Sri Caitanya Caritamrita

Madhya-lila
Chapter 15: The Lord Accepts Prasadam at the House of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya

Text* 1: While ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu was taking prasÄdam at the house of SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, Amogha criticized Him. Still, the Lord accepted Amogha, thereby showing how much He was obliged to His devotees.
Text* 2: All glories to ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu! All glories to Lord NityÄnanda Prabhu! All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to all the devotees of Lord Caitanya!
Text* 3: All glories to the listeners of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya-caritÄmá¹›ta who have accepted it as their life and soul!
Text* 4: While ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu stayed at JagannÄtha PurÄ«, He constantly enjoyed chanting and dancing with His devotees.
Text* 5: In the beginning of the day, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu saw the Deity of Lord JagannÄtha in the temple. He offered Him obeisances and prayers and danced and sang before Him.
Text 6: After visiting the temple, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu would remain outside during the upala-bhoga offering. He would then go meet HaridÄsa ṬhÄkura and return to His residence.
Text* 7: Sitting in His room, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu would chant on His beads, and Advaita Prabhu would come there to worship the Lord.
Text* 8: While worshiping ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, Advaita Ä€cÄrya would offer Him scented water to wash His mouth and feet. Then Advaita Ä€cÄrya would smear very fragrant sandalwood pulp all over His body.
Text* 9: ÅšrÄ« Advaita Prabhu would also place a flower garland around the Lord’s neck and tulasÄ« flowers [mañjarÄ«s] on His head. Then, with folded hands, Advaita Ä€cÄrya would offer obeisances and prayers unto the Lord.
Text* 10: After being worshiped by Advaita Ä€cÄrya, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu would take the dish containing flowers and tulasÄ« and, with whatever paraphernalia remained, worship Advaita Ä€cÄrya.
Text* 11: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu would worship Advaita Ä€cÄrya by chanting the mantra “Whatever You are, You are — but I offer My respects unto You.†In addition, the Lord would make some sounds within His mouth that would make Advaita Ä€cÄrya laugh.
Text* 12: In this way Advaita Ä€cÄrya and ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu would offer Their respectful obeisances unto each other. Then Advaita Ä€cÄrya would extend an invitation to ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu again and again.
Text* 13: Indeed, ÅšrÄ« Advaita Ä€cÄrya’s invitation is another wonderful story. It has been very vividly described by Vá¹›ndÄvana dÄsa ṬhÄkura.
Text* 14: Since Advaita Ä€cÄrya’s invitation has been described by Vá¹›ndÄvana dÄsa ṬhÄkura, I shall not repeat the story. But I shall say that other devotees also extended invitations to ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text* 15: Day after day, one devotee after another would invite ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu and the other devotees to lunch and would also hold a festival.
Text* 16: All the devotees remained at JagannÄtha PurÄ« for four continuous months, and they observed all Lord JagannÄtha’s festivals with great pleasure.
Text* 17: The devotees celebrated the festival of JanmÄṣṭamÄ«, Kṛṣṇa’s birthday, which is also called Nanda-mahotsava, the festival of Nanda MahÄrÄja. At that time ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu and His devotees dressed themselves as cowherd boys.
Text* 18: Having dressed up like cowherd boys, all the devotees carried pots of milk and yogurt balanced on rods over their shoulders. Thus they all arrived at the festival grounds chanting the holy name of Hari.
Text* 19: KÄnÄñi Khuá¹­iyÄ dressed himself like Nanda MahÄrÄja, and JagannÄtha MÄhiti dressed himself as mother YaÅ›odÄ.
Text* 20: At that time, King PratÄparudra was also personally present with KÄśī MiÅ›ra, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya and TulasÄ« Paá¸ichÄpÄtra.
Text* 21: As usual, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu danced jubilantly. Everyone was covered with milk, yogurt and yellow turmeric water.
Text* 22: At this time ÅšrÄ«la Advaita Ä€cÄrya said, “Please do not be angry. I speak the truth. I shall know that You are a cowherd boy only if You can wheel this rod about.â€
Text* 23: Accepting Advaita Ä€cÄrya’s challenge, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu took a big rod and began to wheel it around and around. Again and again He threw the rod into the sky and caught it when it fell.
Text* 24: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu wheeled and threw the rod, sometimes over His head, sometimes behind His back, sometimes in front of Him, sometimes to His side and sometimes between His legs. All the people laughed to see this.
Text* 25: When ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu whirled the rod in a circle like a firebrand, the heart of everyone who saw it was astonished.
Text* 26: NityÄnanda Prabhu also played at whirling the rod. Who can understand how They were ecstatically immersed in the deep emotions of the cowherd boys?
Text* 27: Following the orders of MahÄrÄja PratÄparudra, the temple superintendent, named TulasÄ«, brought one of Lord JagannÄtha’s used cloths.
Text* 28: This valuable cloth was wrapped around the head of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu. The other devotees, headed by Advaita Ä€cÄrya, also had cloths wrapped about their heads.
Text* 29: In ecstasy, KÄnÄñi Khuá¹­iyÄ, who was dressed as Nanda MahÄrÄja, and JagannÄtha MÄhiti, who was dressed as mother YaÅ›odÄ, distributed all the riches they had stocked at home.
Text* 30: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu was greatly satisfied to see this. Accepting them as His father and mother, He offered them obeisances.
Text* 31: In great ecstasy, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu returned to His residence. In this way, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, known as GaurÄá¹…ga-sundara, performed various pastimes.
Text* 32: On the day celebrating the conquest of Laá¹…kÄ â€” a day known as VijayÄ-daÅ›amÄ« — ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu dressed up all His devotees as monkey soldiers.
Text* 33: Displaying the emotions of HanumÄn, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu took up a large tree branch and, mounting the walls of the Laá¹…kÄ fort, began to dismantle it.
Text* 34: In the ecstasy of HanumÄn, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu angrily said, “Where is that rascal RÄvaṇa? He has kidnapped the universal mother, SÄ«tÄ. Now I shall kill him and all his family.â€
Text* 35: Everyone became very much astonished to see the emotional ecstasy of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, and everyone began to chant, “All glories! All glories!†again and again.
Text 36: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu and His devotees participated in all the festivals, including RÄsa-yÄtrÄ, DÄ«pÄvalÄ« and UtthÄna-dvÄdaśī.
Text* 37: One day the two brothers, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu and NityÄnanda Prabhu, consulted with each other while sitting together in a solitary place.
Text* 38: No one could understand what the brothers discussed between Themselves, but later all the devotees could guess what the subject matter was.
Text* 39: Thereafter, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu called for all the devotees and asked them to return to Bengal. In this way, He bade farewell to them.
Text* 40: Bidding farewell to all the devotees, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu requested them to return to JagannÄtha PurÄ« every year to see Him and then see the cleansing of the Guṇá¸icÄ temple.
Text 41: With great respect, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu requested Advaita Ä€cÄrya, “Give Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotion to Kṛṣṇa, even to the lowest of men [caṇá¸Älas].â€
Text 42: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu ordered NityÄnanda Prabhu, “Go to Bengal and, without restriction, manifest devotional service to the Lord, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.â€
Text* 43: NityÄnanda Prabhu was given assistants like RÄmadÄsa, GadÄdhara dÄsa and several others. ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu said, “I give them to You to assist You.
Text* 44: “I shall also go to see You at intervals. Keeping Myself invisible, I shall watch You dance.â€
Text* 45: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu then embraced ÅšrÄ«vÄsa Paṇá¸ita and, with His arm about his neck, began to speak to him in sweet words.
Text* 46: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu requested ÅšrÄ«vÄsa ṬhÄkura, “Perform congregational chanting daily, and be assured that I shall also dance in your presence. You will be able to see this dancing, but not others.
Text* 47: “Take this prasÄdam of Lord JagannÄtha’s and this cloth and deliver them to My mother, ÅšacÄ«devÄ«. After offering her obeisances, please request her to excuse My offenses.
Text* 48: “I have given up the service of My mother and have accepted the sannyÄsa order. Actually I should not have done this, for by so doing I have destroyed My religious principles.
Text* 49: “I am subordinate to the love of My mother, and it is My duty to serve her in return. Instead of doing so, I have accepted the renounced order. Certainly this is the act of a madman.
Text* 50: “A mother is not offended by her mad son, and knowing this, My mother is not offended by Me.
Text* 51: “I had no business in accepting the renounced order and sacrificing My love for My mother, which is My real property. Actually I was in a crazy state of mind when I accepted sannyÄsa.
Text* 52: “I am staying here at JagannÄtha PurÄ«, NÄ«lÄcala, to comply with her orders. But at intervals I go see her lotus feet.
Text* 53: “Indeed, I go there daily to see her lotus feet. She is able to feel My presence, although she does not believe it to be true.
Text* 54-55: “One day My mother, ÅšacÄ«, offered food to ÅšÄlagrÄma Viṣṇu. She offered rice cooked from Å›Äli paddies, various kinds of vegetables, spinach, curry made of banana flowers, fried paá¹­ola with nimba leaves, pieces of ginger with lemon, and also yogurt, milk, sugar candy and many other foods.
Text* 56: “Taking the food upon her lap, Mother was crying to think that all that food was very dear to her NimÄi.
Text* 57: “My mother was thinking, ‘NimÄi is not here. Who will accept all this food?’ As she meditated upon Me in this way, her eyes filled with tears.
Text* 58: “While she was thus thinking and crying, I immediately went there with great haste and ate everything. Seeing the dish empty, she wiped her tears away.
Text* 59: “She then began to wonder who had eaten all that food. ‘Why is the plate empty?’ she wondered, doubting that BÄla-gopÄla had eaten it all.
Text* 60: “She began to wonder whether there had actually been anything on the plate in the first place. Then again she thought that some animal might have come and eaten everything.
Text* 61: “She thought, ‘Perhaps by mistake I did not put any food on the plate.’ So thinking, she went into the kitchen and saw the pots.
Text* 62: “When she saw that all the pots were still filled with rice and vegetables, there was some doubt in her mind, and she was astonished.
Text* 63: “Thus wondering, she called ĪśÄna, the servant, and had the place cleaned again. She then offered another plate to GopÄla.
Text* 64: “Now whenever she prepares some good cooked food and wants to feed it to Me, she cries in great anxiety.
Text* 65: “Being obliged by her love, I am brought there to eat. Mother knows all these things internally and feels happiness, but externally she does not accept them.
Text* 66: “Such an incident took place on the last VijayÄ-daÅ›amÄ« day. You can ask her about this incident and thus make her believe that I actually go there.â€
Text* 67: While describing all this, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu became a little overwhelmed, but just to finish bidding farewell to the devotees, He remained patient.
Text* 68: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu next spoke some relishable words to RÄghava Paṇá¸ita. He said, “I am obliged to you due to your pure love for Me.â€
Text* 69: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu then informed everyone, “Just hear about the pure devotional service rendered to Kṛṣṇa by RÄghava Paṇá¸ita. Indeed, RÄghava Paṇá¸ita’s service is supremely pure and highly accomplished.
Text* 70: “Apart from other commodities, just hear about his offering of coconuts. A coconut is sold at the rate of five gaṇá¸Äs each.
Text* 71: “Although he already has hundreds of trees and millions of fruits, he is still very eager to hear about the place where sweet coconuts are available.
Text* 72: “He collects coconuts with great endeavor from a place twenty miles away, and he pays four paṇas each for them.
Text* 73: “Every day five to seven coconuts are clipped and put into water to keep cool.
Text* 74: “At the time of offering bhoga, the coconuts are again clipped and cleansed. After holes are made in them at the top, they are offered to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Text* 75: “Lord Kṛṣṇa drinks the juice from these coconuts, and sometimes the coconuts are left drained of juice. At other times the coconuts remain filled with juice.
Text* 76: “When RÄghava Paṇá¸ita sees that the juice has been drunk from the coconuts, he is very pleased. He then breaks the coconuts, takes out the pulp and puts it on another plate.
Text* 77: “After offering the pulp, he meditates outside the temple door. In the meantime, Lord Kṛṣṇa, having eaten the pulp, leaves the plate empty.
Text* 78: “Sometimes, after eating the pulp, Kṛṣṇa fills the plate again with new pulp. In this way, the faith of RÄghava Paṇá¸ita increases, and he floats in an ocean of love.
Text* 79: “One day it so happened that about ten coconuts were properly clipped and brought by a servant to offer to the Deity.
Text* 80: “When the coconuts were brought, there was little time to offer them because it was already late. The servant, holding the container of coconuts, remained standing at the door.
Text* 81: “RÄghava Paṇá¸ita then saw that the servant touched the ceiling above the door and then touched the coconuts with the same hand.
Text* 82: “RÄghava Paṇá¸ita then said, ‘People are always coming and going through that door. The dust from their feet blows up and touches the ceiling.
Text 83: “ ‘After touching the ceiling above the door, you have touched the coconuts. Now they are no longer fit to be offered to Kṛṣṇa because they are contaminated.’
Text* 84: “Such is the service of RÄghava Paṇá¸ita. He did not accept the coconuts but threw them over the wall. His service is purely based on unalloyed love, and it conquers the whole world.
Text* 85: “Thereafter, RÄghava Paṇá¸ita had other coconuts gathered, cleansed and clipped, and with great attention he offered them to the Deity to eat.
Text* 86: “In this way, from distant villages he collects excellent bananas, mangoes, oranges, jackfruits and whatever other first-class fruits he has heard about.
Text* 87: “All these fruits are collected from distant places and bought at a high price. After trimming them with great care and purity, RÄghava Paṇá¸ita offers them to the Deity.
Text* 88: “Thus with great care and attention RÄghava Paṇá¸ita prepares spinach, other vegetables, radishes, fruits, chipped rice, powdered rice and sweetmeats.
Text* 89: “He prepares cakes, sweet rice, condensed milk and everything else with great attention, and the cooking conditions are purified so that the food is first class and delicious.
Text* 90: “RÄghava Paṇá¸ita also offers all kinds of pickles, such as kÄÅ›amdi. He offers various scents, garments, ornaments and the best of everything.
Text* 91: “Thus RÄghava Paṇá¸ita serves the Lord in an incomparable way. Everyone is very much satisfied just to see him.â€
Text* 92: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu then mercifully embraced RÄghava Paṇá¸ita. The Lord also offered all the other devotees a farewell with similar respect.
Text* 93: The Lord also respectfully told ÅšivÄnanda Sena, “Take care of VÄsudeva Datta very nicely.
Text* 94: “VÄsudeva Datta is very liberal. Every day, whatever income he receives, he spends. He does not keep any balance.
Text* 95: “Being a householder, VÄsudeva Datta needs to save some money. Because he is not doing so, it is very difficult for him to maintain his family.
Text 96: “Please take care of VÄsudeva Datta’s family affairs. Become his manager and make the proper adjustments.
Text* 97: “Come every year and bring all My devotees with you to the Guṇá¸icÄ festival. I also request you to maintain all of them.â€
Text* 98: The Lord then with great respect extended an invitation to all the inhabitants of KulÄ«na-grÄma, asking them to come every year and bring silken rope to carry Lord JagannÄtha during the Ratha-yÄtrÄ festival.
Text 99: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu then said, “GuṇarÄja KhÄn of KulÄ«na-grÄma compiled a book named ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa-vijaya, in which there is a sentence revealing the author’s ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa.â€
Text 100: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu said, “ ‘Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda MahÄrÄja, is my life and soul.’ By this statement I am sold into the hands of the descendants of GuṇarÄja KhÄn.
Text* 101: “To say nothing of you, even a dog living in your village is very dear to Me. What, then, to speak of others?â€
Text* 102: After this, RÄmÄnanda Vasu and SatyarÄja KhÄn both submitted questions at the lotus feet of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text* 103: SatyarÄja KhÄn said, “My dear Lord, being a householder and a materialistic man, I do not know the process of advancing in spiritual life. I therefore submit myself unto Your lotus feet and request You to give me orders.â€
Text* 104: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu replied, “Without cessation continue chanting the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Whenever possible, serve Him and His devotees, the Vaiṣṇavas.â€
Text* 105: Upon hearing this, SatyarÄja said, “How can I recognize a Vaiṣṇava? Please let me know what a Vaiṣṇava is. What are his common symptoms?â€
Text 106: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu replied, “Whoever chants the holy name of Kṛṣṇa just once is worshipable and is the topmost human being.
Text 107: “Simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa once, a person is relieved from all the reactions of a sinful life. One can complete the nine processes of devotional service simply by chanting the holy name.
Text 108: “One does not have to undergo initiation or execute the activities required before initiation. One simply has to vibrate the holy name with his lips. Thus even a man in the lowest class [caṇá¸Äla] can be delivered.
Text* 109: “By chanting the holy name of the Lord, one dissolves his entanglement in material activities. After this, one becomes very much attracted to Kṛṣṇa, and thus dormant love for Kṛṣṇa is awakened.
Text 110: “ ‘The holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa is an attractive feature for many saintly, liberal people. It is the annihilator of all sinful reactions and is so powerful that, save for the dumb who cannot chant it, it is readily available to everyone, including the lowest type of man, the caṇá¸Äla. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is the controller of the opulence of liberation, and it is identical with Kṛṣṇa. When a person simply chants the holy name with his tongue, immediate effects are produced. Chanting the holy name does not depend on initiation, pious activities or the puraÅ›caryÄ regulative principles generally observed before initiation. The holy name does not wait for any of these activities. It is self-sufficient.’ â€
Text 111: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu then finally advised, “One who is chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is understood to be a Vaiṣṇava; therefore you should offer all respects to him.â€
Text* 112: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu then turned His attention to three persons — Mukunda dÄsa, Raghunandana and ÅšrÄ« Narahari — inhabitants of the place called Khaṇá¸a.
Text* 113: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, the son of mother ÅšacÄ«, next asked Mukunda dÄsa, “You are the father, and your son is Raghunandana. Is that so?
Text* 114: “Or is ÅšrÄ«la Raghunandana your father and you are his son? Please let Me know the facts so that My doubts will go away.â€
Text* 115: Mukunda replied, “Raghunandana is my father, and I am his son. This is my decision.
Text* 116: “All of us have attained devotion to Kṛṣṇa due to Raghunandana. Therefore in my mind he is my father.â€
Text* 117: Hearing Mukunda dÄsa give this proper decision, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu confirmed it, saying, “Yes, it is correct. One who awakens devotion to Kṛṣṇa is certainly the spiritual master.â€
Text* 118: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu became very happy just to speak of the glories of His devotees. Indeed, when He spoke of their glories, it was as if He had five faces.
Text* 119: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu then informed all His devotees, “Please hear about Mukunda’s love of Godhead. It is a very deep and pure love and can only be compared to purified gold.
Text 120: “Mukunda dÄsa externally appears to be a royal physician engaged in governmental service, but internally he has a deep love for Kṛṣṇa. Who can understand his love?
Text* 121: “One day Mukunda dÄsa, the royal physician, was seated with the Muslim King on a high platform and was telling the King about medical treatment.
Text* 122: “While the King and Mukunda dÄsa were conversing, a servant brought a fan made of peacock feathers to shade the King’s head from the sun. Consequently he held the fan above the King’s head.
Text* 123: “Just by seeing the peacock-feathered fan, Mukunda dÄsa became absorbed in ecstatic love of Godhead and fell from the high platform onto the ground.
Text* 124: “The King, fearing that the royal physician had been killed, personally descended and brought him to consciousness.
Text* 125: “When the King asked Mukunda, ‘Where is it paining you?’ Mukunda replied, ‘I am not very much pained.’
Text 126: “The King then inquired, ‘Mukunda, why did you fall down?’
Text* 127: “Being extraordinarily intelligent, the King could understand the whole affair. In his estimation, Mukunda was a most uncommon, exalted, liberated personality.
Text* 128-129: “Raghunandana is constantly engaged in serving Lord Kṛṣṇa in the temple. Beside the entrance of the temple is a lake, and on its banks is a kadamba tree, which daily delivers two flowers to be used for Kṛṣṇa’s service.â€
Text* 130: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu again spoke to Mukunda with sweet words: “Your duty is to earn both material and spiritual wealth.
Text* 131: “Furthermore, it is the duty of Raghunandana to always engage in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s service. He has no other intention but the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa.â€
Text 132: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu then ordered Narahari: “I wish you to remain here with My devotees. In this way the three of you should always execute these three duties for the service of the Lord.â€
Text* 133: Out of His causeless mercy, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu gave the following directions to the brothers SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya and VidyÄ-vÄcaspati.
Text* 134: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu said, “In this Age of Kali, Kṛṣṇa is manifest in two forms — wood and water. Thus, by enabling the conditioned souls to see the wood and bathe in the water, He helps them become liberated.
Text 135: “Lord JagannÄtha is the Supreme Lord Himself in the form of wood, and the river Ganges is the Supreme Lord Himself in the form of water.
Text* 136: “SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, you should engage in the worship of Lord JagannÄtha Puruá¹£ottama, and VÄcaspati should worship mother Ganges.â€
Text* 137: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu then embraced MurÄri Gupta and began to speak about his firm faith in devotional service. This was heard by all the devotees.
Text* 138: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu said, “Previously I induced MurÄri Gupta again and again to be allured by Lord Kṛṣṇa. I said to him, ‘My dear Gupta, Lord ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa, Vrajendra-kumÄra, is the supreme sweetness.
Text* 139: “ ‘Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the origin of all incarnations and the source of everything. He is pure transcendental love itself, and He is the reservoir of all pleasure.
Text* 140: “ ‘Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of all transcendental qualities. He is like a mine of gems. He is expert at everything, very intelligent and sober, and He is the summit of all transcendental humors.
Text* 141: “ ‘His character is very sweet, and His pastimes are melodious. He is expert in intelligence, and thus He enjoys all His pastimes and mellows.’
Text* 142: “I then requested MurÄri Gupta, ‘Worship Kṛṣṇa and take shelter of Him. But for His service, nothing appeals to the mind.’
Text* 143: “In this way, he heard from Me again and again. By My influence, his mind was a little converted.
Text* 144: “MurÄri Gupta then replied, ‘I am Your servant and Your order-carrier. I have no independent existence.’
Text* 145: “After this, MurÄri Gupta went home and spent the whole night thinking how he would have to give up the association of RaghunÄtha, Lord RÄmacandra. Thus he was overwhelmed.
Text* 146: “MurÄri Gupta then began to pray at the lotus feet of Lord RÄmacandra. He prayed that death would come that night because it was not possible for him to give up the service of the lotus feet of RaghunÄtha.
Text* 147: “Thus MurÄri Gupta cried the entire night. There was no rest for his mind; therefore he could not sleep but stayed awake the entire night.
Text* 148: “In the morning MurÄri Gupta came to see Me. Catching hold of My feet and crying, he submitted an appeal.
Text* 149: “MurÄri Gupta said, ‘I have sold my head unto the lotus feet of RaghunÄtha. I cannot withdraw my head, for that would give me too much pain.
Text* 150: “ ‘It is not possible for me to give up the service of RaghunÄtha’s lotus feet. At the same time, if I do not do so I shall break Your order. What can I do?’
Text* 151: “In this way MurÄri Gupta appealed to Me, saying, ‘You are all-merciful, so kindly grant me this mercy: Let me die before You so that all my doubts will be finished.’
Text* 152: “Hearing this, I became very happy. I then raised MurÄri Gupta and embraced him.
Text* 153: “I said to him, ‘All glories to you, MurÄri Gupta! Your method of worship is very firmly fixed — so much so that even upon My request your mind did not turn.
Text 154: “ ‘The servitor must have love and affection for the lotus feet of the Lord exactly like this. Even if the Lord wants separation, a devotee cannot abandon the shelter of His lotus feet.
Text* 155: “ ‘Just to test your firm faith in your Lord, I requested you again and again to change your worship from Lord RÄmacandra to Kṛṣṇa.’
Text* 156: “In this way, I congratulated MurÄri Gupta, saying, ‘Indeed, you are the incarnation of HanumÄn. Consequently you are the eternal servant of Lord RÄmacandra. Why should you give up the worship of Lord RÄmacandra and His lotus feet?’ â€
Text* 157: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu continued, “I accept this MurÄri Gupta as My life and soul. When I hear of his humility, it perturbs My very life.â€
Text* 158: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu then embraced VÄsudeva Datta and began to speak of his glories as if He had a thousand mouths.
Text* 159: When Caitanya MahÄprabhu glorified him, VÄsudeva Datta immediately became very much embarrassed and shy. He then submitted himself, touching the Lord’s lotus feet.
Text* 160: VÄsudeva Datta told Caitanya MahÄprabhu, “My dear Lord, You incarnate just to deliver all conditioned souls. I now have one petition, which I wish You would accept.
Text* 161: “My Lord, You are certainly able to do whatever You like, and You are indeed merciful. If You so desire, You can very easily do whatever You want.
Text* 162: “My Lord, my heart breaks to see the sufferings of all the conditioned souls; therefore I request You to transfer the karma of their sinful lives upon my head.
Text 163: “My dear Lord, let me suffer perpetually in a hellish condition, accepting all the sinful reactions of all living entities. Please finish their diseased material life.â€
Text* 164: When ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu heard VÄsudeva Datta’s statement, His heart became very soft. Tears flowed from His eyes, and He began to tremble. In a faltering voice He spoke as follows.
Text* 165: Accepting VÄsudeva Datta as a great devotee, the Lord said, “Such a statement is not at all astonishing because you are the incarnation of PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja. It appears that Lord Kṛṣṇa has bestowed complete mercy upon you. There is no doubt about it.
Text* 166: “Whatever a pure devotee wants from his master, Lord Kṛṣṇa doubtlessly grants because He has no duty other than to fulfill the desire of His devotee.
Text* 167: “If you desire the deliverance of all living entities within the universe, then all of them can be delivered even without your undergoing the tribulations of sinful activity.
Text* 168: “Kṛṣṇa is not incapable, for He has all potencies. Why would He induce you to suffer the sinful reactions of other living entities?
Text 169: “Whosever welfare you desire immediately becomes a Vaiṣṇava, and Kṛṣṇa delivers all Vaiṣṇavas from the reactions of their past sinful activities.
Text 170: “ ‘Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the original Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who regulates the sufferings and enjoyments due to fruitive activity. He does this for everyone — from the heavenly King Indra down to the smallest insect [indra-gopa]. That very Personality of Godhead destroys the karmic reactions of one engaged in devotional service.’
Text* 171: “Because of your honest desire, all living entities within the universe will be delivered, for Kṛṣṇa does not have to do anything to deliver all the living entities of the universe.
Text 172: “Just as there are millions of fruits on the uá¸umbara tree, millions of universes float on the waters of the river VirajÄ.
Text* 173: “The uá¸umbara tree is filled with millions of fruits, and if one falls down and is destroyed, the tree does not even consider the loss.
Text* 174: “In the same way, if one universe is vacated due to the living entities’ having been liberated, that is a very little thing for Kṛṣṇa. He does not take it very seriously.
Text* 175: “The entire spiritual world constitutes the unlimited opulence of Kṛṣṇa, and there are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets there. The Causal Ocean is considered the surrounding waters of Vaikuṇṭhaloka.
Text* 176: “MÄyÄ and her unlimited material universes are situated in that Causal Ocean. Indeed, mÄyÄ appears to be floating like a pot filled with mustard seeds.
Text* 177: “Of the millions of mustard seeds floating in that pot, if one seed is lost, the loss is not at all significant. Similarly, if one universe is lost, it is not significant to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Text* 178: “To say nothing of one universal mustard seed, even if all the universes and the material energy [mÄyÄ] are destroyed, Kṛṣṇa does not even consider the loss.
Text 179: “If a person possessing millions of wish-fulfilling cows loses one she-goat, he does not consider the loss. Kṛṣṇa owns all six opulences in full. If the entire material energy is destroyed, what does He lose?â€
Text 180: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu continued, “ ‘O my Lord, O unconquerable one, O master of all potencies, please exhibit Your internal potency to conquer the nescience of all moving and inert living entities. Due to nescience, they accept all kinds of faulty things, thus provoking a fearful situation. O Lord, please show Your glories! You can do this very easily, for Your internal potency is beyond the external potency, and You are the reservoir of all opulence. You are also the demonstrator of the material potency. You are also always engaged in Your pastimes in the spiritual world, where You exhibit Your reserved, internal potency, and sometimes You exhibit the external potency by glancing over it. Thus You manifest Your pastimes. The Vedas confirm Your two potencies and accept both types of pastimes due to them.’ â€
Text* 181: In this way, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu described the good qualities of His devotees one after the other. He then embraced them and bade them farewell.
Text* 182: Due to the impending separation from ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, all the devotees began to cry. The Lord was also morose due to separation from the devotees.
Text 183: GadÄdhara Paṇá¸ita remained with ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, and he was given a place to live at YameÅ›vara.
Text* 184-185: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu remained at JagannÄtha PurÄ«, NÄ«lÄcala, with ParamÄnanda PurÄ«, JagadÄnanda, SvarÅ«pa DÄmodara, DÄmodara Paṇá¸ita, Govinda and KÄśīśvara. It was ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu’s daily practice to see Lord JagannÄtha in the morning.
Text* 186: One day SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya came before ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu with folded hands and submitted a request.
Text* 187: Since all the Vaiṣṇavas had returned to Bengal, there was a good chance that the Lord would accept an invitation.
Text 188: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “Please accept my invitation for lunch for one month.â€
Text 189: SÄrvabhauma then said, “Please accept the invitation for twenty days.â€
Text* 190: When SÄrvabhauma requested Caitanya MahÄprabhu to accept lunch for fifteen days, the Lord said, “I shall accept lunch at your place for one day only.â€
Text* 191: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya then caught hold of the Lord’s lotus feet and submissively begged, “Please accept lunch for at least ten days.â€
Text* 192: In this way, by and by, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu reduced the duration to five days. Thus for five days He regularly accepted the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya’s invitation to lunch.
Text 193: After this, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “My Lord, there are ten sannyÄsÄ«s with You.â€
Text* 194: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya then submitted that ParamÄnanda PurÄ« GosvÄmÄ« would accept a five-day invitation at his place. This had already been settled before the Lord.
Text* 195: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “DÄmodara SvarÅ«pa is my intimate friend. He will come sometimes with You and sometimes alone.
Text 196: “The other eight sannyÄsÄ«s will accept invitations for two days each. In this way there will be engagements for each and every day during the entire month.
Text* 197: “If all the sannyÄsÄ«s came together, it would not be possible for me to pay them proper respects. Therefore I would be an offender.
Text* 198: “Sometimes You will come alone to my place, and sometimes You will be accompanied by SvarÅ«pa DÄmodara.â€
Text* 199: Having this arrangement confirmed by ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya became very glad and immediately invited the Lord to his house on that very day.
Text* 200: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya’s wife was known as á¹¢Äá¹­hÄ«ra MÄtÄ, the mother of á¹¢Äá¹­hÄ«. She was a great devotee of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, and she was affectionate like a mother.
Text* 201: After returning to his home, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya gave orders to his wife, and his wife, á¹¢Äá¹­hÄ«ra MÄtÄ, began cooking with great pleasure.
Text* 202: At SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya’s house, there was always a full stock of food. Whatever spinach, vegetables, fruit and so on were required, he collected and brought back home.
Text* 203: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya personally began to help á¹¢Äá¹­hÄ«ra MÄtÄ cook. She was very experienced, and she knew how to cook nicely.
Text 204: On the southern side of the kitchen were two rooms for offering food, and in one of them the food was offered to ÅšÄlagrÄma NÄrÄyaṇa.
Text* 205: The other room was for ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu’s lunch. The Lord’s lunchroom was very secluded, and it was newly constructed by the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya.
Text* 206: The room was so constructed that there was only one door opening on the outside, which served as an entrance for ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu. There was another door attached to the kitchen, and it was through this door that the food was brought.
Text 207: First, three mÄnas of cooked rice — almost six pounds — was poured onto a big banana leaf.
Text* 208: Then the whole stack of rice was mixed with so much yellowish and fragrant clarified butter that it began to overflow the leaf.
Text* 209: There were a number of pots made of the bark of banana trees and the leaves of the keyÄ plant. These pots were filled with various cooked vegetables and placed on all sides of the leaf.
Text* 210: There were about ten kinds of spinach, a soup called sukhta, which was made with bitter nimba leaves, a pungent preparation made with black pepper, a mild cake made of fried curd, and buttermilk mixed with small fried pieces of dhal.
Text* 211: There were preparations of dugdha-tumbÄ«, dugdha-kuá¹£mÄṇá¸a, vesara, lÄphrÄ, mocÄ-ghaṇṭa, mocÄ-bhÄjÄ and other vegetables.
Text* 212: There were unlimited quantities of vá¹›ddha-kuá¹£mÄṇá¸a-baá¸Ä«, phula-baá¸Ä«, fruits and various roots.
Text* 213: Other preparations included eggplant mixed with newly grown nimba leaves fried together, light baá¸Ä«, fried paá¹­ola and fried rounds of squash and pumpkin.
Text* 214: There was a soup made with fried urad dhal and mung dhal, defeating nectar. There were also sweet chutney and five or six kinds of sour preparations, beginning with baá¸Ämla.
Text* 215: There were baá¸Äs made of mung dhal, of urad dhal and of sweet bananas, and there were sweet-rice cakes, coconut cakes and various other cakes.
Text* 216: There were kÄá¹…ji-baá¸Ä, dugdha-ciá¸Ä, dugdha-laklakÄ« and various cakes that I am unable to describe.
Text* 217: Sweet rice mixed with ghee was poured into an earthen pot and mixed with cÄá¹…pÄ-kalÄ, condensed milk and mango.
Text* 218: Other preparations included a very delicious churned curd and a variety of sandeśa sweetmeats. Indeed, all the various eatables available in Bengal and Orissa were prepared.
Text* 219: Thus the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya prepared a great variety of food and spread a fine cloth over a white wooden platform.
Text* 220: On two sides of the stack of food were pitchers filled with scented cold water. The flowers of the tulasī tree were placed atop the mound of rice.
Text 221: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya also included several types of food that had been offered to Lord JagannÄtha. These included sweetballs known as amá¹›ta-guá¹­ikÄ, sweet rice and cakes. All these were kept separate.
Text* 222: When everything was ready, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu came there alone after finishing His midday duties. He knew the heart of SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya.
Text* 223: After SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya washed the Lord’s feet, the Lord entered the room to take His lunch.
Text* 224: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu was a little astonished to see the gorgeous arrangement, and gesturing, He spoke to SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya.
Text* 225: “This is most uncommon! How was this arrangement of rice and vegetables finished within six hours?
Text* 226: “Even a hundred men cooking on a hundred stoves could not possibly finish all these preparations within so short a time.
Text* 227: “I hope the food has already been offered to Kṛṣṇa, since I see there are tulasī flowers on it.
Text* 228: “You are most fortunate, and your endeavor is successful, for you have offered such wonderful food to RÄdhÄ-Kṛṣṇa.
Text* 229: “The color of the rice is so attractive and its aroma so good that it appears RÄdhÄ and Kṛṣṇa have directly taken it.
Text* 230: “My dear Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, your fortune is very great. How much shall I praise you? I also am very fortunate to be able to take the remnants of this food.
Text* 231: “Take away Kṛṣṇa’s sitting place and put it aside. Then give Me prasÄdam on a different plate.â€
Text* 232: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “It is not so wonderful, my Lord. Everything has been made possible by the energy and mercy of Him who will eat the food.
Text* 233: “My wife and I did not especially exert ourselves in the cooking. He by whose power the food has been prepared knows everything.
Text 234: “Now please sit in this place and take Your lunch.â€
Text* 235: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “Both the food and the sitting place are the Lord’s mercy. If You can eat the remnants of the food, what is the offense in Your sitting in this place?â€
Text* 236: Caitanya MahÄprabhu then said, “Yes, you have spoken correctly. The Å›Ästras enjoin that the devotee can partake of everything left by Kṛṣṇa.
Text 237: “ ‘My dear Lord, the garlands, scented substances, garments, ornaments and other such things that have been offered to You may later be used by Your servants. By partaking of these things and eating the remnants of food You have left, we will be able to conquer the illusory energy.’ â€
Text 238: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu then said, “There is so much food here that it is impossible to eat it all.â€
Text* 239: “After all, at JagannÄtha PurÄ« You eat fifty-two times a day, and each time You eat hundreds of buckets filled with prasÄdam.
Text* 240: “At DvÄrakÄ, You keep sixteen thousand queens in sixteen thousand palaces. Also, there are eighteen mothers and numerous friends and relatives of the Yadu dynasty.
Text 241: “In Vá¹›ndÄvana You also have Your father’s elder brothers, Your father’s younger brothers, maternal uncles, husbands of Your father’s sisters and many cowherd men. There are also cowherd boyfriends, and You eat twice a day, morning and evening, in the house of each and every one.
Text* 242: “Indeed,†SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya continued, “at the Govardhana-pÅ«jÄ ceremony You ate stacks of rice. In comparison to that, this small quantity is not even a morsel for You.
Text 243: “You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas I am a most insignificant living being. Therefore please accept a little quantity of food from my house.â€
Text* 244: Hearing this, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu smiled and sat down to eat. The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, with great pleasure, first offered Him the prasÄdam from the JagannÄtha temple.
Text* 245: At this time the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya had a son-in-law named Amogha, who was the husband of his daughter á¹¢Äá¹­hÄ«. Although born in an aristocratic brÄhmaṇa family, Amogha was a great faultfinder and blasphemer.
Text* 246: Amogha wanted to see ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu eat, but he was not allowed to enter. Indeed, the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya guarded the threshold of his house with a stick in his hand.
Text* 247: However, as soon as the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya began distributing prasÄdam and was a little inattentive, Amogha came in. Seeing the quantity of food, he began to blaspheme.
Text* 248: “This much food is sufficient to satisfy ten or twelve men, but this sannyÄsÄ« alone is eating so much!â€
Text* 249: As soon as Amogha said this, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya turned his eyes upon him. Seeing the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya’s attitude, Amogha immediately left.
Text* 250: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya ran after him to strike him with a stick, but Amogha fled so fast that the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya could not catch him.
Text* 251: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya then began to curse his son-in-law and call him ill names. When the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya returned, he saw that ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu was laughing to hear him criticize Amogha.
Text* 252: When á¹¢Äá¹­hī’s mother, the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya’s wife, heard of this incident, she immediately began to strike her head and chest, saying again and again, “Let á¹¢Äá¹­hÄ« become a widow!â€
Text* 253: Seeing the lamentation of both husband and wife, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu tried to pacify them. According to their desire, He ate the prasÄdam and was very satisfied.
Text* 254: After ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu finished eating, the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya poured water for the Lord to wash His mouth, hands and legs and offered Him flavored spices, tulasÄ«-mañjarÄ«s, cloves and cardamom.
Text* 255: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya then placed a flower garland over ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu and smeared His body with sandalwood pulp. After offering obeisances, the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya submitted the following humble statement.
Text* 256: “I brought You to my home just to have You blasphemed. This is a great offense. Please excuse me. I beg Your pardon.â€
Text* 257: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu said, “What Amogha has said is correct; therefore it is not blasphemy. What is your offense?â€
Text* 258: After saying this, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu left and returned to His residence. SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya followed Him.
Text* 259: Falling down at the Lord’s feet, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said many things in self-reproach. The Lord then pacified him and sent him back to his home.
Text* 260: After returning to his home, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya consulted with his wife, the mother of á¹¢Äá¹­hÄ«. After personally condemning himself, he began to speak as follows.
Text 261: “If the man who blasphemed ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu is killed, his sinful action may be atoned.â€
Text* 262: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya continued, “Or, if I give up my own life, this sinful action may be atoned. However, neither of these ideas is befitting because both bodies belong to brÄhmaṇas.
Text* 263: “Instead, I shall never see the face of that blasphemer. I reject him and give up my relationship with him. I shall never even speak his name.
Text 264: “Inform my daughter á¹¢Äá¹­hÄ« to abandon her relationship with her husband because he has fallen down. When the husband falls down, it is the wife’s duty to relinquish the relationship.
Text 265: “ ‘When a husband is fallen, one’s relationship with him must be given up.’ â€
Text* 266: That night Amogha, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya’s son-in-law, fled, and in the morning he immediately fell sick with cholera.
Text* 267: When the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya heard that Amogha was dying of cholera, he thought, “It is the favor of Providence that He is doing what I want to do.
Text* 268: “When one offends the Supreme Personality of Godhead, karma immediately takes effect.†After saying this, he recited two verses from the revealed scripture.
Text 269: “ ‘What we have had to arrange with great endeavor by collecting elephants, horses, chariots and infantry soldiers has already been accomplished by the Gandharvas.’
Text 270: “ ‘When a person mistreats great souls, his life span, opulence, reputation, religion, possessions and good fortune are all destroyed.’
Text* 271: At this time, GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya went to see ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, and the Lord asked him about the events taking place in SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya’s house.
Text* 272: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya informed the Lord that both the husband and the wife were fasting and that their son-in-law, Amogha, was dying of cholera.
Text* 273: As soon as Caitanya MahÄprabhu heard that Amogha was going to die, He immediately ran to him in great haste. Placing His hand on Amogha’s chest, He spoke as follows.
Text* 274: “The heart of a brÄhmaṇa is by nature very clean; therefore it is a proper place for Kṛṣṇa to sit.
Text* 275: “Why have you allowed the caṇá¸Äla of jealousy to sit here also? In this way you have contaminated a most purified place, your heart.
Text* 276: “However, due to the association of SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, all your contamination is now vanquished. When a person’s heart is cleansed of all contamination, he is able to chant the mahÄ-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Text 277: “Therefore, Amogha, get up and chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahÄ-mantra! If you do so, Kṛṣṇa will unfailingly bestow mercy upon you.â€
Text* 278: After hearing ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu and being touched by Him, Amogha, who was on his deathbed, immediately stood up and began to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Thus he became mad with ecstatic love and began to dance emotionally.
Text* 279: While Amogha danced in ecstatic love, he manifested all the ecstatic symptoms — trembling, tears, jubilation, trance, perspiration and a faltering voice. Seeing these waves of ecstatic emotion, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu began to laugh.
Text* 280: Amogha then fell before the Lord’s lotus feet and submissively said, “O merciful Lord, please excuse my offense.â€
Text* 281: Not only did Amogha beg the Lord’s pardon, but he also began slapping his own cheeks, saying, “By this mouth I have blasphemed You.â€
Text* 282: Indeed, Amogha continued slapping his face over and over until his cheeks were swollen. Finally GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya stopped him by catching hold of his hands.
Text* 283: After this, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu pacified Amogha by touching his body and saying, “You are the object of My affection because you are the son-in-law of SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya.
Text* 284: “Everyone in SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya’s house is very dear to Me, including his maids and servants and even his dog. And what to speak of his relatives?
Text* 285: “Amogha, always chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahÄ-mantra and do not commit any further offenses.†After giving Amogha this instruction, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu went to SÄrvabhauma’s house.
Text* 286: Upon seeing the Lord, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya immediately caught hold of His lotus feet. The Lord embraced him and then sat down.
Text* 287: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu pacified SÄrvabhauma, saying, “After all, Amogha, your son-in-law, is a child. So what is his fault? Why are you fasting, and why are you angry?
Text* 288: “Just get up and take your bath and go see the face of Lord JagannÄtha. Then return here to eat your lunch. In this way I shall be happy.
Text* 289: “I shall stay here until you return to take Lord JagannÄtha’s remnants for your lunch.â€
Text* 290: Catching hold of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu’s lotus feet, the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “Why did You bring Amogha back to life? It would have been better had he died.â€
Text* 291: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu said, “Amogha is a child and your son. The father does not take the faults of his son seriously, especially when he is maintaining him.
Text* 292: “Now that he has become a Vaiṣṇava, he is offenseless. You can bestow your mercy upon him without hesitation.â€
Text* 293: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “Please go, my Lord, to see Lord JagannÄtha. After taking my bath, I shall go there and then return.â€
Text* 294: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu then told GopÄ«nÄtha, “Stay here and inform Me when SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya has taken his prasÄdam.â€
Text* 295: After saying this, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu went to see Lord JagannÄtha. SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya completed his bath, went to see Lord JagannÄtha and then returned to his house to accept food.
Text* 296: Thereafter, Amogha became an unalloyed devotee of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu. He danced in ecstasy and peacefully chanted the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Text* 297: In this way, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu performed His various pastimes. Whoever sees them or hears them recounted becomes truly astonished.
Text* 298: Thus ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu enjoyed eating in SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya’s house. Within that one pastime, many wonderful pastimes were manifested.
Text 299: These are the peculiar characteristics of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu’s pastimes. Thus the Lord ate in SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya’s house, and in this way SÄrvabhauma’s love for the Lord has become very well known.
Text 300: Thus I have related the ecstatic love of SÄrvabhauma’s wife, who is known as the mother of á¹¢Äá¹­hÄ«. I have also related ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu’s great mercy, which He manifested by excusing Amogha’s offense. He did so due to Amogha’s relationship with a devotee.
Text* 301: Whoever hears these pastimes of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu with faith and love will attain the shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet very soon.
Text 302: Praying at the lotus feet of ÅšrÄ« RÅ«pa and ÅšrÄ« RaghunÄtha, always desiring their mercy, I, KṛṣṇadÄsa, narrate ÅšrÄ« Caitanya-caritÄmá¹›ta, following in their footsteps.
Text 0: Chapter Summary