimage; haya-there are.

TRANSLATION

Extending to the borders of the river Sindhu and the Himalayan Mountain valleys, these two branches expanded throughout India, including all the places of pilgrimage, such as Vṛndāvana, Mathurā and Haridvāra.

TEXT 88

dui śākhāra prema-phale sakala bhāsila

prema-phalāsvāde loka unmatta ha-ila

SYNONYMS

dui śākhāra-of the two branches; prema-phale-by the fruit of love of Godhead; sakala-all; bhāsila-became overflooded; prema-phala-the fruit of love of Godhead; āsvāde-by tasting; loka-all people; unmatta-maddened; ha-ila-became.

TRANSLATION

The fruits of love of Godhead which fructified on these two branches were distributed in abundance. Tasting these fruits, everyone became mad after them.

TEXT 89

paścimera loka saba mūḍha anācāra

tāhāṅ pracārila doṅhe bhakti-sadācāra

SYNONYMS

paścimera-on the western side; loka-people in general; saba-all; mūḍha-less intelligent; anācāra-not well behaved; tāhāṅ-there; pracārila-preached; doṅhe-Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī; bhakti-devotional service; sad-ācāra-good behavior.

TRANSLATION

The people in general on the western side of India were neither intelligent nor well behaved, but by the influence of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī they were trained in devotional service and good behavior.

PURPORT

Although it is not only in western India that people were contaminated by association with Muslims, it is a fact that the farther west one goes in India the more he will find the people to be fallen from the Vedic culture. Even until five thousand years ago, when the entire planet was under the control of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the Vedic culture was current everywhere. Gradually, however, people were influenced by non-Vedic culture, and they lost sight of how to behave in connection with devotional service. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī very kindly preached the bhakti cult in western India, and following in their footsteps the propagators of the Caitanya cult in the Western countries are spreading the saṅkīrtana movement and inculcating the principles of Vaiṣṇava behavior, thus purifying and reforming many persons who were previously accustomed to the culture of mlecchas and yavanas. All of our devotees in the Western countries give up their old habits of illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. Of course, five hundred years ago these practices were unknown in India-at least in eastern India-but unfortunately at present all of India has been victimized by these non-Vedic principles, which are sometimes even supported by the government.

TEXT 90

śāstra-dṛṣṭye kaila lupta-tīrthera uddhāra

vṛndāvane kaila śrīmūrti-sevāra pracāra

SYNONYMS

śāstra-dṛṣṭye-according to the directions of revealed scriptures; kaila-did; lupta-forgotten; tīrthera-places of pilgrimage; uddhāra-excavation; vṛndāvane-in Vṛndāvana; kaila-did; śrī-mūrti-Deity; sevāra-of worship; pracāra-propagation.

TRANSLATION

In accordance with the directions of the revealed scriptures, both Gosvāmīs excavated the lost places of pilgrimage and inaugurated the worship of Deities in Vṛndāvana.

PURPORT

The spot where we now find Śrī Rādhā-kuṇḍa was an agricultural field during the time of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. A small reservoir of water was there, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu bathed in that water and pointed out that originally Rādhā-kuṇḍa existed in that location. Following His directions, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī renovated Rādhā-kuṇḍa. This is one of the brilliant examples of how the Gosvāmīs excavated lost places of pilgrimage. Similarly, it is through the endeavor of the Gosvāmīs that all the important temples at Vṛndāvana were established. Originally there were seven important Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava temples established in Vṛndāvana, namely, the Madana-mohana temple, Govinda temple, Gopīnātha temple, Śrī Rādhāramaṇa temple, Rādhā-Śyāmasundara temple, Rādhā-Dāmodara temple and Gokulānanda temple.

TEXT 91

mahāprabhura priya bhṛtya–raghunātha-dāsa

sarva tyaji’ kaila prabhura pada-tale vāsa

SYNONYMS

mahāprabhura-of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; priya-very dear; bhṛtya-servant; raghunātha-dāsa-Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī; sarva tyaji’-renouncing everything; kaila-did; prabhura-of the Lord; pada-tale-under the shelter of the lotus feet; vāsa-habitation.

TRANSLATION

Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, the forty-sixth branch of the tree, was one of the most dear servants of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He left all his material possessions to surrender completely unto the Lord and live at His lotus feet.

PURPORT

Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was most probably born in the year 1416 śakābda (A.D. 1495) in a kāyastha family as the son of Govardhana Majumdāra, who was the younger brother of the then Zamindar, Hiraṇya Majumdāra. The village where he took birth is known as Śrī Kṛṣṇapura. On the railway line between Calcutta and Burdwan is a station named Triśābaghā, and about one and a half miles away is the village of Śrī Kṛṣṇapura, where the parental home of Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was situated. A temple of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda is still there. In front of the temple is a large open area but no large hall for meetings. However, a rich Calcutta gentleman named Haricaraṇa Ghoṣa, who resided in the Simlā quarter, recently repaired the temple. The entire temple compound is surrounded by walls, and in a small room just to the side of the temple is a small platform on which Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī used to worship the Deity. By the side of the temple is the dying River Sarasvatī.

The forefathers of Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī were all Vaiṣṇavas and were very rich men. His spiritual master at home was Yadunandana Ācārya. Although Raghunātha dāsa was a family man, he had no attachment for his estate and wife. Seeing his tendency to leave home, his father and uncle engaged special bodyguards to watch over him, but nevertheless he managed to escape their vigilance and went away to Jagannātha Purī to meet Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This incident took place in the year 1439 śakābda (A.D. 1518). Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī compiled three books, named Stava-mālā (or Stavāvalī), Dāna-carita and Muktācarita. He lived a long time. For most of his life he resided at Rādhā-kuṇḍa. The place where Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī performed his devotional service still exists by Rādhā-kuṇḍa. He almost completely gave up eating, and therefore he was very skinny and of weak health. His only concern was to chant the holy name of the Lord. He gradually reduced his sleeping until he was almost not sleeping at all. It is said that his eyes were always full of tears. When Śrīnivāsa Ācārya went to see Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, the Gosvāmī blessed him by embracing him. Śrīnivāsa Ācārya requested his blessings for preaching in Bengal, and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī granted them. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (186) it is stated that Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was formerly the gopī named Rasa-mañjarī. Sometimes it is said that he was Rati-mañjarī.

TEXT 92

prabhu samarpila tāṅre svarūpera hāte

prabhura gupta-sevā kaila svarūpera sāthe

SYNONYMS

prabhu-Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; samarpila-handed over; tāṅre-him; svarūpera-Svarūpa Dāmodara; hāte-to the hand; prabhura-of the Lord; gupta-sevā-confidential service; kaila-did; svarūpera-Svarūpa Dāmodara; sāthe-with.

TRANSLATION

When Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī approached Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Jagannātha Purī, the Lord entrusted him to the care of Svarūpa Dāmodara, His secretary. Thus they both engaged in the confidential service of the Lord.

PURPORT

This confidential service was the personal care of the Lord. Svarūpa Dāmodara, acting as His secretary, attended to the Lord’s baths, meals, rest and massages, and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī assisted him. In effect, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī acted as the assistant secretary of the Lord.

TEXT 93

ṣoḍaśa vatsara kaila antaraṅga-sevana

svarūpera antardhāne āilā vṛndāvana

SYNONYMS

ṣoḍaśa-sixteen; vatsara-years; kaila-did; antaraṅga-confidential; sevana-service; svarūpera-of Svarūpa Dāmodara; antardhāne-disappearance; āilā-came; vṛndāvana-to Vṛndāvana.

TRANSLATION

He rendered confidential service to the Lord for sixteen years at Jagannātha Purī, and after the disappearance of both the Lord and Svarūpa Dāmodara, he left Jagannātha Purī and went to Vṛndāvana.

TEXT 94

vṛndāvane dui bhāira caraṇa dekhiyā

govardhane tyajiba deha bhṛgupāta kariyā

SYNONYMS

vṛndāvane-at Vṛndāvana; dui bhāira-the two brothers (Rūpa and Sanātana); caraṇa-feet; dekhiyā-after seeing; govardhane-on the hill of Govardhana; tyajiba-will give up; deha-this body; bhṛgupāta-falling down; kariyā-doing so.

TRANSLATION

Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī intended to go to Vṛndāvana to see the lotus feet of Rūpa and Sanātana and then give up his life by jumping from Govardhana Hill.

PURPORT

Jumping from the top of Govardhana Hill is a system of suicide especially performed by saintly persons. After the disappearance of Lord Caitanya and Svarūpa Dāmodara, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī keenly felt separation from these two exalted personalities and therefore decided to give up his life by jumping from Govardhana Hill in Vṛndāvana. Before doing so, however, he wanted to see the lotus feet of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī.

TEXT 95

ei ta’ niścaya kari’ āila vṛndāvane

āsi’ rūpa-sanātanera vandila caraṇe

SYNONYMS

ei ta’-thus; niścaya kari’-having decided; āila-came; vṛndāvane-to Vṛndāvana; āsi’-coming there; rūpa-sanātanera-of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī; vandila-offered respects; caraṇe-at the lotus feet.

TRANSLATION

Thus Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī came to Vṛndāvana, visited Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī and offered them his obeisances.

TEXT 96

tabe dui bhāi tāṅre marite nā dila

nija tṛtīya bhāi kari’ nikaṭe rākhila

SYNONYMS

tabe-at that time; dui bhāi-the two brothers (Śrīla Rūpa and Sanātana); tāṅre-him; marite-to die; nā dila-did not allow; nija-own; tṛtīya-third; bhāi-brother; kari’-accepting; nikaṭe-near; rākhila-kept him.

TRANSLATION

These two brothers, however, did not allow him to die. They accepted him as their third brother and kept him in their company.

TEXT 97

mahāprabhura līlā yata bāhira-antara

dui bhāi tāṅra mukhe śune nirantara

SYNONYMS

mahāprabhura-of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; līlā-pastimes; yata-all; bāhira-external; antara-internal; dui bhāi-the two brothers; tāṅra-his; mukhe-in the mouth; śune-hear; nirantara-always.

TRANSLATION

Because Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was an assistant to Svarūpa Dāmodara, he knew much about the external and internal features of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya. Thus the two brothers Rūpa and Sanātana always used to hear of this from him.

TEXT 98

anna-jala tyāga kaila anya-kathana

pala dui-tina māṭhā karena bhakṣaṇa

SYNONYMS

anna-jala-food and drink; tyāga-renunciation; kaila-did; anya-kathana-talking of other things; pala dui-tina-a few drops of; māṭhā-sour milk; karena-does; bhakṣaṇa-eat.

TRANSLATION

Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī gradually gave up all food and drink but a few drops of buttermilk.

TEXT 99

sahasra daṇḍavat kare, laya lakṣa nāma

dui sahasra vaiṣṇavere nitya paraṇāma

SYNONYMS

sahasra-thousand; daṇḍavat-obeisances; kare-does; laya-takes; lakṣa-one hundred thousand; nāma-holy names; dui-two; sahasra-thousand; vaiṣṇavere-unto the devotees; nitya-daily; paraṇāma-obeisances.

TRANSLATION

As a daily duty, he regularly offered one thousand obeisances to the Lord, chanted at least one hundred thousand holy names and offered obeisances to two thousand Vaiṣṇavas.

TEXT 100

rātri-dine rādhā-kṛṣṇera mānasa sevana

prahareka mahāprabhura caritra-kathana

SYNONYMS

rātri-dine-day and night; rādhā-kṛṣṇera-of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa; mānasa-within the mind; sevana-service; prahareka-about three hours; mahāprabhura-of Lord Caitanya; caritra-character; kathana-discussing.

TRANSLATION

Day and night he rendered service within his mind to Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, and for three hours a day he discoursed about the character of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

PURPORT

We have many things to learn about bhajana, or worship of the Lord, by following in the footsteps of Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. All the Gosvāmīs engaged in such transcendental activities, as described by Śrīnivāsa Ācārya in his poem about them (kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī). Following in the footsteps of Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī, one has to execute devotional service very strictly, specifically by chanting the holy name of the Lord.

TEXT 101

tina sandhyā rādhā-kuṇḍe apatita snāna

vraja-vāsī vaiṣṇave kare āliṅgana māna

SYNONYMS

tina sandhyā-three times, namely morning, evening and noon; rādhā-kuṇḍe-in the lake of Rādhā-kuṇḍa; apatita-without failure; snāna-taking bath; vraja-vāsī-inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi; vaiṣṇave-all devotees; kare-does; āliṅgana-embracing; māna-and offering respect.

TRANSLATION

Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī took three baths daily in the Rādhā-kuṇḍa lake. As soon as he found a Vaiṣṇava residing in Vṛndāvana, he would embrace him and give him all respect.

TEXT 102

sārdha sapta-prahara kare bhaktira sādhane

cāri daṇḍa nidrā, seha nahe kona-dine

SYNONYMS

sārdha-one and a half hours; sapta-prahara-seven praharas (twenty-one hours); kare-does; bhaktira-of devotional service; sādhane-in execution; cāri daṇḍa-about two hours; nidrā-sleeping; seha-that also; nahe-not; kona-dine-some days.

TRANSLATION

He engaged himself in devotional service for more than twenty-two and a half hours a day, and for less than two hours he slept, although on some days that also was not possible.

TEXT 103

tāṅhāra sādhana-rīti śunite camatkāra

sei rūpa-raghunātha prabhu ye āmāra

SYNONYMS

tāṅhāra-his; sādhana-rīti-process of devotional service; śunite-to hear; camatkāra-wonderful; sei-that; rūpa-Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī; raghunātha-Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī; prabhu-lord; ye-that; āmāra-my.

TRANSLATION

I am struck with wonder when I hear about the devotional service he executed. I accept Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī as my guides.

PURPORT

Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī accepted Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī as his special guide. Therefore at the end of every chapter he says, śrī-rūpa-raghunātha-pade yāra āśa caitanya-caritāmṛta kahe kṛṣṇadāsa. Sometimes it is misunderstood that by using the word raghunātha he wanted to offer his respectful obeisances to Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, for it is sometimes stated that Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī was his initiating spiritual master. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī does not approve of this statement; he does not accept Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī as the spiritual master of Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī.

TEXT 104

iṅhā-sabāra yaiche haila prabhura milana

āge vistāriyā tāhā kariba varṇana

SYNONYMS

iṅhā-of them; sabāra-all; yaiche-as; haila-became; prabhura-of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; milana-meeting; āge-later on; vistāriyā-expanding; tāhā-that; kariba-I shall do; varṇana-description.

TRANSLATION

I shall later explain very elaborately how all these devotees met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 105

śrī-gopāla bhaṭṭa eka śākhā sarvottama

rūpa-sanātana-saṅge yāṅra prema-ālāpana

SYNONYMS

śrī-gopāla bhaṭṭa-of the name Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa; eka-one; śākhā-branch; sarva-uttama-very exalted; rūpa-of the name Rūpa; sanātana-of the name Sanātana; saṅge-company; yāṅra-whose; prema-love of Godhead; ālāpana-discussion.

TRANSLATION

Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, the forty-seventh branch, was one of the great and exalted branches of the tree. He always engaged in discourses about love of Godhead in the company of Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī.

PURPORT

Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī was the son of Veṅkata Bhaṭṭa, a resident of Śrīraṅgam. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa formerly belonged to the disciplic succession of the Rāmānuja-sampradāya but later became part of the Gauḍīya-sampradāya. In the year 1433 śakābda (A.D. 1512), when Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was touring South India, He stayed for four months during the period of Cāturmāsya at the house of Veṅkata Bhaṭṭa, who then got the opportunity to serve the Lord to his heart’s content. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa also got the opportunity to serve the Lord at this time. Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī was later initiated by his uncle, the great sannyāsī Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī. Both the father and mother of Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī were extremely fortunate, for they dedicated their entire lives to the service of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They allowed Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī to go to Vṛndāvana, and they gave up their lives thinking of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. When Lord Caitanya was later informed that Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī had gone to Vṛndāvana and met Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmī, He was very pleased, and He advised Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana to accept Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī as their younger brother and take care of him. Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, out of his great affection for Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, compiled the Vaiṣṇava smṛti named Hari-bhakti-vilāsa and published it under his name. Under the instruction of Śrīla Rūpa and Sanātana, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī installed one of the seven principal Deities of Vṛndāvana, the Rādhāramaṇa Deity. The sevaits (priests) of the Rādhāramaṇa temple belong to the Gauḍīya-sampradāya.

When Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī took permission from all the Vaiṣṇavas before writing Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī also gave him his blessings, but he requested him not to mention his name in the book. Therefore Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī has mentioned Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī only very cautiously in one or two passages of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has written in the beginning of his Tattva-sandarbha, “A devotee from southern India who was born of a brāhmaṇa family and was a very intimate friend of Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī has written a book that he has not compiled chronologically. Therefore I, a tiny living entity known as jīva, am trying to assort the events of the book chronologically, consulting the direction of great personalities like Madhvācārya, Śrīdhara Svāmī, Rāmānujācārya and other senior Vaiṣṇavas in the disciplic succession.” In the beginning of the Bhagavat-sandarbha there are similar statements by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī compiled a book called Sat-kriyā-sāra-dīpikā, edited the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, wrote a forword to the Ṣaṭ-sandarbha and a commentary on the Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta, and installed the Rādhāramaṇa Deity in Vṛndāvana. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 184, it is mentioned that his previous name in the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa was Anaṅga-mañjarī. Sometimes he is also said to have been an incarnation of Guṇa-mañjarī. Śrīnivāsa Ācārya and Gopīnātha Pūjārī were two of his disciples.

TEXT 106

śaṅkarāraṇya–ācārya-vṛkṣera eka śākhā

mukunda, kāśīnātha, rudra–upaśākhā lekhā

SYNONYMS

śaṅkarāraṇya-of the name Śaṅkarāraṇya; ācārya-vṛkṣera-of the tree of ācāryas; eka-one; śākhā-branch; mukunda-of the name Mukunda; kāśīnātha-of the name Kāśīnātha; rudra-of the name Rudra; upaśākhā lekhā-they are known as subbranches.

TRANSLATION

The ācārya Śaṅkarāraṇya was considered the forty-eighth branch of the original tree. From him proceeded the subbranches known as Mukunda, Kāśīnātha and Rudra.

PURPORT

It is said that Śaṅkarāraṇya was the sannyāsa name of Śrīla Viśvarūpa, who was the elder brother of Viśvambhara (the original name of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu). Śaṅkarāraṇya expired in 1432 śakābda (A.D. 1512) at Sholapur, where there is a place of pilgrimage known as Pāṇḍerapura. This is referred to in the Madhya-līlā, Chapter Nine, verses 299 and 300.

Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu opened a primary school in the house of Mukunda, or Mukunda Sañjaya, and Mukunda’s son, whose name was Puruṣottama, became the Lord’s student. Kāśīnātha arranged the marriage of Lord Caitanya in His previous āśrama, when His name was Viśvambhara. Kāśīnātha induced the court paṇḍita, Sanātana, to offer Viśvambhara his daughter. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 50, it is mentioned that Kāśīnātha was an incarnation of the brāhmaṇa Kulaka, whom Satrājit sent to arrange the marriage of Kṛṣṇa and Satyabhāmā, and it is mentioned in verse 135 that Rudra, or Śrī Rudrarāma Paṇḍita, was formerly a friend of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s named Varūthapa. Śrī Rudrarāma Paṇḍita constructed a big temple at Vallabhapura, which is one mile north of Māheśa, for the Deities named Rādhāvallabha. The descendants of his brother, Yadunandana Vandyopādhyāya, are known as Cakravartī Ṭhākuras, and they are in charge of the maintenance of this temple as sevaits. Formerly the Jagannātha Deity used to come to the temple of Rādhāvallabha from Māheśa during the Ratha-yātrā festival, but in the Bengali year 1262 (A.D. 1855), due to a misunderstanding between the priests of the two temples, the Jagannātha Deity stopped coming.

TEXT 107

śrīnātha paṇḍita–prabhura kṛpāra bhājana

yāṅra kṛṣṇa-sevā dekhi’ vaśa tri-bhuvana

SYNONYMS

śrīnātha paṇḍita-of the name Śrīnātha Paṇḍita; prabhura-of the Lord; kṛpāra-of mercy; bhājana-receiver; yāṅra-whose; kṛṣṇa-sevā-worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa; dekhi’-seeing; vaśa-subjugated; tri-bhuvana-all the three worlds.

TRANSLATION

Śrīnātha Paṇḍita, the forty-ninth branch, was the beloved recipient of all the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Everyone in the three worlds was astonished to see how he worshiped Lord Kṛṣṇa.

PURPORT

About one and a half miles away from Kumārahaṭṭa, or Kāmarhaṭṭa, which is a few miles from Calcutta, is a village known as Kāṅcaḍāpāḍā which was the home of Śrī Śivānanda Sena. There he constructed a temple of Śrī Gauragopāla. Another temple was established there with Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa mūrtis by Śrīnātha Paṇḍita. The Deity of that temple is named Śrī Kṛṣṇa Rāya. The temple of Kṛṣṇa Rāya, which was constructed in the year 1708 śakābda (A.D. 1787) by a prominent Zamindar named Nimāi Mullik of Pāthuriyā-ghāṭa in Calcutta, is very large. There is a big courtyard in front of the temple, and there are residential quarters for visitors and good arrangements for cooking prasāda. The entire courtyard is surrounded by very high boundary walls, and the temple is almost as big as the Māheśa temple. Inscribed on a tablet are the names of Śrīnātha Paṇḍita and his father and grandfather and the date of construction of the temple. Śrīnātha Paṇḍita, one of the disciples of Advaita Prabhu, was the spiritual master of the third son of Śivānanda Sena, who was known as Paramānanda Kavi-karṇapūra. It is said that during the time of Kavi-karṇapūra the Kṛṣṇa Rāya Deity was installed. According to hearsay, Vīrabhadra Prabhu, the son of Nityānanda Prabhu, brought a big stone from Murśidābād from which three Deities were carved-namely, the Rādhāvallabha vigraha of Vallabhapura, the Śyāmasundara vigraha of Khaḍadaha and the Śrī Kṛṣṇa Rāya vigraha of Kāṅcaḍāpāḍā. The home of Śivānanda Sena was situated on the bank of the Ganges near an almost ruined temple. It is said that the same Nimāi Mullik of Calcutta saw this broken-down temple of Kṛṣṇa Rāya while he was going to Benares and thereafter constructed the present temple.

TEXT 108

jagannātha ācārya prabhura priya dāsa

prabhura ājñāte teṅho kaila gaṅgā-vāsa

SYNONYMS

jagannātha ācārya-of the name Jagannātha Ācārya; prabhura-of the Lord; priya dāsa-very dear servant; prabhura ājñāte-by the order of the Lord; teṅho-he; kaila-agreed; gaṅgā-vāsa-living on the bank of the Ganges.

TRANSLATION

Jagannātha Ācārya, the fiftieth branch of the Caitanya tree, was an extremely dear servant of the Lord, by whose order he decided to live on the bank of the Ganges.

PURPORT

Jagannātha Ācārya is stated in the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (111) to have formerly been Durvāsā of Nidhuvana.

TEXT 109

kṛṣṇadāsa vaidya, āra paṇḍita-śekhara

kavicandra, āra kīrtanīyā ṣaṣṭhīvara

SYNONYMS

kṛṣṇadāsa vaidya-of the name Kṛṣṇadāsa Vaidya; āra-and; paṇḍita-śekhara-of the name Paṇḍita Śekhara; kavicandra-of the name Kavicandra; āra-and; kīrtanīyā-kīrtana performer; ṣaṣṭhīvara-of the name Ṣaṣṭhīvara.

TRANSLATION

The fifty-first branch of the Caitanya tree was Kṛṣṇadāsa Vaidya, the fifty-second was Paṇḍita Śekhara, the fifty-third was Kavicandra, and the fifty-fourth was Ṣaṣṭhīvara, who was a great saṅkīrtana performer.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (171) it is mentioned that Śrīnātha Miśra was Citrāṅgī and that Kavicandra was Manoharā-gopī.

TEXT 110

śrīnātha miśra, śubhānanda, śrīrāma, īśāna

śrīnidhi, śrīgopīkānta, miśra bhagavān

SYNONYMS

śrīnātha miśra-of the name Śrīnātha Miśra; śubhānanda-of the name Śubhānanda; śrīrāma-of the name Śrīrāma; īśāna-of the name Īśāna; śrīnidhi-of the name Śrīnidhi; śrī-gopīkānta-of the name Śrī Gopīkānta; miśra bhagavān-of the name Miśra Bhagavān.

TRANSLATION

The fifty-fifth branch was Śrīnātha Miśra, the fifty-sixth was Śubhānanda, the fifty-seventh was Śrīrāma, the fifty-eighth was Īśāna, the fifty-ninth was Śrīnidhi, the sixtieth was Śrī Gopīkānta, and the sixty-first was Miśra Bhagavān.

PURPORT

Śubhānanda, who formerly lived in Vṛndāvana as Mālatī, was one of the kīrtana performers who danced in front of the Ratha-yātrā car during the Jagannātha festival. It is said that he ate the foam that came out of the mouth of the Lord while He danced before the Ratha-yātrā car. Īśāna was a personal servant of Śrīmatī Śacīdevī, who showered her great mercy upon him. He was also very dear to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 111

subuddhi miśra, hṛdayānanda, kamala-nayana

maheśa paṇḍita, śrīkara, śrī-madhusūdana

SYNONYMS

subuddhi miśra-of the name Subuddhi Miśra; hṛdayānanda-of the name Hṛdayānanda; kamala-nayana-of the name Kamala-nayana; maheśa paṇḍita-of the name Maheśa Paṇḍita; śrīkara-of the name Śrīkara; śrī-madhusūdana-of the name Śrī Madhusūdana.

TRANSLATION

The sixty-second branch of the tree was Subuddhi Miśra, the sixty-third was Hṛdayānanda, the sixty-fourth was Kamala-nayana, the sixty-fifth was Maheśa Paṇḍita, the sixty-sixth was Śrīkara, and the sixty-seventh was Śrī Madhusūdana.

PURPORT

Subuddhi Miśra, who was formerly Guṇacūḍā in Vṛndāvana, installed Gaura-Nityānanda Deities in a temple in the village known as Belagān, which is about three miles away from Śrīkhaṇḍa. His present descendant is known as Govindacandra Gosvāmī.

TEXT 112

puruṣottama, śrī-gālīma, jagannātha-dāsa

śrī-candraśekhara vaidya, dvija haridāsa

SYNONYMS

puruṣottama-of the name Puruṣottama; śrī-gālīma-of the name Śrī Gālīma; jagannātha-dāsa-of the name Jagannātha dāsa; śrī-candreśekhara vaidya-of the name Śrī Candraśekhara Vaidya; dvija haridāsa-of the name Dvija Haridāsa.

TRANSLATION

The sixty-eighth branch of the original tree was Puruṣottama, the sixty-ninth was Śrī Gālīma, the seventieth was Jagannātha dāsa, the seventy-first was Śrī Candraśekhara Vaidya, and the seventy-second was Dvija Haridāsa.

PURPORT

There is some question about whether Dvija Haridāsa was the author of Aṣṭottara-śata-nāma. He had two sons named Śrīdāma and Gokulānanda, who were disciples of Śrī Advaita Ācārya. Their village, Kāñcana-gaḍiyā, is situated within five miles of the Bājārasāu station, the fifth station from Ājīmagañja in the district of Murśidābād, West Bengal.

TEXT 113

rāmadāsa, kavicandra, śrī-gopāladāsa

bhāgavatācārya, ṭhākura sāraṅgadāsa

SYNONYMS

rāmadāsa-of the name Rāmadāsa; kavicandra-of the name Kavicandra; śrī gopāla-dāsa-of the name Śrī Gopāla dāsa; bhāgavatācārya-of the name Bhāgavatācārya; ṭhākura sāraṅga-dāsa-of the name Ṭhākura Sāraṅga dāsa.

TRANSLATION

The seventy-third branch of the original tree was Rāmadāsa, the seventy-fourth was Kavicandra, the seventy-fifth was Śrī Gopāla dāsa, the seventy-sixth was Bhāgavatācārya, and the seventy-seventh was Ṭhākura Sāraṅga dāsa.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (203) it is said, “Bhāgavatācārya compiled a book entitled Kṛṣṇa-prema-taraṅgiṇī, and he was the most beloved devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.” When Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited Varāhanagara, a suburb of Calcutta, He stayed in the house of a most fortunate brāhmaṇa who was a very learned scholar in Bhāgavata literature. As soon as this brāhmaṇa saw Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he began to read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. When Mahāprabhu heard his explanation, which expounded bhakti-yoga, He immediately became unconscious in ecstasy. Lord Caitanya later said, “I have never heard such a nice explanation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. I therefore designate you Bhāgavatācārya. Your only duty is to recite Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That is My injunction.” His real name was Raghunātha. His monastery, which is situated in Varāhanagara, about three and a half miles north of Calcutta on the bank of the Ganges, still exists, and it is managed by the initiated disciples of the late Śrī Rāmadāsa Bābājī. Presently, however, it is not as well managed as in the presence of Bābājī Mahārāja.

Another name of Ṭhākura Śāraṅga dāsa was Śārṅga Ṭhākura. Sometimes he was also called Śārṅgapāṇi or Śārṅgadhara. He was a resident of Navadvīpa in the neighborhood known as Modadruma-dvīpa, and he used to worship the Supreme Lord in a secluded place on the bank of the Ganges. He did not accept disciples, but he was repeatedly inspired from within by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to do so. Thus one morning he decided, “Whomever I see I shall make my disciple.” When he went to the bank of the Ganges to take his bath, by chance he saw a dead body floating in the water, and he touched it with his feet. This immediately brought the body to life, and Ṭhākura Sāraṅga dāsa accepted him as his disciple. This disciple later became famous as Ṭhākura Murāri, and his name is always associated with that of Śrī Sāraṅga. His disciplic succession still inhabits the village of Śar. There is a temple at Māmagācchi that is said to have been started by Śārṅga Ṭhākura. Not long ago, a new temple building was erected in front of a bakula tree there, and it is now being managed by the members of the Gauḍīya Maṭha. It is said that the management of the temple is now far better than before. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (172) it is stated that Śāraṅga Ṭhākura was formerly a gopī named Nāndīmukhī. Some devotees say that he was formerly Prahlāda Mahārāja, but Śrī Kavi-karṇapūra says that his father, Śivānanda Sena, does not accept this proposition.

TEXT 114

jagannātha tīrtha, vipra śrī-jānakīnātha

gopāla ācārya, āra vipra vāṇīnātha

SYNONYMS

jagannātha tīrtha-of the name Jagannātha Tīrtha; vipra-brāhmaṇa; śrī-jānakīnātha-of the name Śrī Jānakīnātha; gopāla ācārya-of the name Gopāla Ācārya; āra-and; vipra vāṇīnātha-the brāhmaṇa of the name Vāṇīnātha.

TRANSLATION

The seventy-eighth branch of the original tree was Jagannātha Tīrtha, the seventy-ninth was the brāhmaṇa Śrī Jānakīnātha, the eightieth was Gopāla Ācārya, and the eighty-first was the brāhmaṇa Vāṇīnātha.

PURPORT

Jagannātha Tīrtha was one of the nine principal sannyāsīs who were Lord Caitanya’s associates. Vāṇīnātha Vipra was a resident of Cāṅpāhāṭi, a village in the district of Burdwan near the town of Navadvīpa, the police station of Pūrvasthalī and the post office of Samudragaḍa. The temple there was very much neglected, but it was renovated in the Bengali year 1328 (A.D. 1921) by Śrī Paramānanda Brahmacārī, one of Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s disciples, who reorganized the sevā-pūjā (worship in the temple) and placed the temple under the management of the Śrī Caitanya Maṭha of Śrī Māyāpur. In the temple as it now exists, the Deity of Śrī Gaura-Gadādhara is worshiped strictly according to the principles of the revealed scriptures. Cāṅpāhāṭi is two miles away from both Samudragaḍa and the Navadvīpa station of the eastern railway.

TEXT 115

govinda, mādhava, vāsudeva–tina bhāi

yāṅ-sabāra kīrtane nāce caitanya-nitāi

SYNONYMS

govinda-of the name Govinda; mādhava-of the name Mādhava; vāsudeva-of the name Vāsudeva; tina bhāi-three brothers; yāṅ-sabāra-all of whom; kīrtane-in the performance of saṅkīrtana; nāce-dance; caitanya-nitāi-Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda Prabhu.

TRANSLATION

The three brothers Govinda, Mādhava and Vāsudeva were the eighty-second, eighty-third and eighty-fourth branches of the tree. Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda used to dance in their kīrtana performances.

PURPORT

The three brothers Govinda, Mādhava and Vāsudeva Ghoṣa all belonged to a kāyastha family. Govinda established the Gopīnātha temple in Agradvīpa, where he resided. Mādhava Ghoṣa was expert in performing kīrtana. No one within this world could compete with him. He was known as the singer of Vṛndāvana and was very dear to Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. It is said that when the three brothers performed saṅkīrtana, immediately Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda would dance in ecstasy. According to the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (188), the three brothers were formerly Kalāvatī, Rasollāsā and Guṇatuṅgā, who recited the songs composed by Śrī Viśākhā-gopī. The three brothers were among one of the seven parties that performed kīrtana when Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu attended the Ratha-yātrā festival at Jagannātha Purī. Vakreśvara Paṇḍita was the chief dancer in their party. This is vividly described in the Madhya-līlā, Chapter Thirteen, verses 42 and 43.

TEXT 116

rāmadāsa abhirāma–sakhya-premarāśi

ṣolasāṅgera kāṣṭha tuli’ ye karila vāṅśī

SYNONYMS

rāmadāsa abhirāma-of the name Rāmadāsa Abhirāma; sakhya-prema-friendship; rāśi-great volume; ṣolasa-aṅgera-of sixteen knots; kaṣṭha-wood; tuli’-lifting; ye-one who; karila-made; vāṅśī-flute.

TRANSLATION

Rāmadāsa Abhirāma was fully absorbed in the mellow of friendship. He made a flute of a bamboo stick with sixteen knots.

PURPORT

Abhirāma was an inhabitant of Khānākula-kṛṣṇa-nagara.

TEXT 117

prabhura ājñāya nityānanda gauḍe calilā

tāṅra saṅge tina-jana prabhu-ājñāya āilā

SYNONYMS

prabhura ājñāya-under the order of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; nityānanda-Lord Nityānanda; gauḍe-to Bengal; calilā-went back; tāṅra saṅge-in His company; tina jana-three men; prabhu-ājñāya-under the order of the Lord; āilā-went.

TRANSLATION

By the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, three devotees accompanied Lord Nityānanda Prabhu when He returned to Bengal to preach.

TEXT 118

rāmadāsa, mādhava, āra vāsudeva ghoṣa

prabhu-saṅge rahe govinda pāiyā santoṣa

SYNONYMS

rāmadāsa-of the name Rāmadāsa; mādhava-of the name Mādhava; āra-and; vāsudeva ghoṣa-of the name Vāsudeva Ghoṣa; prabhu-saṅge-in the company of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; rahe-remained; govinda-of the name Govinda; pāiyā-feeling; santoṣa-great satisfaction.

TRANSLATION

These three were Rāmadāsa, Mādhava Ghoṣa and Vāsudeva Ghoṣa. Govinda Ghoṣa, however, remained with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Jagannātha Purī and thus felt great satisfaction.

TEXT 119

bhāgavatācārya, cirañjīva śrī-raghunandana

mādhavācārya, kamalākānta, śrī-yadunandana

SYNONYMS

bhāgavatācārya-of the name Bhāgavatācārya; cirañjīva-of the name Cirañjīva; śrī-raghunandana-of the name Śrī Raghunandana; mādhavācārya-of the name Mādhavācārya; kamalākānta-of the name Kamalākānta; śrī-yadunandana-of the name Śrī Yadunandana.

TRANSLATION

Bhāgavatācārya, Cirañjīva, Śrī Raghunandana, Mādhavācārya, Kamalākānta and Śrī Yadunandana were all among the branches of the Caitanya tree.

PURPORT

Śrī Mādhavācārya was the husband of Lord Nityānanda’s daughter, Gaṅgādevī. He took initiation from Puruṣottama, a branch of Nityānanda Prabhu. It is said that when Nityānanda Prabhu’s daughter married Mādhavācārya, the Lord gave him the village named Pāṅjinagara as a dowry. Mādhavācārya’s temple is situated near the Jīrāṭ railway station on the eastern railway. According to the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (169) Śrī Mādhavācārya was formerly the gopī named Mādhavī. Kamalākānta belonged to the branch of Śrī Advaita Prabhu. His full name was Kamalākānta Viśvāsa.

TEXT 120

mahā-kṛpā-pātra prabhura jagāi, mādhāi

‘patita-pāvana’ nāmera sākṣī dui bhāi

SYNONYMS

mahā-kṛpā-pātra-object of very great mercy; prabhura-of the Lord; jagāi mādhāi-the two brothers Jagāi and Mādhāi; patita-pāvana-deliverer of the fallen; nāmera-of this name; sākṣī-witness; dui bhāi-these two brothers.

TRANSLATION

Jagāi and Mādhāi, the eighty-ninth and ninetieth branches of the tree, were the greatest recipients of Lord Caitanya’s mercy. These two brothers were the witnesses who proved that Lord Caitanya was rightly named Patita-pāvana, “the deliverer of the fallen souls.”

PURPORT

In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (115) it is said that the two brothers Jagāi and Mādhāi were formerly the doorkeepers named Jaya and Vijaya, who later became Hiraṇyākṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu. Jagāi and Mādhāi were born in respectable brāhmaṇa families, but they adopted the professions of thieves and rogues and thus became implicated in all kinds of undesirable activities, especially woman-hunting, intoxication and gambling. Later, by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, they were initiated, and they got the chance to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. As a result of chanting, both brothers became exalted devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The descendants of Mādhāi still exist, and they are respectable brāhmaṇas. The tombs of these two brothers, Jagāi and Mādhāi, are in a place known as Ghoṣahāṭa, or Mādhāitalā-grāma, which is situated about one mile south of Katwa. It is said that Śrī Gopīcaraṇa dāsa Bābājī established a temple of Nitāi-Gaura at this place about two hundred years ago.

TEXT 121

gauḍa-deśa-bhaktera kaila saṅkṣepa kathana

ananta caitanya-bhakta nā yāya gaṇana

SYNONYMS

gauḍa-deśa-in Bengal; bhaktera-of the devotees; kaila-I have described; saṅkṣepa-in brief; kathana-narration; ananta-unlimited; caitanya-bhakta-devotees of Lord Caitanya; nā-not; yāya-can be; gaṇana-counted.

TRANSLATION

I have given a brief description of the devotees of Lord Caitanya in Bengal. Actually His devotees are innumerable.

TEXT 122

nīlācale ei saba bhakta prabhu-saṅge

dui sthāne prabhu-sevā kaila nānā-raṅge

SYNONYMS

nīlācale-at Jagannātha Purī; ei-these; saba-all; bhakta-devotees; prabhu-saṅge-in the company of Lord Caitanya; dui sthāne-in two places; prabhu-sevā-service of the Lord; kaila-executed; nānā-raṅge-in different ways.

TRANSLATION

I have especially mentioned all these devotees because they accompanied Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in Bengal and Orissa and served Him in many ways.

PURPORT

Most of the devotees of Lord Caitanya lived in Bengal and Orissa. Thus they are celebrated as Oriyās and Gauḍīyas. At present, however, by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, His cult is being propagated all over the world, and it is most probable that in the future history of Lord Caitanya’s movement, Europeans, Americans, Canadians, Australians, South Americans, Asians and people from all over the world will be celebrated as devotees of Lord Caitanya. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has already constructed a big temple at Māyāpur, Navadvīpa, which is being visited by devotees from all parts of the world, as foretold by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and anticipated by Śrī Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.

TEXT 123

kevala nīlācale prabhura ye ye bhakta-gaṇa

saṅkṣepe kariye kichu se saba kathana

SYNONYMS

kevala-only; nīlācale-in Jagannātha Purī; prabhura-of the Lord; ye ye-all those; bhakta-gaṇa-devotees; saṅkṣepe-in brief; kariye-I do; kichu-some; se saba-all those; kathana-narration.

TRANSLATION

Let me briefly describe some of the devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in Jagannātha Purī.

TEXTS 124-126

nīlācale prabhu-saṅge yata bhakta-gaṇa

sabāra adhyakṣa prabhura marma dui-jana

paramānanda-purī, āra svarūpa-dāmodara

gadādhara, jagadānanda, śaṅkara, vakreśvara

dāmodara paṇḍita, ṭhākura haridāsa

raghunātha vaidya, āra raghunātha-dāsa

SYNONYMS

nīlācale-in Jagannātha Purī; prabhu-saṅge-in the company of Lord Caitanya; yata-all; bhakta-gaṇa-devotees; sabāra-of all of them; adhyakṣa-the chief; prabhura-of the Lord; marma-heart and soul; dui jana-two persons; paramānanda-purī-of the name Paramānanda Purī; āra-and; svarūpa-dāmodara-of the name Svarūpa Dāmodara; gadādhara-of the name Gadādhara; jagadānanda-of the name Jagadānanda; śaṅkara-of the name Śaṅkara; vakreśvara-of the name Vakreśvara; dāmodara paṇḍita-of the name Dāmodara Paṇḍita; ṭhākura haridāsa-of the name Ṭhākura Haridāsa; raghunātha vaidya-of the name Raghunātha Vaidya; āra-and; raghunātha-dāsa-of the name Raghunātha dāsa.

TRANSLATION

Among the devotees who accompanied the Lord in Jagannātha Purī, two of them-Paramānanda Purī and Svarūpa Dāmodara-were the heart and soul of the Lord. Among the other devotees were Gadādhara, Jagadānanda, Śaṅkara, Vakreśvara, Dāmodara Paṇḍita, Ṭhākura Haridāsa, Raghunātha Vaidya and Raghunātha dāsa.

PURPORT

The Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-līlā, Chapter Five, states that Raghunātha Vaidya came to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu when the Lord was staying at Pāṇihāṭī. He was a great devotee and had all good qualities. According to the Caitanya-bhāgavata, he was formerly Revatī, the wife of Balarāma. Anyone he glanced upon would immediately attain Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He lived on the seashore at Jagannātha Purī and compiled a book of the name Sthāna-nirūpaṇa.

TEXT 127

ityādika pūrva-saṅgī baḍa bhakta-gaṇa

nīlācale rahi’ kare prabhura sevana

SYNONYMS

iti-ādika-all these and others; pūrva-saṅgī-former associates; baḍa-very; bhakta-gaṇa-great devotees; nīlācale-at Jagannātha Purī; rahi’-remaining; kare-do; prabhura-of the Lord; sevana-service.

TRANSLATION

All these devotees were associates of the Lord from the very beginning, and when the Lord took up residence in Jagannātha Purī they remained there to serve Him faithfully.

TEXT 128

āra yata bhakta-gaṇa gauḍa-deśa-vāsī

pratyabde prabhure dekhe nīlācale āsi’

SYNONYMS

āra-others; yata-all; bhakta-gaṇa-devotees; gauḍa-deśa-vāsī-residents of Bengal; prati-abde-each year; prabhure-the Lord; dekhe-see; nīlācale-in Jagannātha Purī; āsi’-coming there.

TRANSLATION

All the devotees who resided in Bengal used to visit Jagannātha Purī every year to see the Lord.

TEXT 129

nīlācale prabhu-saha prathama milana

sei bhakta-gaṇera ebe kariye gaṇana

SYNONYMS

nīlācale-at Jagannātha Purī; prabhu-saha-with the Lord; prathama-first; milana-meeting; sei-that; bhakta-gaṇera-of the devotees; ebe-now; kariye-I do; gaṇana-count.

TRANSLATION

Now let me enumerate the devotees of Bengal who first came to see the Lord at Jagannātha Purī.

TEXT 130

baḍa-śākhā eka,–sārvabhauma bhaṭṭācārya

tāṅra bhagnī-pati śrī-gopīnāthācārya

SYNONYMS

baḍa-śākhā eka-one of the biggest branches; sārvabhauma bhaṭṭācārya-of the name Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya; tāṅra bhagnī-pati-his brother-in-law (the husband of Sārvabhauma’s sister); śrī-gopīnāthācārya-of the name Śrī Gopīnātha Ācārya.

TRANSLATION

There was Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, one of the biggest branches of the tree of the Lord, and his sister’s husband, Śrī Gopīnātha Ācārya.

PURPORT

The original name of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was Vāsudeva Bhaṭṭācārya. His place of birth, which is known as Vidyānagara, is about two and a half miles away from the Navadvīpa railway station, or Cāṅpāhāṭī railway station. His father was a very celebrated man of the name Maheśvara Viśārada. It is said that Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was the greatest logician of his time in India. At Mithilā in Bihar he became a student of a great professor named Pakṣadhara Miśra, who did not allow any student to note down his explanations of logic. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was so talented, however, that he learned the explanations by heart, and when he later returned to Navadvīpa he established a school for the study of logic, thus diminishing the importance of Mithilā. Students from various parts of India still come to Navadvīpa to study logic. According to some authoritative opinions, the celebrated logician Raghunātha Śiromaṇi was also a student of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s. In effect, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya became the leader of all students of logic. Although he was a gṛhastha (householder), he even taught many sannyāsīs in the knowledge of logic.

He started a school at Jagannātha Purī for the study of Vedānta philosophy, of which he was a great scholar. When Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he advised the Lord to learn Vedānta philosophy from him, but later he became a student of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to understand the real meaning of Vedānta. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was so fortunate as to see the six-armed form of Lord Caitanya known as Ṣaḍbhuja. A Ṣaḍbhuja Deity is still situated at one end of the Jagannātha temple. Daily saṅkīrtana performances take place in this part of the temple. The meeting of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya with Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is vividly described in the Madhya-līlā, Chapter Six. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya wrote a book named Caitanya-śataka. In addition to the hundred verses of this book, two verses beginning with the words vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga and kālān naṣṭaṁ bhakti-yogaṁ nijaṁ yaḥ are very famous among Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. The Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (119) states that Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was an incarnation of Bṛhaspati, the learned scholar from the celestial planets.

Gopīnātha Ācārya, who belonged to a respectable brāhmaṇa family, was also an inhabitant of Navadvīpa and a constant companion of the Lord. As mentioned in the present verse of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, he was the husband of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s sister. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (178) it is described that he was formerly the gopī named Ratnāvalī. According to the opinion of others, he was an incarnation of Brahmā.

TEXT 131

kāśī-miśra, pradyumna-miśra, rāya bhavānanda

yāṅhāra milane prabhu pāilā ānanda

SYNONYMS

kāśī-miśra-of the name Kāśī Miśra; pradyumna-miśra-of the name Pradyumna Miśra; rāya bhavānanda-of the name Bhavānanda Rāya; yāṅhāra-of whom; milane-meeting; prabhu-the Lord; pāilā-got; ānanda-great pleasure.

TRANSLATION

In the list of devotees at Jagannātha Purī [which begins with Paramānanda Purī, Svarūpa Dāmodara, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and Gopīnātha Ācārya], Kāśī Miśra was the fifth, Pradyumna Miśra the sixth and Bhavānanda Rāya the seventh. Lord Caitanya took great pleasure in meeting with them.

PURPORT

In Jagannātha Purī Lord Caitanya lived at the house of Kāśī Miśra, who was the priest of the king. Later this house was inherited by Vakreśvara Paṇḍita and then by his disciple Gopālaguru Gosvāmī, who established there a Deity of Rādhākānta. The Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (193) states that Kāśī Miśra was formerly Kubjā in Mathurā.. Pradyumna Miśra, an inhabitant of Orissa, was a great devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Pradyumna Miśra was born of a brāhmaṇa family and Rāmānanda Rāya of a non-brāhmaṇa family, yet Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised Pradyumna Miśra to take instruction from Rāmānanda Rāya. This incident is described in the Antya-līlā, Chapter Five.

Bhavānanda Rāya was the father of Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya. His residence was in Ālālanātha (Brahmagiri), which is about twelve miles west of Jagannātha Purī. By caste he belonged to the karaṇa community of Orissa, whose members were sometimes known as kāyasthas and sometimes as śūdras, but he was the governor of Madras under the control of King Pratāparudra of Jagannātha Purī.

TEXT 132

āliṅgana kari’ tāṅre balila vacana

tumi pāṇḍu, pañca-pāṇḍava–tomāra nandana

SYNONYMS

āliṅgana kari’-embracing; tāṅre-unto him; balila-said; vacana-those words; tumi-you; pāṇḍu-were Pāṇḍu; pañca-five; pāṇḍava-the Pāṇḍavas; tomāra-your; nandana-sons.

TRANSLATION

Embracing Rāya Bhavānanda, the Lord declared to him, “You formerly appeared as Pāṇḍu, and your five sons appeared as the five Pāṇḍavas.”

TEXT 133

rāmānanda rāya, paṭṭanāyaka gopīnātha

kalānidhi, sudhānidhi, nāyaka vāṇīnātha

SYNONYMS

rāmānanda rāya-of the name Rāmānanda Rāya; paṭṭanāyaka gopīnātha-of the name Paṭṭanāyaka Gopīnātha; kalānidhi-of the name Kalānidhi; sudhānidhi-of the name Sudhānidhi; nāyaka vāṇīnātha-of the name Nāyaka Vāṇīnātha.

TRANSLATION

The five sons of Bhavānanda Rāya were Rāmānanda Rāya, Paṭṭanāyaka Gopīnātha, Kalānidhi, Sudhānidhi and Nāyaka Vāṇīnātha.

TEXT 134

ei pañca putra tomāra mora priyapātra

rāmānanda saha mora deha-bheda mātra

SYNONYMS

ei-these; pañca-five; putra-sons; tomāra-your; mora-Mine; priya-pātra-very dear; rāmānanda saha-with Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya; mora-Mine; deha-bheda-bodily difference; mātra-only.

TRANSLATION

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu told Bhavānanda Rāya, “Your five sons are all My dear devotees. Rāmānanda Rāya and I are one, although our bodies are different.”

PURPORT

The Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (120-24) states that Rāmānanda Rāya was formerly Arjuna. He is also considered to have been an incarnation of the gopī Lalitā, although in the opinion of others he was an incarnation of Viśākhādevī. He was a most confidential devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Although I am a sannyāsī, My mind is sometimes perturbed when I see a woman. But Rāmānanda Rāya is greater than Me, for he is always undisturbed, even when he touches a woman.” Only Rāmānanda Rāya was endowed with the prerogrative to touch a woman in this way; no one should imitate him. Unfortunately, there are rascals who imitate the activities of Rāmānanda Rāya. We need not discuss them further.

In Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s final pastimes, both Rāmānanda Rāya and Svarūpa Dāmodara always engaged in reciting suitable verses from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to pacify the Lord’s ecstatic feelings of separation from Kṛṣṇa. It is said that when Lord Caitanya went to southern India, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya advised Him to meet Rāmānanda Rāya, declaring that there was no devotee as advanced in understanding the conjugal love of Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs. While touring South India, Lord Caitanya met Rāmānanda Rāya by the bank of the Godāvarī, and in their long discourses the Lord took the position of a student, and Rāmānanda Rāya instructed Him. Caitanya Mahāprabhu concluded these discourses by saying, “My dear Rāmānanda Rāya, both you and I are madmen, and therefore we met intimately on an equal level.” Lord Caitanya advised Rāmānanda Rāya to resign from his government post and come back to Jagannātha Purī to live with Him. Although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu refused to see Mahārāja Pratāparudra because he was a king, Rāmānanda Rāya, by a Vaiṣṇava scheme, arranged a meeting between the Lord and the King. This is described in the Madhya-līlā, Chapter Twelve, verses 41-57. Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya was present during the water sports of the Lord after the Ratha-yātrā festival.

Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu considered Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya and Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī to be equal in their renunciation, for although Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya was a gṛhastha engaged in government service and Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī was in the renounced order of complete detachment from material activities, they were both servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who kept Kṛṣṇa in the center of all their activities. Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya was one of the three and a half personalities with whom Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu discussed the most confidential topics of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised Pradyumna Miśra to learn the science of Kṛṣṇa from Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya. As Subala always assisted Kṛṣṇa in His dealings with Rādhārāṇī in kṛṣṇa-līlā, so Rāmānanda Rāya assisted Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His feelings of separation from Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya was the author of Jagannātha-vallabha-nāṭaka.

TEXTS 135-136

pratāparudra rājā, āra oḍhra kṛṣṇānanda

paramānanda mahāpātra, oḍhra śivānanda

bhagavān ācārya, brahmānandākhya bhāratī

śrī-śikhi māhiti, āra murāri māhiti

SYNONYMS

pratāparudra rājā-King Pratāparudra of Orissa; āra-and; oḍhra kṛṣṇānanda-Kṛṣṇānanda, an Oriya devotee; paramānanda mahāpātra-of the name Paramānanda Mahāpātra; oḍhra śivānanda-the Oriya Śivānanda; bhagavān ācārya-of the name Bhagavān Ācārya; brahmānanda-ākhya bhāratī-of the name Brahmānanda Bhāratī; śrī-śikhi māhiti-of the name Śrī Śikhi Māhiti; āra-and; murāri māhiti-of the name Murāri Māhiti.

TRANSLATION

King Pratāparudra of Orissa, the Oriya devotees Kṛṣṇānanda and Śivānanda, Paramānanda Mahāpātra, Bhagavān Ācārya, Brahmānanda Bhāratī, Śrī Śikhi Māhiti and Murāri Māhiti constantly associated with Caitanya Mahāprabhu while He resided in Jagannātha Purī.

PURPORT

Pratāparudra Mahārāja, who belonged to the dynasty of the Gaṅgā kings and whose capital was in Cuttak, was the Emperor of Orissa and a great devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It was by the arrangement of Rāmānanda Rāya and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya that he was able to serve Lord Caitanya. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (118) it is said that King Indradyumna, who established the temple of Jagannātha thousands of years ago, later took birth again in his own family as Mahārāja Pratāparudra during the time of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Mahārāja Pratāparudra was as powerful as King Indra. The drama named Caitanya-candrodaya was written under his direction.

In the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-līlā, Chapter Five, Paramānanda Mahāpātra is described as follows: “Paramānanda Mahāpātra was among the devotees who took birth in Orissa and accepted Caitanya Mahāprabhu as their only asset. In the ecstasy of conjugal love, he always thought of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.” Bhagavān Ācārya, a very learned scholar, was formerly an inhabitant of Hālisahara, but he left everything to live with Caitanya Mahāprabhu in Jagannātha Purī. His relationship with Caitanya Mahāprabhu was friendly, like that of a cowherd boy. He was always friendly to Svarūpa Gosāñi, but he was staunchly devoted to the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He sometimes invited Caitanya Mahāprabhu to his house.

Bhagavān Ācārya was very liberal and simple. His father, Śatānanda Khān, was completely materialistic, and his younger brother, Gopāla Bhaṭṭācārya, was a staunch Māyāvādī philosopher who had studied very elaborately. When his brother came to Jagannātha Purī, Bhagavān Ācārya wanted to hear from him about Māyāvāda philosophy, but Svarūpa Dāmodara forbade him to do so, and there the matter stopped. Once a friend of Bhagavān Ācārya’s from Bengal wanted to recite a drama that he had written that was against the principles of devotional service, and although Bhagavān Ācārya wanted to recite this drama before Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Svarūpa Dāmodara, the Lord’s secretary, did not allow him to do so. Later Svarūpa Dāmodara pointed out in the drama many mistakes and disagreements with the conclusion of devotional service, and the author became aware of the faults in his writing and then surrendered to Svarūpa Dāmodara, begging his mercy. This is described in the Antya-līlā, Chapter Five, verses 91-158.

In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 189, it is said that Śikhi Māhiti was formerly an assistant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī named Rāgalekhā. His sister Mādhavī was also an assistant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and was named Kalākelī. Śikhi Māhiti, Mādhavī and their brother Murāri Māhiti were all unalloyed devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu who could not forget Him for a moment of their lives. There is a book in the Oriya language called Caitanya-carita-mahākāvya in which there are many narrations about Śikhi Māhiti. One narration concerns his seeing an ecstatic dream. Śikhi Māhiti always engaged in serving the Lord in his mind. One night, while he was rendering such service, he fell asleep, and while he was asleep his brother and sister came to awaken him. At that time he was in full ecstasy because he was having a wonderful dream that Lord Caitanya, while visiting the temple of Jagannātha, was entering and again coming out of the body of Jagannātha and looking at the Jagannātha Deity. Thus as soon as he awakened he embraced his brother and sister and informed them, “My dear brother and sister, I have had a wonderful dream that I shall now explain to you. The activities of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the son of Mother Śacī, are certainly most wonderful. I saw that Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, while visiting the temple of Jagannātha, was entering the body of Jagannātha and again coming out of His body. I am still seeing the same dream. Do you think I have become deranged? I am still seeing the same dream! And the most wonderful thing is that as soon as I came near Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He embraced me with His long arms.” As he spoke to his brother and sister in this way, Śikhi Māhiti’s voice faltered, and there were tears in his eyes. Thus the brothers and sister went to the temple of Jagannātha, and there they saw Lord Caitanya in the Jagamohana (the kīrtana hall in the Jagannātha temple), looking at the beauty of the Śrī Jagannātha Deity just as in Śikhi Māhiti’s dream. The Lord was so magnanimous that immediately He embraced Śikhi Māhiti, exclaiming, “You are the elder brother of Murāri!” Being thus embraced, Śikhi Māhiti felt ecstatic transcendental bliss. Thus he and his brother and sister always engaged in rendering service to the Lord. Murāri Māhiti, the youngest brother of Śikhi Māhiti, is described in the Madhya-līlā, Chapter Ten, verse 44.

TEXT 137

mādhavī-devī–śikhi-māhitira bhaginī

śrī-rādhāra dāsī-madhye yāṅra nāma gaṇi

SYNONYMS

mādhavī-devī-of the name Mādhavīdevī; śikhi-māhitira-of Śikhi Māhiti; bhaginī-sister; śrī-rādhāra-of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī; dāsī-madhye-amongst the maidservants; yāṅra-whose; nāma-name; gaṇi-count.

TRANSLATION

Mādhavīdevī, the seventeenth of the prominent devotees, was the younger sister of Śikhi Māhiti. She is considered to have formerly been a maidservant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

PURPORT

In the Antya-līlā of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Chapter Two, verses 104-106, there is a description of Mādhavīdevī. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu considered her one of the maidservants of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Within this world, Caitanya Mahāprabhu had three and a half very confidential devotees. The three were Svarūpa Gosāñi, Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya and Śikhi Māhiti, and Śikhi Māhiti’s sister, Mādhavīdevī, being a woman, was considered the half. Thus it is known that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had three and a half confidential devotees.

TEXT 138

īśvara-purīra śiṣya–brahmacārī kāśīśvara

śrī-govinda nāma tāṅra priya anucara

SYNONYMS

īśvara-purīra śiṣya-disciple of Īśvara Purī; brahmacārī kāśīśvara-of the name Brahmacārī Kāśīśvara; śrī-govinda-of the name Śrī Govinda; nāma-name; tāṅra-his; priya-very dear; anucara-follower.

TRANSLATION

Brahmacārī Kāśīśvara was a disciple of Īśvara Purī, and Śrī Govinda was another of his dear disciples.

PURPORT

Govinda was the personal servant of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 137, it is stated that the servants formerly named Bhṛṅgāra and Bhaṅgura in Vṛndāvana became Kāśīśvara and Govinda in Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s pastimes. Govinda always engaged in the service of the Lord, even at great risk.

TEXT 139

tāṅra siddhi-kāle doṅhe tāṅra ājñā pāñā

nīlācale prabhu-sthāne milila āsiyā

SYNONYMS

tāṅra siddhi-kāle-at the time of Īśvara Purī’s passing away; doṅhe-the two of them; tāṅra-his; ājñā-order; pāñā-getting; nīlācale-at Jagannātha Purī; prabhu-sthāne-at the place of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; milila-met; āsiyā-coming there.

TRANSLATION

In the list of prominent devotees at Nīlācala [Jagannātha Purī], Kāśīśvara was the eighteenth and Govinda the nineteenth. They both came to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Jagannātha Purī, being thus ordered by Īśvara Purī at the time of his passing away.

TEXT 140

gurura sambandhe mānya kaila duṅhākāre

tāṅra ājñā māni’ sevā dilena doṅhāre

SYNONYMS

gurura sambandhe-in relationship with His spiritual master; mānya-honor; kaila-offered; duṅhākāre-to both of them; tāṅra ājñā-his order; māni’-accepting; sevā-service; dilena-gave them; doṅhāre-the two of them.

TRANSLATION

Both Kāśīśvara and Govinda were Godbrothers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and thus the Lord duly honored them as soon as they arrived. But because Īśvara Purī had ordered them to give Caitanya Mahāprabhu personal service, the Lord accepted their service.

TEXT 141

aṅga-sevā govindere dilena īśvara

jagannātha dekhite calena āge kāśīśvara

SYNONYMS

aṅga-sevā-taking care of the body; govindere-unto Govinda; dilena-He gave; īśvara-the Supreme Personality of Godhead; jagannātha-the Jagannātha Deity; dekhite-while going to visit; calena-goes; āge-in front; kāśīśvara-of the name Kāśīśvara.

TRANSLATION

Govinda cared for the body of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, whereas Kāśīśvara went in front of the Lord when He went to see Jagannātha in the temple.

TEXT 142

aparaśa yāya gosāñi manuṣya-gahane

manuṣya ṭheli’ patha kare kāśī balavāne

SYNONYMS

aparaśa-untouched; yāya-goes; gosāñi-Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; manuṣya-gahane-in the crowd; manuṣya theli’-pushing the crowd of men; patha kare-clears the way; kāśī-Kāśīśvara; balavāne-very strong.

TRANSLATION

When Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to the temple of Jagannātha, Kāśīśvara, being very strong, cleared the crowds aside with his hands so that Caitanya Mahāprabhu could pass untouched.

TEXT 143

rāmāi-nandāi–doṅhe prabhura kiṅkara

govindera saṅge sevā kare nirantara

SYNONYMS

rāmāi-nandāi-of the names Rāmāi and Nandāi; doṅhe-both of them; prabhura-Lord Caitanya’s; kiṅkara-servants; govindera-with Govinda; saṅge-with him; sevā-service; kare-rendered; nirantara-twenty-four hours a day.

TRANSLATION

Rāmāi and Nandāi, the twentieth and twenty-first among the important devotees in Jagannātha Purī, always assisted Govinda twenty-four hours a day in rendering service to the Lord.

TEXT 144

bāiśa ghaḍā jala dine bharena rāmāi

govinda-ājñāya sevā karena nandāi

SYNONYMS

bāiśa-twenty-two; ghaḍā-big waterpots; jala-water; dine-daily; bharena-fills; rāmāi-of the name Rāmāi; govinda-ājñāya-by the order of Govinda; sevā-service; karena-renders; nandāi-of the name Nandāi.

TRANSLATION

Every day Rāmāi filled twenty-two big waterpots, whereas Nandāi personally assisted Govinda.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (139) it is stated that two servants who formerly supplied milk and water to Lord Kṛṣṇa became Rāmāi and Nandāi in the pastimes of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 145

kṛṣṇadāsa nāma śuddha kulīna brāhmaṇa

yāre saṅge laiyā kailā dakṣiṇa gamana

SYNONYMS

kṛṣṇadāsa-of the name Kṛṣṇadāsa; nāma-name; śuddha-pure; kulīna-respectable; brāhmaṇa-brāhmaṇa; yāre-whom; saṅge-with; laiyā-taking; kailā-did; dakṣiṇa-southern India; gamana-touring.

TRANSLATION

The twenty-second devotee, Kṛṣṇadāsa, was born of a pure and respectable brāhmaṇa family. While touring southern India, Lord Caitanya took Kṛṣṇadāsa with Him.

PURPORT

Kṛṣṇadāsa is described in the Madhya-līlā, chapters Seven and Nine. He went with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to carry His waterpot. In the Malabar state, members of the Bhaṭṭathāri cult tried to captivate Kṛṣṇadāsa by supplying a woman to seduce him, but although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu saved him from being harmed, when they returned to Jagannātha Purī He asked Kṛṣṇadāsa to remain there, for the Lord was never favorably disposed toward an associate who was attracted by a woman. Thus Kṛṣṇadāsa lost the personal association of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 146

balabhadra bhaṭṭācārya–bhakti adhikārī

mathurā-gamane prabhura yeṅho brahmacārī

SYNONYMS

ballabhadra bhaṭṭācārya-of the name Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya; bhakti adhikārī-bona fide devotee; mathurā-gamane-while touring Mathurā; prabhura-of the Lord; yeṅho-who; brahmacārī-acted as a brahmacārī.

TRANSLATION

As a bona fide devotee, Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya, the twenty-third principal associate, acted as the brahmacārī of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He toured Mathurā.

PURPORT

Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya acted as a brahmacārī, or personal assistant of a sannyāsī. A sannyāsī is not supposed to cook. Generally a sannyāsī takes prasāda at the house of a gṛhastha, and a brahmacārī helps in this connection. A sannyāsī is supposed to be a spiritual master and a brahmacārī his disciple. Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya acted as a brahmacārī for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu when the Lord toured Mathurā and Vṛndāvana.

TEXT 147

baḍa haridāsa, āra choṭa haridāsa

dui kīrtanīyā rahe mahāprabhura pāśa

SYNONYMS

baḍa haridāsa-of the name Baḍa Haridāsa; āra-and; choṭa haridāsa-of the name Choṭa Haridāsa; dui kīrtanīyā-both of them were good singers; rahe-stay; mahā-prabhura-Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; pāśa-with.

TRANSLATION

Baḍa Haridāsa and Choṭa Haridāsa, the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth devotees in Nīlācala, were good singers who always accompanied Lord Caitanya.

PURPORT

Choṭa Haridāsa was later banished from the company of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as stated in the Antya-līlā, Chapter Two.

TEXT 148

rāmabhadrācārya, āra oḍhra siṁheśvara

tapana ācārya, āra raghu, nīlāmbara

SYNONYMS

rāmabhadrācārya-of the name Rāmabhadra Ācārya; āra-and; oḍhra-resident of Orissa; siṁheśvara-of the name Siṁheśvara; tapana ācārya-of the name Tapana Ācārya; āra raghu-and another Raghunātha; nīlāmbara-of the name Nīlāmbara.

TRANSLATION

Among the devotees who lived with Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Jagannātha Purī, Rāmabhadra Ācārya was the twenty-sixth, Siṁheśvara the twenty-seventh, Tapana Ācārya the twenty-eighth, Raghunātha the twenty-ninth and Nīlāmbara the thirtieth.

TEXT 149

siṅgābhaṭṭa, kāmābhaṭṭa, dantura śivānanda

gauḍe pūrva bhṛtya prabhura priya kamalānanda

SYNONYMS

siṅgābhaṭṭa-of the name Siṅgābhaṭṭa; kāmābhaṭṭa-of the name Kāmābhaṭṭa; dantura śivānanda-of the name Dantura Śivānanda; gauḍe-in Bengal; pūrva-formerly; bhṛtya-servant; prabhura-of the Lord; priya-very dear; kamalānanda-of the name Kamalānanda.

TRANSLATION

Siṅgābhaṭṭa was the thirty-first, Kāmābhaṭṭa the thirty-second, Śivānanda the thirty-third and Kamalānanda the thirty-fourth. They all formerly served Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in Bengal, but later these servants left Bengal to live with the Lord in Jagannātha Purī.

TEXT 150

acyutānanda–advaita-ācārya-tanaya

nīlācale rahe prabhura caraṇa āśraya

SYNONYMS

acyutānanda-of the name Acyutānanda; advaita-ācārya-tanaya-the son of Advaita Ācārya; nīlācale-at Jagannātha Purī; rahe-stays; prabhura-of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; caraṇa-lotus feet; āśraya-taking shelter.

TRANSLATION

Acyutānanda, the thirty-fifth devotee, was the son of Advaita Ācārya. He also lived with Lord Caitanya, taking shelter of His lotus feet at Jagannātha Purī.

PURPORT

There is a statement about Acyutānanda in Chapter Twelve, verse 13, of Ādi-līlā.

TEXT 151

nirloma gaṅgādāsa, āra viṣṇudāsa

ei sabera prabhu-saṅge nīlācale vāsa

SYNONYMS

nirloma gaṅgādāsa-of the name Nirloma Gaṅgādāsa; āra-and; Viṣṇudāsa-of the name Viṣṇudāsa; ei sabera-of all of them; prabhu-saṅge-with Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; nīlācale-at Jagannātha Purī; vāsa-residence.

TRANSLATION

Nirloma Gaṅgādāsa and Viṣṇudāsa were the thirty-sixth and thirty-seventh among the devotees who lived at Jagannātha Purī as servants of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXTS 152-154

vārāṇasī-madhye prabhura bhakta tina jana

candraśekhara vaidya, āra miśra tapana

raghunātha bhaṭṭācārya–miśrera nandana

prabhu yabe kāśī āilā dekhi’ vṛndāvana

candraśekhara-gṛhe kaila dui māsa vāsa

tapana-miśrera ghare bhikṣā dui māsa

SYNONYMS

vārāṇasī-madhye-at Vārāṇasī; prabhura-of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; bhakta-devotees; tina jana-three persons; candraśekhara vaidya-the clerk of the name Candraśekhara; āra-and; miśra tapana-Tapana Miśra; raghunātha bhaṭṭācārya-of the name Raghunātha Bhaṭṭācārya; miśrera nandana-the son of Tapana Miśra; prabhu-Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; yabe-when; kāśī-Vārāṇasī; āilā-came; dekhi’-after visiting; vṛndāvana-the holy place known as Vṛndāvana; candraśekhara gṛhe-in the house of Candraśekhara Vaidya; kaila-did; dui māsa-for two months; vāsa-reside; tapana-miśrera-of Tapana Miśra; ghare-in the house; bhikṣā-accepted prasāda; dui māsa-for two months.

TRANSLATION

The prominent devotees at Vārāṇasī were the physician Candraśekhara, Tapana Miśra and Raghunātha Bhaṭṭācārya, Tapana Miśra’s son. When Lord Caitanya came to Vārāṇasī after seeing Vṛndāvana, for two months He lived at the residence of Candraśekhara Vaidya and accepted prasāda at the house of Tapana Miśra.

PURPORT

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was in Bengal, Tapana Miśra approached Him to discuss spiritual advancement. Thus he was favored by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and received hari-nāma initiation. After that, by the order of the Lord, Tapana Miśra resided in Vārāṇasī, and when Lord Caitanya visited Vārāṇasī He stayed at the home of Tapana Miśra.

TEXT 155

raghunātha bālye kaila prabhura sevana

ucchiṣṭa-mārjana āra pāda-saṁvāhana

SYNONYMS

raghunātha-Raghunātha, the son of Tapana Miśra; bālye-in his boyhood; kaila-did; prabhura-of Lord Caitanya; sevana-rendering service; ucchiṣṭa-mārjana-washing the dishes; āra-and; pāda-saṁvāhana-massaging the feet.

TRANSLATION

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stayed at the house of Tapana Miśra, Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa, who was then a boy, washed His dishes and massaged His legs.

TEXT 156

baḍa haile nīlācale gelā prabhura sthāne

aṣṭa-māsa rahila bhikṣā dena kona dine

SYNONYMS

baḍa haile-when he grew to be a young man; nīlācale-at Jagannātha Purī; gelā-went; prabhura-of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; sthāne-at the place; aṣṭa-māsa-eight months; rahila-stayed; bhikṣā-prasāda; dena-gave; kona dine-some days.

TRANSLATION

When Raghunātha grew to be a young man, he visited Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Jagannātha Purī and stayed there for eight months. Sometimes he offered prasāda to the Lord.

TEXT 157

prabhura ājñā pāñā vṛndāvanere āilā

āsiyā śrī-rūpa-gosāñira nikaṭe rahilā

SYNONYMS

prabhura-of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; ājñā-order; pāñā-receiving; vṛndāvanere-to Vṛndāvana; āilā-he came; āsiyā-coming there; śrī-rūpa-gosāñira-of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī; nikaṭe-at his shelter; rahilā-remained.

TRANSLATION

Later, by the order of Lord Caitanya, Raghunātha went to Vṛndāvana and remained there under the shelter of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

TEXT 158

tāṅra sthāne rūpa-gosāñi śunena bhāgavata

prabhura kṛpāya teṅho kṛṣṇa-preme matta

SYNONYMS

tāṅra sthāne-in his place; rūpa-gosāñi-Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī; śunena-heard; bhāgavata-the recitation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; prabhura kṛpāya-by the mercy of Lord Caitanya; teṅho-he; kṛṣṇa-preme-in love of Kṛṣṇa; matta-always maddened.

TRANSLATION

While he stayed with Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, his engagement was to recite Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for him to hear. As a result of this Bhāgavatam recitation, he attained perfectional love of Kṛṣṇa, by which he remained always maddened.

PURPORT

Raghunātha Bhaṭṭācārya, or Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, one of the six Gosvāmīs, was the son of Tapana Miśra. Born in approximately 1425 śakābda (A.D. 1504), he was expert in reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and in the Antya-līlā, Chapter Thirteen, it is stated that he was also expert in cooking; whatever he cooked would be nectarean. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was greatly pleased to accept the food that he cooked, and Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa used to take the remnants of food left by Śri Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Raghunātha Bhaṭṭācārya lived for eight months in Jagannātha Purī, after which Lord Caitanya ordered him to go to Vṛndāvana to join Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked Raghunātha Bhaṭṭācārya not to marry but to remain a brahmacārī, and He also ordered him to read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam constantly. Thus he went to Vṛndāvana, where he engaged in reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. He was so expert in reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that he would recite each and every verse in three melodious tunes. While Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī was living with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Lord blessed him by offering him betel nuts offered to the Jagannātha Deity and a garland of tulasī said to be as long as fourteen cubits. Under Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī’s order, one of his disciples constructed the Govinda temple. Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī supplied all the ornaments of the Govinda Deity. He never talked of nonsense or worldly matters but always engaged in hearing about Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day. He never cared to hear blasphemy of a Vaiṣṇava. Even when there were points to be criticized, he used to say that since all the Vaiṣṇavas were engaged in the service of the Lord, he did not mind their faults. Later Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī lived by Rādhā-kuṇḍa in a small cottage. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 185, it is said that Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī was formerly the gopī named Rāga-mañjarī.

TEXT 159

ei-mata saṅkhyātīta caitanya-bhakta-gaṇa

diṅmātra likhi, samyak nā yāya kathana

SYNONYMS

ei-mata-in this way; saṅkhyā-atīta-innumerable; caitanya-bhakta-gaṇa-devotees of Lord Caitanya; diṅ-mātra-only a fractional part; likhi-I write; samyak-full; nā-cannot; yāya-be possible; kathana-to explain.

TRANSLATION

I list in this way only a portion of the innumerable devotees of Lord Caitanya. To describe them all fully is not possible.

TEXT 160

ekaika-śākhāte lāge koṭi koṭi ḍāla

tāra śiṣya-upaśiṣya, tāra upaḍāla

SYNONYMS

eka-eka-in each; śākhāte-branch; lāge-grow; koṭi koṭi-hundreds and thousands; ḍāla-twigs; tāra-His; śiṣya-disciples; upaśiṣya-subdisciples; tāra-His; upaḍāla-subbranches.

TRANSLATION

From each branch of the tree have grown hundreds and thouands of subbranches of disciples and granddisciples.

PURPORT

It was the desire of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu that His cult be spread all over the world. Therefore there is a great necessity for many, many disciples of the branches of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s disciplic succession. His cult should be spread not only in a few villages, or in Bengal, or in India, but all over the world. It is very much regrettable that complacent so-called devotees criticize the members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness for accepting sannyāsa and spreading the cult of Lord Caitanya all over the world. It is not our business to criticize anyone, but because they try to find fault with this movement, the real truth must be stated. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted devotees all over the world, and Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura also confirmed this. It is in pursuit of their will that the ISKCON movement is spreading all over the world. Genuine devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu must take pride in the spread of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement instead of viciously criticizing its propaganda work.

TEXT 161

sakala bhariyā āche prema-phula-phale

bhāsāila tri-jagat kṛṣṇa-prema-jale

SYNONYMS

sakala-all; bhariyā-filled; āche-there is; prema-love of Godhead; phula-flowers; phale-fruits; bhāsāila-inundated; tri-jagat-the whole world; kṛṣṇa-prema-of love of Kṛṣṇa; jale-with water.

TRANSLATION

Every branch and subbranch of the tree is full of innumerable fruits and flowers. They inundate the world with the waters of love of Kṛṣṇa.

TEXT 162

eka eka śākhāra śakti ananta mahimā

‘sahasra vadane’ yāra dite nāre sīmā

SYNONYMS

eka eka-of each and every; śākhāra-branch; śakti-power; ananta-unlimited; mahimā-glories; sahasra vadane-in thousands of mouths; yāra-of which; dite-to give; nāre-becomes unable; sīmā-limit.

TRANSLATION

Each and every branch of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s devotees has unlimited spiritual power and glory. Even if one had thousands of mouths, it would be impossible to describe the limits of their activities.

TEXT 163

saṅkṣepe kahila mahāprabhura bhakta-gaṇa

samagra balite nāre ‘sahasra-vadana’

SYNONYMS

saṅkṣepe-in brief; kahila-described; mahāprabhura-of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; bhakta-gaṇa-the devotees; samagra-all; balite-to speak; nāre-cannot; sahasra-vadana-Lord Śeṣa, who has thousands of mouths.

TRANSLATION

I have briefly described the devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in different places. Even Lord Śeṣa, who has thousands of mouths, could not list them all.

TEXT 164

śrī-rūpa-raghunātha-pade yāra āśa

caitanya-caritāmṛta kahe kṛṣṇadāsa

SYNONYMS

śrī-rūpa-Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī; raghunātha-Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī; pade-at the lotus feet; yāra-whose; āśa-expectation; caitanya-caritāmṛta-the book named Caitanya-caritāmṛta; kahe-describes; kṛṣṇadāsa-Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Gosvāmī.

TRANSLATION

Praying at the lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Raghunātha, always desiring their mercy, I, Kṛṣṇadāsa, narrate Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, following in their footsteps.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, Tenth Chapter, in the matter of the main trunk of the Caitanya tree, its branches and its subbranches.