CC – Sri Advaita Acharya’s Pastimes—Part 02

Giriraj Swami:

[Cc Antya-līlā 4]

TEXT 16

. . . Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, after visiting the temple of Jagannātha to see the offering of upala-bhoga [morning refreshments], came with His other devotees to see Haridāsa Ṭhākura.

TEXT 17

Seeing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, both Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Sanātana Gosvāmī immediately fell flat like rods to offer obeisances. The Lord then lifted Haridāsa and embraced him.

TEXT 18

Haridāsa Ṭhākura said to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “Here is Sanātana Gosvāmī offering his obeisances.” Seeing Sanātana Gosvāmī, the Lord was greatly surprised.

TEXT 19

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came forward to embrace him, Sanātana backed away and spoke as follows.

COMMENT

Jagannath Baladev Subhadra ki jaya!

TEXT 20

“My Lord, please do not touch me. I fall at Your lotus feet. I am the lowest of men, having been born of a low caste. Besides that, I have infections on my body.”

TEXT 21

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, however, embraced Sanātana Gosvāmī by force. Thus the moisture oozing from the itching sores touched the transcendental body of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 22

The Lord introduced all the devotees to Sanātana Gosvāmī, who offered his respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of them all.

TEXT 23

The Lord and His devotees sat on a raised platform, and below that sat Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Sanātana Gosvāmī.

TEXT 24

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired from Sanātana about news of his well-being. Sanātana replied, “Everything is auspicious because I have seen Your lotus feet.”

TEXT 25

When the Lord asked about all the Vaiṣṇavas at Mathurā, Sanātana Gosvāmī informed Him of their good health and fortune.

TEXT 26

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu informed Sanātana Gosvāmī, “Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī was here for ten months. He left for Bengal just ten days ago.

TEXT 27

“Your brother Anupama is now dead. He was a very good devotee who had firm conviction in Raghunātha [Lord Rāmacandra].”

COMMENT

Who is Raghunatha? Dharma, who is Raghunatha? Do you know who is Raghunatha? Yes, one Gosvami is Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and one is Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami. But they were given the name because there was already another Raghunatha. So, who is the original Raghunatha? Yes. Lord Rama. He is the Lord of the Raghu dynasty. He appears in the Raghu dynasty and He is called Raghunatha.

TEXT 30

“From the very beginning of his childhood, my younger brother Anupama was a great devotee of Raghunātha [Lord Rāmacandra], and he worshiped Him with great determination.

TEXT 31

“He always chanted the holy name of Raghunātha and meditated upon Him. He continuously heard about the activities of the Lord from the Rāmāyaṇa and chanted about them.

TEXT 32

“Rūpa and I are his elder brothers. He stayed with us continuously.

TEXT 33

“He heard Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and talks about Lord Kṛṣṇa with us, and both of us examined him.

TEXT 34

“ ‘Dear Vallabha,’ we said, ‘please hear from us. Lord Kṛṣṇa is supremely attractive. His beauty, sweetness and pastimes of love are without limit.

TEXT 35

“ ‘Engage yourself in devotional service to Kṛṣṇa with the two of us. We three brothers shall stay together and enjoy discussing the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa.’

TEXT 36

“In this way we spoke to him again and again, and because of this persuasion and his respect for us, his mind turned somewhat toward our instructions.

TEXT 37

“Vallabha replied, ‘My dear brothers, how can I disobey your orders? Initiate me into the Kṛṣṇa mantra so that I may perform devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa.’

TEXT 38

“After saying this, at night he began to think, ‘How shall I give up the lotus feet of Lord Raghunātha?’

TEXT 39

“He stayed up all night and cried. In the morning, he came to us and submitted the following plea.

TEXT 40

“ ‘I have sold my head at the lotus feet of Lord Rāmacandra. I cannot take it away. That would be too painful for me.

TEXT 41

“ ‘The two of you please be merciful to me and order me in such a way that life after life I may serve the lotus feet of Lord Raghunātha.

TEXT 42

“ ‘It is impossible for me to give up the lotus feet of Lord Raghunātha. When I even think of giving them up, my heart breaks.’

TEXT 43

“Upon hearing this, we each embraced him and encouraged him by saying, ‘You are a great saintly devotee, for your determination in devotional service is fixed.’ In this way we praised him.

TEXT 44

“My dear Lord, the family upon which You bestow even a little mercy is always fortunate, for such mercy makes all miseries disappear.”

TEXT 45

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “There was a similar incident concerning Murāri Gupta. Formerly I examined him, and his determination was similar.

TEXT 46

sei bhakta dhanya, ye nā chāḍe prabhura caraṇa

sei prabhu dhanya, ye nā chāḍe nija-jana

Glorious is that devotee who does not give up the shelter of his Lord, and glorious is that Lord who does not abandon His servants.

TEXT 47

durdaive sevaka yadi yāya anya sthāne

sei ṭhākura dhanya tāre cule dhari’ āne

TEXT 47

“If by chance a servant falls down and goes somewhere else, glorious is that master who captures him and brings him back by the hair.

TEXT 48

“It is very good that you have arrived here. Now stay in this room with Haridāsa Ṭhākura.

TEXT 49

“Both of you are expert in understanding the mellows of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s devotional service. Therefore you should both continue relishing the taste for such activities and chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.”

TEXT 50

Having said this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu got up and left, and through Govinda He sent prasādam for them to eat.

COMMENT 

Generally, every devotee has an eternal relationship with a particular form of the Lord, and he becomes so attached to that form of the Lord that he cannot give up the worship of that form of the Lord for anything. So even though Anupam, who was the younger brother of Rupa and Sanatana, wanted to please them by accepting their orders to worship Lord Krishna who is the original Personality of Godhead, he was not able to give up the worship of Lord Ramachandra. And when he exhibited such deep attachment to the lotus feet of Lord Raghunatha, Rupa, and Sanatana were pleased. And they blessed him and encouraged him to continue with the worship of Lord Rama.

So since today is the disappearance day of Srila Madhavacharya, we shall read one or two important verses and purports about him, from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā Chapter Nine—“Lord Caitanya Traveled to the Holy Places in South India.” Wherever Lord Chaitanya went He converted the people to Krishna bhakti.

TEXT 7–8

As previously stated, all the residents of the villages visited by Lord Caitanya became Vaiṣṇavas and began to chant Hari and Kṛṣṇa. In this way, in all the villages visited by the Lord, everyone became a Vaiṣṇava, a devotee.

COMMENT

So when Lord Chaitanya traveled through India, everyone He met became Krishna-bhakta. And even today, one finds evidence of Lord Chaitanya’s visit to various places, and especially various holy places. And even in the Jarikanda forest where Lord Chaitanya passed, one finds aboriginal, tribal inhabitants of the forest. But they also chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, and they also worship in the footsteps of Sri Chaitanya. And thus they bear evidence to the influence of Lord Chaitanya when He toured throughout India, even in the forest.

TEXT 9

In South India there were many types of people. Some were philosophical speculators and some were creative workers but any case there were innumerable non-devotees.

TEXT 10

By the influence of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu all these people abandoned their own opinions and became Vaiṣṇavas, devotees of Krishna.

COMMENT

Tomorrow is the appearance day of Srila Ramanujacharya, so we are going to read one verse and purport about both Srila Madhvacharya and Srila Ramanujacharya.

TEXT 11

vaiṣṇavera madhye rāma-upāsaka saba
keha ‘tattvavādī’, keha haya ‘śrī-vaiṣṇava’

At the time, all the South Indian Vaiṣṇavas were worshipers of Lord Rāmacandra. Some were Tattvavādīs, and some were followers of Rāmānujācārya.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura points out that the word “Tattvavādī” refers to the followers of Śrīla Madhvācārya. To distinguish his disciplic succession from the Māyāvādī followers of Śaṅkarācārya, Śrīla Madhvācārya named his party the Tattvavādīs. Impersonal monists are always attacked by these Tattvavādīs, who attempt to defeat their philosophy of impersonalism. Generally, they establish the supremacy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Actually the disciplic succession of Madhvācārya is known as the Brahmā Vaiṣṇava sect; that is the sect coming down from Lord Brahmā. Consequently the Tattvavādīs, or followers of Madhvācārya, do not accept the incident of Lord Brahmā’s illusion, which is recorded in the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīla Madhvācārya has purposefully avoided commenting on that portion of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in which brahma-mohana, the illusion of Lord Brahmā, is mentioned. Śrīla Mādhavendra Purī was one of the ācāryas in the Tattvavāda disciplic succession, and he established the ultimate goal of transcendentalism to be attainment of pure devotional service, love of Godhead. Those Vaiṣṇavas belonging to the Gauḍīya-sampradāya, the disciplic succession following Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, are distinct from the Tattvavādīs, although they belong to the same Tattvavāda-sampradāya. The followers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are therefore known as the Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya.

The word pāṣaṇḍī refers to those who are opposed to pure devotional service. In particular, these are the Māyāvādīs, the impersonalists. A definition of pāṣaṇḍī is given in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (1.73), wherein it is stated:

yas tu nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ
samatvenaiva vīkṣeta sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam

A pāṣaṇḍī is one who thinks that the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa, the Personality of Godhead, is on the same level with the demigods, headed by Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva. A devotee never considers Lord Nārāyaṇa to be on the same platform with Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva. The Madhvācārya-sampradāya and Rāmānuja-sampradāya are mainly worshipers of Lord Rāmacandra, although the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas are supposed to be worshipers of Lord Nārāyaṇa and Lakṣmī and the Tattvavādīs are supposed to be worshipers of Lord Kṛṣṇa. At present, in most of the monasteries belonging to the Madhva-sampradāya, Lord Rāmacandra is worshiped.

In the book known as Adhyātma-rāmāyaṇa, there are statements in chapters twelve to fifteen about worshiping the Deities of Śrī Rāmacandra and Sītā.

COMMENT

This story is very interesting and very revealing about some of the deities in India.

PURPORT (continued)

There it is stated that during Lord Rāmacandra’s time there was a brāhmaṇa who took a vow to fast until he saw Lord Rāmacandra. Sometimes, due to business, Lord Rāmacandra was absent from His capital for a full week and could not be seen by the citizens during that time. Because of his vow, the brāhmaṇa could not take even a drop of water during that week. Later, after eight or nine days, when the brāhmaṇa could see Lord Rāmacandra personally, he would break his fast. Upon observing the brāhmaṇa’s rigid vow, Lord Śrī Rāmacandra ordered His younger brother Lakṣmaṇa to deliver a pair of Sītā-Rāma Deities to the brāhmaṇa. The brāhmaṇa received the Deities from Śrī Lakṣmaṇajī and worshiped Them faithfully as long as he lived. At the time of his death, he delivered the Deities to Śrī Hanumānjī, who, for many years, hung Them around his neck and served Them with all devotion. After many years, when Hanumānjī departed on the hill known as Gandha-mādana, he delivered the Deities to Bhīmasena, one of the Pāṇḍavas, and Bhīmasena brought Them to his palace, where he kept Them very carefully. The last king of the Pāṇḍavas, Kṣemakānta, worshiped the Deities in that palace. Later, the same Deities were kept in the custody of the kings of Orissa known as Gajapatis. One of the ācāryas, known as Narahari Tīrtha, who was in the disciplic succession of Madhvācārya, received these Deities from the King of Orissa.

It may be noted that these particular Deities of Rāma and Sītā have been worshiped from the time of King Ikṣvāku. Indeed, They were worshiped by the royal princes even before the appearance of Lord Rāmacandra. Later, during Lord Rāmacandra’s presence, the Deities were worshiped by Lakṣmaṇa. It is said that just three months before his disappearance, Śrī Madhvācārya received these Deities and installed them in the Uḍupī temple. Since then the Deities have been worshiped by the Madhvācārya-sampradāya at that monastery. As far as the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas are concerned, beginning with Rāmānujācārya, they also worshiped Deities of Sītā-Rāma. Sītā-Rāma Deities are also being worshiped in Tirupati and other places. From the Śrī Rāmānuja-sampradāya there is another branch known as Rāmānandī or Rāmāt, and the followers of that branch also worship Deities of Sītā-Rāma very rigidly. The Rāmānuja-sampradāya Vaiṣṇavas prefer the worship of Lord Rāmacandra to that of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

COMMENT

Those deities are millions of years old; they are millions of years old and they are made of solid gold, which Srila Prabhupada didn’t mention.

TEXT 97

Unmoving, we are overwhelmed with transcendental bliss.

TEXT 98

Thus by His causeless mercy the full moon, Gaurahari, rose in the district of Nadia, which is compared to Udayagiri, where the sun first becomes visible. His rising in the sky dissipated the darkness of sinful life, and thus the three worlds became joyful and chanted the holy name of the Lord.

TEXT 99

At that time Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu, in His own house at Śāntipura, was dancing in a pleasing mood. Taking Haridāsa Ṭhākura with Him, He danced and loudly chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa. But why they were dancing, no one could understand.

PURPORT

It is understood that Advaita Prabhu, at that time, was in His own paternal house at Śāntipura. Haridāsa Ṭhākura frequently used to meet Him. Coincidentally, therefore, he was also there, and upon the birth of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu both of them immediately began to dance. But no one in Śāntipura could understand why those two saintly persons were dancing.

TEXT 100

Seeing the lunar eclipse and laughing, Advaita Ācārya and Haridāsa Ṭhākura immediately went to the bank of the Ganges and bathed in the river in great jubilation. Taking advantage of the occasion of the lunar eclipse, Advaita Ācārya, by His mental strength, distributed various types of charity to the brāhmaṇas.

PURPORT

It is the custom of Hindus to give in charity to the poor as much as possible during the time of a lunar or solar eclipse. Advaita Ācārya, therefore, taking advantage of this eclipse, distributed many varieties of charity to the brāhmaṇas. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.3.11) there is a statement that when Kṛṣṇa took His birth, Vasudeva immediately took advantage of this moment and distributed ten thousand cows to the brāhmaṇas. It is customary among Hindus that at the time a child is born, especially a male child, the parents distribute great charity in jubilation. Advaita Ācārya was actually interested in distributing charity because of Lord Caitanya’s birth at the time of the lunar eclipse. People could not understand, however, why Advaita Ācārya was giving such a great variety of things in charity. He did so not because of the lunar eclipse but because of the Lord’s taking birth at that moment. He distributed charity exactly as Vasudeva did at the time of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s appearance.

TEXT 101

When he saw that the whole world was jubilant, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, his mind astonished, directly and indirectly expressed himself to Advaita Ācārya: “Your dancing and distributing charity are very pleasing to me. I can understand that there is some special purpose in these actions.”

TEXT 111

One day shortly after Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was born, Advaita Ācārya’s wife, Sītādevī, who is worshipable by the whole world, took her husband’s permission and went to see that topmost child with all kinds of gifts and presentations.

PURPORT

It appears that Advaita Ācārya had two different houses, one at Śāntipura and one at Navadvīpa. When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was born, Advaita Ācārya was residing not at His Navadvīpa house but at His Śāntipura house. Therefore, as formerly explained (Text 99), from Advaita’s old paternal house (nijālaya) in Śāntipura, Sītā came to Navadvīpa to present gifts to the newborn child, Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 112

She brought different kinds of golden ornaments, including armlets, necklaces, anklets, and bangles for the hands.

TEXT 113

There were also tiger nails set in gold, waist decorations of silk and lace, ornaments for the hands and legs, nicely printed silken saris, and a child’s garment, also made of silk. Many other riches, including gold and silver coins, were also presented to the child.

PURPORT

From the gifts presented by Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī, Advaita Ācārya’s wife, it appears that Advaita Ācārya was at that time a very rich man. Although brāhmaṇas are not the rich men of society, Advaita Ācārya, being the leader of the brāhmaṇas in Śāntipura, was considerably well-to-do. Therefore He presented many ornaments to the baby, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. But Kamalākānta Viśvāsa’s asking for three hundred rupees from the King of Jagannātha Purī, Mahārāja Pratāparudra, on the plea that Advaita Ācārya was in debt for that amount, indicates that such a rich man, who could present many valuable ornaments, saris, etc., thought it difficult to repay three hundred rupees. Therefore the value of a rupee at that time was many thousands of times what it is now. At present, no one feels difficulty over a debt of three hundred rupees, nor can an ordinary man accumulate such valuable ornaments to present to a friend’s son. Probably the value of three hundred rupees at that time was equal to the present value of thirty thousand rupees.

TEXT 114

Riding in a palanquin covered with cloth and accompanied by maidservants, Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī came to the house of Jagannātha Miśra, bringing with her many auspicious articles such as fresh grass, paddy, gorocana, turmeric, kuṅkuma, and sandalwood. All these presentations filled a large basket.

PURPORT

The words vastra-gupta dolā are very significant in this verse. Even fifty or sixty years ago in Calcutta, all respectable ladies would go to a neighboring place riding on a palanquin carried by four men. The palanquin was covered with soft cotton, and in that way there was no chance of seeing a respectable lady traveling in public. Ladies, especially those coming from respectable families, could not be seen by ordinary men. This system is still current in remote places.

COMMENT

Actually in Pakistan, many of the Hindus are very orthodox because the influence of modern ideas or western culture has not entered as much. So in one community in particular, the women are never seen; they always keep themselves very covered. They wear sari and of course their top pieces are all the way up to the neck, down to the waist and they don’t mix with the men. They just don’t mix with the men. We went to one town called Ghotki which is very famous for cattle [Unintelligible 00:34:42]. Actually the Ghotki cattle [Unintelligible 00:34:43] is famous throughout Pakistan, and it is extraordinary. And our godbrother Boomnadasa, was with us on one occasion. And Boomnadasa travelled extensively throughout the world and especially in India, travelled throughout India, and he has tasted of many sweets in many places, and he has certified that one would be hard pressed to find a peda as good as the Ghotki peda even throughout the whole Mathura district.

So anyway, we had the program there on open grounds. they would stay (Unintelligible 00:35:48) and I think we had two-days program. So then after the programs were concluded then we received one request from one gentleman, that the ladies also wanted one program. Because we didn’t notice it, but no ladies were present at the program because they wouldn’t come out and mix with the men in any program, so we agreed. And so there was one very rich man who had a big house with a complex; big courtyard and (Unintelligible 00:36:35) growing on the side. So then one program was arranged in the courtyard of his estate, and then the ladies came. And he was there and maybe two or three other men, prominent men, who were husbands of the women who were present. And otherwise it was just myself, Amogha Lila, and his wife, Devahuti from Mauritius. (Unintelligible 99:37:12).

Then another time we had a house program in Karachi and in Karachi the western influence is more. So the program was held in the drawing room of the house and there were just men. And then the wife of the host, there was, not a wall but a little like this, between the drawing room and the dining room, and then there were beads hanging as the divider. So she put the beads down and then she sat behind the beaded wall (Unintelligible 00:38:19). So this is (Unintelligible 00:38:30). At least in the present context, at least the ladies keep their heads covered, they wouldn’t speak loudly, they wouldn’t laugh.

PURPORT (continued)

The palanquin was covered with soft cotton, and in that way there was no chance of seeing a respectable lady traveling in public. Ladies, especially those coming from respectable families, could not be seen by ordinary men. This system is still current in remote places. The Sanskrit word sūrya-paśyā indicates that a respectable lady could not be seen even by the sun.

COMMENT

Yes, the first day I came to the temple in Boston, there were initiations. And then within two or three days there was a marriage ceremony. So in the ceremony I think the husband covered the head of their wife with sari. So that time, Srila Prabhupada said now they should keep themselves so covered that not even the sun could see them.

PURPORT (continued)

In the oriental culture this system was very prevalent and was strictly observed by respectable ladies, both Hindu and Muslim. We have actual experience in our childhood that our mother would not walk even next door to observe an invitation; rather, she would go in either a carriage or a palanquin carried by four men. This custom was also strictly followed five hundred years ago, and the wife of Advaita Ācārya, being a very respectable lady, observed the customary rules current in that social environment.

TEXT 115

When Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī came to the house of Śacīdevī, bringing with her many kinds of eatables, dresses, and other gifts, she was astonished to see the newborn child, for she appreciated that except for a difference in color, the child was directly Kṛṣṇa of Gokula Himself.

PURPORT

A peṭāri is a kind of big basket that is carried in pairs on the ends of a rod balanced over the shoulders. The man who carries such a load is called a bhārī. This system of carrying luggage and packages is still current in India and other oriental countries, and we have seen that the same system is still current even in Jakarta, Indonesia.

TEXT 116

Seeing the transcendental bodily effulgence of the child, each of His nicely constructed limbs full of auspicious signs and resembling a form of gold, Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī was very pleased, and because of her maternal affection, she felt as if her heart were melting.

TEXT 117

She blessed the newborn child by placing fresh grass and paddy on His head and saying, “May You be blessed with a long duration of life.” But being afraid of ghosts and witches, she gave the child the name Nimāi.

PURPORT

Ḍākinī and Śāṅkhinī are two companions of Lord Śiva and his wife who are supposed to be extremely inauspicious, having been born of ghostly life. It is believed that such inauspicious living creatures cannot go near a nima tree. At least medically it is accepted that nima wood is extremely antiseptic, and formerly it was customary to have a nima tree in front of one’s house. On very large roads in India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, there are hundreds and thousands of nima trees. Nima wood is so antiseptic that the Āyurvedic science uses it to cure leprosy. Medical scientists have extracted the active principle of the nima tree, which is called margosic acid. Nima is used for many purposes, especially to brush the teeth. In Indian villages ninety percent of the people use nima twigs for this purpose. Because of all the antiseptic effects of the nima tree and because Lord Caitanya was born beneath a nima tree, Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī gave the Lord the name Nimāi. Later in His youth He was celebrated as Nimāi Paṇḍita, and in the neighborhood villages He was called by that name, although His real name was Viśvambhara.

COMMENT

When I visited a dentist in Chicago, he said he had been in India, in the army in the war in early 1930s. Then he said, “What is that wood?” He could not understand, he said, “What is that wood, do you know? Those sticks that they use, they sit on the side of the road and they brush their teeth with those sticks, what is that wood? So I said well it could be neem, because neem is supposed to have antiseptic properties. He said, “Well, whoever turned them on to that turned them on to a good thing, because when I was in India in the army, in the war, as dentist, I used to look into the mouth of Indians. He said, “The first mouth I looked into I never saw such beautiful teeth. He had thirty-two perfectly beautiful white teeth.” So he said, “I don’t know what is in those sticks.”

TEXT 118

On the day the mother and son bathed and left the maternity home, Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī gave them all kinds of ornaments and garments and then also honored Jagannātha Miśra. Then Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī, being honored by mother Śacīdevī and Jagannātha Miśra, was greatly happy within her mind, and thus she returned home.

PURPORT

On the fifth day from the birth of a child, as also on the ninth day, the mother bathes either in the Ganges or in another sacred place. This is called niṣkrāmaṇa, or the ceremony of coming out of the maternity home. Nowadays the maternity home is a hospital, but formerly in every respectable house one room was set aside as a maternity home where children would take birth, and on the ninth day after the birth of a child the mother would come into the regular rooms in the ceremony called niṣkrāmaṇa. Of the ten purificatory processes, niṣkrāmaṇa is one. Formerly, especially in Bengal, the higher castes observed four months after the birth of a child as a quarantine. At the end of the fourth month, the mother could see the sun rise. Later the higher castes, namely the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, and vaiśyas, observed only twenty-one days as a quarantine, whereas the śūdras had to observe thirty days. For the sections of society known as kartābhajā and satīmā, the mother of the child was immediately purified after the quarantine by the throwing of hari-nuṭa, small pieces of sweetmeat, in saṅkīrtana. Śacīdevī and Jagannātha Miśra, with the newborn child, were honored by Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī. Similarly, while Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī was returning home, she was also honored by Śacīdevī and Jagannātha Miśra. That was the system in respectable families of Bengal.

TEXT 124

Taking on my head as my own property the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu, Ācārya Advaitacandra, Svarūpa Dāmodara, Rūpa Gosvāmī and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, I, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, have thus described the advent of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

PURPORT

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda, Advaita Prabhu, Svarūpa Dāmodara, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa and their followers are all accepted by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī. Anyone who follows in the footsteps of Kavirāja Gosvāmī also accepts the lotus feet of the above-mentioned lords as his personal property. For a materialistic person, material wealth and opulence are only illusory. Actually they are not possessions but entanglements because by enjoying the material world a conditioned soul becomes more and more entangled by incurring debts for his present enjoyment. Unfortunately, a conditioned soul considers property for which he is in debt to be his own, and he is very busy acquiring such property. But a devotee considers such property not real property but simply an entanglement in the material world. If Lord Kṛṣṇa is very pleased with a devotee, He takes away his material property, as He states in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.88.8): yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ. “To show special favor to a devotee, I take away all his material property.” Similarly, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says:

dhana mora nityānanda, rādhā-kṛṣṇa-śrīcaraṇa
sei mora prāṇadhana

“My real riches are Nityānanda Prabhu and the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.” He further prays, “O Lord, kindly give me this opulence. I do not want anything but Your lotus feet as my property.” Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung in many places that his real property is the lotus feet of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Unfortunately, we are interested in unreal property and are neglecting our real property (adhane yatana kari’ dhana teyāginu).

Sometimes smārtas consider Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī a śūdra. But Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī here especially mentions svarūpa-rūpa-raghunāthadāsa. Therefore one who considers the lotus feet of Raghunātha dāsa to be transcendental to all divisions of the caste system enjoys the riches of actual spiritual bliss.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, thirteenth chapter, describing the advent of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

COMMENT

Reading from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā Chapter Four—“Sanātana Gosvāmī Visits the Lord at Jagannātha Purī.”

The fourth chapter is summarized by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya as follows. Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī came alone from Mathurā to Jagannātha Purī to see Lord Caitanya. Because of bathing in bad water and not getting enough food every day while traveling on the path through Jhārikhaṇḍa (Jharkhand) Forest, he developed a disease that made his body itch. Suffering greatly from this itching, he resolved that in the presence of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu he would throw himself under the wheel of Jagannātha’s car and in this way commit suicide.

When Sanātana Gosvāmī came to Jagannātha Purī, he stayed under the care of Haridāsa Ṭhākura for some time, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very happy to see him. The Lord informed Sanātana Gosvāmī about the death of his younger brother Anupama, who had great faith in the lotus feet of Lord Rāmacandra.

TEXT 1

vṛndāvanāt punaḥ prāptaṁ
śrī-gauraḥ śrī-sanātanam
deha-pātād avan snehāt
śuddhaṁ cakre parīkṣayā

When Sanātana Gosvāmī returned from Vṛndāvana, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu affectionately saved him from his determination to commit suicide. Then, after testing him, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu purified his body.

TEXT 2

jaya jaya śrī-caitanya jaya nityānanda
jayādvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

All glories to Lord Caitanya! All glories to Lord Nityānanda! All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to all the devotees of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu!

TEXT 3

nīlācala haite rūpa gauḍe yabe gelā
mathurā haite sanātana nīlācala āilā

When Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī returned from Jagannātha Purī to Bengal, Sanātana Gosvāmī went from Mathurā to Jagannātha Purī to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 4

jhārikhaṇḍa-vanapathe āilā ekelā caliyā
kabhu upavāsa, kabhu carvaṇa kariyā

Sanātana Gosvāmī walked alone on the path through the Jhārikhaṇḍa forest in central India. Sometimes he fasted, and sometimes he would eat.

TEXT 5

Because of bad water in the Jhārikhaṇḍa forest and because of fasting, Sanātana Gosvāmī contracted a disease that made his body itch. Thus he was afflicted with itching sores from which fluid oozed.

TEXT 6

In disappointment, Sanātana Gosvāmī considered, “I am of a low caste, and my body is useless for devotional service.

TEXT 7

When I go to Jagannātha Purī, I shall not be able to see Lord Jagannātha, nor shall I always be able to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 8

I have heard that the residential quarters of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are near the temple of Jagannātha. But I shall not have the power to go near the temple.”

TEXT 9

“The servants of Lord Jagannātha generally move about tending to their duties, but if they touch me I shall be an offender.

TEXT 10

Therefore if I sacrifice this body in a good place, my unhappiness will be mitigated and I shall attain an exalted destination.

TEXT 11

During the Ratha-yātrā festival, when Lord Jagannātha comes out of the temple, I shall give up this body under the wheel of His car.

TEXT 12

After seeing Lord Jagannātha, I shall give up my body under the wheel of the car in the presence of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This will be the highest benediction of my life.”

TEXT 13

Having made this resolution, Sanātana Gosvāmī went to Nīlācala, where he asked directions from people and approached the residence of Haridāsa Ṭhākura.

TEXT 14

He offered his respects to the lotus feet of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who knew him and thus embraced him.

TEXT 15

Sanātana Gosvāmī was very eager to see the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, “The Lord is coming here very soon.”

TEXT 16

At that very moment, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, after visiting the temple of Jagannātha to see the offering of upala-bhoga [morning refreshments], came with His other devotees to see Haridāsa Ṭhākura.

TEXT 17

Seeing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, both Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Sanātana Gosvāmī immediately fell flat like rods to offer obeisances. The Lord then lifted Haridāsa and embraced him.

TEXT 18

Haridāsa Ṭhākura said to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “Here is Sanātana Gosvāmī offering his obeisances.” Seeing Sanātana Gosvāmī, the Lord was greatly surprised.

TEXT 19

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came forward to embrace him, Sanātana backed away and spoke as follows:

TEXT 20

“My Lord, please do not touch me. I fall at Your lotus feet. I am the lowest of men, having been born of a low caste. Besides that, I have infections on my body.”

TEXT 21

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, however, embraced Sanātana Gosvāmī by force. Thus the moisture oozing from the itching sores touched the transcendental body of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 22

The Lord introduced all the devotees to Sanātana Gosvāmī, who offered his respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of them all.

TEXT 23

The Lord and His devotees sat on a raised platform, and below that sat Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Sanātana Gosvāmī.

TEXT 24

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired from Sanātana about news of his well-being. Sanātana replied, “Everything is auspicious because I have seen Your lotus feet.”

TEXT 25

When the Lord asked about all the Vaiṣṇavas at Mathurā, Sanātana Gosvāmī informed Him of their good health and fortune.

TEXT 26

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu informed Sanātana Gosvāmī, “Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī was here for ten months. He left for Bengal just ten days ago.

TEXT 27

Your brother Anupama is now dead.