Sri Caitanya Caritamrita

Adi-lila
Chapter 10: The Trunk, Branches and Subbranches of the Caitanya Tree

Text 1: Let me repeatedly offer my respectful obeisances unto the beelike devotees who always taste the honey of the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu. If even a doggish nondevotee somehow takes shelter of such devotees, he enjoys the aroma of the lotus flower.
Text* 2: All glories to Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu and Lord NityÄnanda! All glories to Advaita Prabhu, and all glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya, headed by ÅšrÄ«vÄsa!
Text* 3: 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: The associates of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu were many, but none of them should be considered lower or higher. This cannot be ascertained.
Text* 5: 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: I offer my obeisances unto them as a token of respect. I request them not to consider my offenses.
Text 7: I offer my obeisances to all the dear devotees of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, 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.
Text 8: The two brothers ÅšrÄ«vÄsa Paṇá¸ita and ÅšrÄ« RÄma Paṇá¸ita started two branches that are well known in the world.
Text* 9: Their two brothers were named Śrīpati and Śrīnidhi. These four brothers and their servants and maidservants are considered one big branch.
Text* 10: There is no counting the subbranches of these two branches. ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu held congregational chanting daily at the house of ÅšrÄ«vÄsa Paṇá¸ita.
Text 11: These four brothers and their family members fully engaged in the service of Lord Caitanya. They knew no other god or goddess.
Text* 12: Another big branch was Ä€cÄryaratna, and his associates were subbranches.
Text 13: Ä€cÄryaratna was also named ÅšrÄ« CandraÅ›ekhara Ä€cÄrya. In a drama in his house, Lord Caitanya played the goddess of fortune.
Text 14: Puṇá¸arÄ«ka VidyÄnidhi, the third big branch, was so dear to Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu that in his absence Lord Caitanya Himself would sometimes cry.
Text 15: GadÄdhara Paṇá¸ita, the fourth branch, is described as an incarnation of the pleasure potency of ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa. No one, therefore, can equal him.
Text* 16: His disciples and granddisciples are his subbranches. To describe them all would be difficult.
Text 17: VakreÅ›vara Paṇá¸ita, 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.
Text* 18: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu personally sang while VakreÅ›vara Paṇá¸ita danced, and thus VakreÅ›vara Paṇá¸ita fell at the lotus feet of the Lord and spoke as follows.
Text 19: “O Candramukha! Please give me ten thousand Gandharvas. Let them sing as I dance, and then I will be greatly happy.â€
Text* 20: Lord Caitanya replied, “I have only one wing like you, but if I had another, certainly I would fly in the sky!â€
Text 21: Paṇá¸ita JagadÄnanda, 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 SatyabhÄmÄ [one of the chief queens of Lord Kṛṣṇa].
Text* 22: JagadÄnanda Paṇá¸ita [as an incarnation of SatyabhÄmÄ] always wanted to see to the comfort of Lord Caitanya, but since the Lord was a sannyÄsÄ« He did not accept the luxuries that JagadÄnanda Paṇá¸ita offered.
Text* 23: They sometimes appeared to fight over trifles, but these quarrels were based on their affection, of which I shall speak later.
Text 24: RÄghava Paṇá¸ita, Lord ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu’s original follower, is understood to have been the seventh branch. From him proceeded another subbranch, headed by Makaradhvaja Kara.
Text 25: RÄghava Paṇá¸ita’s sister DamayantÄ« was the dear maidservant of the Lord. She always collected various ingredients with which to cook for Lord Caitanya.
Text* 26: The foods DamayantÄ« cooked for Lord Caitanya when He was at PurÄ« were carried in bags by her brother RÄghava without the knowledge of others.
Text* 27: The Lord accepted these foods throughout the entire year. Those bags are still celebrated as rÄghavera jhÄli [“the bags of RÄghava Paṇá¸itaâ€].
Text 28: I shall describe the contents of the bags of RÄghava Paṇá¸ita later in this book. Hearing this narration, devotees generally cry, and tears glide down from their eyes.
Text* 29: Paṇá¸ita Gaá¹…gÄdÄsa was the eighth dear branch of the tree of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu. One who remembers his activities attains freedom from all bondage.
Text 30: ÅšrÄ« Ä€cÄrya Purandara, the ninth branch, was a constant associate of Lord Caitanya’s. The Lord accepted him as His father.
Text* 31: DÄmodara Paṇá¸ita, 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: Later in the Caitanya-caritÄmá¹›ta I shall describe this incident of chastisement in detail. The Lord, being very much satisfied by this chastisement, sent DÄmodara Paṇá¸ita to NavadvÄ«pa.
Text* 33: The eleventh branch, the younger brother of DÄmodara Paṇá¸ita, was known as Åšaá¹…kara Paṇá¸ita. He was celebrated as the shoes of the Lord.
Text 34: SadÄÅ›iva Paṇá¸ita, the twelfth branch, was always eager to serve the lotus feet of the Lord. It was his good fortune that when Lord NityÄnanda came to NavadvÄ«pa He resided at his house.
Text 35: The thirteenth branch was Pradyumna BrahmacÄrÄ«. Since he was a worshiper of Lord Ná¹›siá¹hadeva, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu changed his name to Ná¹›siá¹hÄnanda BrahmacÄrÄ«.
Text 36: NÄrÄyaṇa Paṇá¸ita, the fourteenth branch, a great and liberal devotee, did not know any shelter but Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet.
Text 37: The fifteenth branch was ÅšrÄ«mÄn Paṇá¸ita, who was a constant servitor of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu. He used to carry a torch while the Lord danced.
Text 38: The sixteenth branch, ÅšuklÄmbara BrahmacÄrÄ«, was very fortunate because Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu jokingly or seriously begged food from him or sometimes snatched it from him forcibly and ate it.
Text 39: Nandana Ä€cÄrya, the seventeenth branch of the Caitanya tree, is celebrated within the world because the two Prabhus [Lord Caitanya and NityÄnanda] sometimes hid in his house.
Text 40: Mukunda Datta, a class friend of Lord Caitanya’s, was another branch of the Caitanya tree. Lord Caitanya danced while he sang.
Text 41: VÄsudeva Datta, the nineteenth branch of the ÅšrÄ« 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.
Text* 42: ÅšrÄ«la VÄsudeva Datta ṬhÄkura wanted to suffer for the sinful activities of all the people of the world so that Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu might deliver them.
Text 43: The twentieth branch of the Caitanya tree was HaridÄsa ṬhÄkura. His character was wonderful. He used to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa 300,000 times a day without fail.
Text* 44: There was no end to the transcendental qualities of HaridÄsa ṬhÄkura. Here I mention but a fraction of his qualities. He was so exalted that Advaita GosvÄmÄ«, when performing the Å›rÄddha ceremony of his father, offered him the first plate.
Text* 45: The waves of his good qualities were like those of PrahlÄda MahÄrÄja. He did not even slightly raise an eyebrow when persecuted by the Muslim ruler.
Text* 46: After the passing away of HaridÄsa ṬhÄkura, the Lord Himself took his body on His lap and danced with it in great ecstasy.
Text* 47: ÅšrÄ«la Vá¹›ndÄvana dÄsa ṬhÄkura has vividly described the pastimes of HaridÄsa ṬhÄkura in his Caitanya-bhÄgavata. Whatever has remained undescribed I shall try to explain later in this book.
Text 48: One subbranch of HaridÄsa ṬhÄkura consisted of the residents of KulÄ«na-grÄma. The most important among them was SatyarÄja KhÄn, or SatyarÄja Vasu, who was a recipient of all the mercy of HaridÄsa ṬhÄkura.
Text 49: MurÄri Gupta, the twenty-first branch of the tree of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, was a storehouse of love of Godhead. His great humility and meekness melted the heart of Lord Caitanya.
Text 50: ÅšrÄ«la MurÄri 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.
Text 51: As MurÄri Gupta treated his patients, by his mercy both their bodily and spiritual diseases subsided.
Text 52: ÅšrÄ«mÄn 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 ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text 53: ÅšrÄ« GadÄdhara dÄsa, the twenty-third branch, was understood to be the topmost, for he induced all the Muslim Kazis to chant the holy name of Lord Hari.
Text* 54: ÅšivÄnanda Sena, the twenty-fourth branch of the tree, was an extremely confidential servant of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu. Everyone who went to JagannÄtha PurÄ« to visit Lord Caitanya took shelter and guidance from ÅšrÄ« ÅšivÄnanda Sena.
Text* 55: Every year he took a party of devotees from Bengal to JagannÄtha PurÄ« to visit Lord Caitanya. He maintained the entire party as they journeyed on the road.
Text 56: Lord ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu bestows His causeless mercy upon His devotees in three features: His own direct appearance [sÄká¹£Ät], His prowess within someone He empowers [ÄveÅ›a], and His manifestation [ÄvirbhÄva].
Text* 57: The appearance of Lord ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu in every devotee’s presence is called sÄká¹£Ät. His appearance in Nakula BrahmacÄrÄ« as a symptom of special prowess is an example of ÄveÅ›a.
Text* 58: The former Pradyumna BrahmacÄrÄ« was given the name Ná¹›siá¹hÄnanda BrahmacÄrÄ« by ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text 59: In his body there were symptoms of ÄvirbhÄva. Such appearances are uncommon, but Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu displayed many such pastimes through His different features.
Text 60: ÅšrÄ«la ÅšivÄnanda Sena experienced the three features of sÄká¹£Ät, ÄveÅ›a and ÄvirbhÄva. Later I shall vividly describe this transcendentally blissful subject.
Text* 61: The sons, servants and family members of ÅšivÄnanda Sena constituted a subbranch. They were all sincere servants of Lord ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text 62: The three sons of ÅšivÄnanda Sena, named Caitanya dÄsa, RÄmadÄsa and KarṇapÅ«ra, were all heroic devotees of Lord Caitanya.
Text 63: ÅšrÄ«vallabha Sena and ÅšrÄ«kÄnta Sena were also subbranches of ÅšivÄnanda Sena, for they were not only his nephews but also unalloyed devotees of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text 64: GovindÄnanda and Govinda Datta, the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth branches of the tree, were performers of kÄ«rtana in the company of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu. Govinda Datta was the principal singer in Lord Caitanya’s kÄ«rtana party.
Text 65: ÅšrÄ« Vijaya dÄsa, the twenty-seventh branch, another of the Lord’s chief singers, gave the Lord many books written by hand.
Text 66: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu gave Vijaya dÄsa the name RatnabÄhu [“jewel-handedâ€] because he copied many manuscripts for Him. The twenty-eighth branch was KṛṣṇadÄsa, who was very dear to the Lord. He was known as Akiñcana KṛṣṇadÄsa.
Text 67: 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.
Text* 68: Every day Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu jokingly snatched fruits, flowers and pulp from ÅšrÄ«dhara and drank from his broken iron pot.
Text* 69: The thirtieth branch was BhagavÄn Paṇá¸ita. 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: The thirty-first branch was JagadÄ«Å›a Paṇá¸ita, and the thirty-second was Hiraṇya MahÄÅ›aya, unto whom Lord Caitanya in His childhood showed His causeless mercy.
Text 71: In their two houses Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu begged food on the EkÄdaśī day and personally ate it.
Text 72: The thirty-third and thirty-fourth branches were the two students of Caitanya MahÄprabhu named Puruá¹£ottama and Sañjaya, who were stalwart students in grammar. They were very great personalities.
Text 73: VanamÄlÄ« Paṇá¸ita, the thirty-fifth branch of the tree, was very much celebrated in this world. He saw a golden club and plow in the hands of the Lord.
Text 74: The thirty-sixth branch, Buddhimanta KhÄn, was extremely dear to Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu. He was always prepared to carry out the Lord’s orders, and therefore he was considered to be a chief servant of the Lord.
Text 75: Garuá¸a Paṇá¸ita, 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.
Text 76: GopÄ«nÄtha Siá¹ha, the thirty-eighth branch of the tree, was a faithful servant of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu. The Lord jokingly addressed him as AkrÅ«ra.
Text 77: DevÄnanda Paṇá¸ita was a professional reciter of ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam, but by the mercy of VakreÅ›vara Paṇá¸ita and the grace of the Lord he understood the devotional interpretation of the BhÄgavatam.
Text 78-79: ÅšrÄ« Khaṇá¸avÄsÄ« Mukunda and his son Raghunandana were the thirty-ninth branch of the tree, Narahari was the fortieth, CirañjÄ«va the forty-first and Sulocana the forty-second. They were all big branches of the all-merciful tree of Caitanya MahÄprabhu. They distributed the fruits and flowers of love of Godhead anywhere and everywhere.
Text* 80: SatyarÄja, RÄmÄnanda, YadunÄtha, Puruá¹£ottama, Åšaá¹…kara and VidyÄnanda all belonged to the twentieth branch. They were inhabitants of the village known as KulÄ«na-grÄma.
Text* 81: All the inhabitants of KulÄ«na-grÄma village, headed by VÄṇīnÄtha Vasu, were servants of Lord Caitanya, who was their only life and wealth.
Text* 82: The Lord said, “What to speak of others, even a dog in the village of KulÄ«na-grÄma is My dear friend.
Text* 83: “No one can describe the fortunate position of KulÄ«na-grÄma. It is so sublime that even sweepers who tend their hogs there also chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahÄ-mantra.â€
Text 84: On the western side were the forty-third, forty-fourth and forty-fifth branches — ÅšrÄ« SanÄtana, ÅšrÄ« RÅ«pa and Anupama. They were the best of all.
Text 85: Among these branches, RÅ«pa and SanÄtana were principal. Anupama, JÄ«va GosvÄmÄ« and others, headed by RÄjendra, were their subbranches.
Text* 86: By the will of the supreme gardener, the branches of ÅšrÄ«la RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ« and SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ« grew many times over, expanding throughout the western countries and covering the entire region.
Text* 87: 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 Vá¹›ndÄvana, MathurÄ and HaridvÄra.
Text* 88: 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: The people in general on the western side of India were neither intelligent nor well behaved, but by the influence of ÅšrÄ«la RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ« and SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ« they were trained in devotional service and good behavior.
Text 90: In accordance with the directions of the revealed scriptures, both GosvÄmÄ«s excavated the lost places of pilgrimage and inaugurated the worship of Deities in Vá¹›ndÄvana.
Text 91: ÅšrÄ«la RaghunÄtha dÄsa GosvÄmÄ«, the forty-sixth branch of the tree, was one of the most dear servants of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu. He left all his material possessions to surrender completely unto the Lord and live at His lotus feet.
Text 92: When RaghunÄtha dÄsa GosvÄmÄ« approached ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu at JagannÄtha PurÄ«, the Lord entrusted him to the care of SvarÅ«pa DÄmodara, His secretary. Thus they both engaged in the confidential service of the Lord.
Text* 93: He rendered confidential service to the Lord for sixteen years at JagannÄtha PurÄ«, and after the disappearance of both the Lord and SvarÅ«pa DÄmodara, he left JagannÄtha PurÄ« and went to Vá¹›ndÄvana.
Text 94: ÅšrÄ«la RaghunÄtha dÄsa GosvÄmÄ« intended to go to Vá¹›ndÄvana to see the lotus feet of RÅ«pa and SanÄtana and then give up his life by jumping from Govardhana Hill.
Text* 95: Thus ÅšrÄ«la RaghunÄtha dÄsa GosvÄmÄ« came to Vá¹›ndÄvana, visited ÅšrÄ«la RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ« and SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ« and offered them his obeisances.
Text* 96: 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: Because RaghunÄtha dÄsa GosvÄmÄ« was an assistant to SvarÅ«pa DÄmodara, he knew much about the external and internal features of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya. Thus the two brothers RÅ«pa and SanÄtana always used to hear of this from him.
Text* 98: RaghunÄtha dÄsa GosvÄmÄ« gradually gave up all food and drink but a few drops of buttermilk.
Text* 99: 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: Day and night he rendered service within his mind to RÄdhÄ-Kṛṣṇa, and for three hours a day he discoursed about the character of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text* 101: ÅšrÄ« RaghunÄtha dÄsa GosvÄmÄ« took three baths daily in the RÄdhÄ-kuṇá¸a lake. As soon as he found a Vaiṣṇava residing in Vá¹›ndÄvana, he would embrace him and give him all respect.
Text* 102: 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: I am struck with wonder when I hear about the devotional service he executed. I accept ÅšrÄ«la RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ« and RaghunÄtha dÄsa GosvÄmÄ« as my guides.
Text* 104: I shall later explain very elaborately how all these devotees met ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text 105: ÅšrÄ« GopÄla Bhaá¹­á¹­a GosvÄmÄ«, 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 RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ« and SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ«.
Text 106: The ÄcÄrya Åšaá¹…karÄraṇya was considered the forty-eighth branch of the original tree. From Him proceeded the subbranches known as Mukunda, KÄśīnÄtha and Rudra.
Text 107: ÅšrÄ«nÄtha Paṇá¸ita, the forty-ninth branch, was the beloved recipient of all the mercy of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu. Everyone in the three worlds was astonished to see how he worshiped Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Text 108: JagannÄtha Ä€cÄrya, 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.
Text 109: The fifty-first branch of the Caitanya tree was KṛṣṇadÄsa Vaidya, the fifty-second was Paṇá¸ita Åšekhara, the fifty-third was Kavicandra, and the fifty-fourth was á¹¢aṣṭhÄ«vara, who was a great saá¹…kÄ«rtana performer.
Text 110: The fifty-fifth branch was ÅšrÄ«nÄtha MiÅ›ra, the fifty-sixth was ÅšubhÄnanda, the fifty-seventh was ÅšrÄ«rÄma, the fifty-eighth was ĪśÄna, the fifty-ninth was ÅšrÄ«nidhi, the sixtieth was ÅšrÄ« GopÄ«kÄnta, and the sixty-first was MiÅ›ra BhagavÄn.
Text 111: The sixty-second branch of the tree was Subuddhi MiÅ›ra, the sixty-third was Há¹›dayÄnanda, the sixty-fourth was Kamala-nayana, the sixty-fifth was MaheÅ›a Paṇá¸ita, the sixty-sixth was ÅšrÄ«kara, and the sixty-seventh was ÅšrÄ« MadhusÅ«dana.
Text 112: The sixty-eighth branch of the original tree was Puruá¹£ottama, the sixty-ninth was ÅšrÄ« GÄlÄ«ma, the seventieth was JagannÄtha dÄsa, the seventy-first was ÅšrÄ« CandraÅ›ekhara Vaidya, and the seventy-second was Dvija HaridÄsa.
Text 113: The seventy-third branch of the original tree was RÄmadÄsa, the seventy-fourth was Kavicandra, the seventy-fifth was ÅšrÄ« GopÄla dÄsa, the seventy-sixth was BhÄgavata Ä€cÄrya, and the seventy-seventh was ṬhÄkura SÄraá¹…ga dÄsa.
Text 114: The seventy-eighth branch of the original tree was JagannÄtha TÄ«rtha, the seventy-ninth was the brÄhmaṇa ÅšrÄ« JÄnakÄ«nÄtha, the eightieth was GopÄla Ä€cÄrya, and the eighty-first was the brÄhmaṇa VÄṇīnÄtha.
Text 115: The three brothers Govinda, MÄdhava and VÄsudeva were the eighty-second, eighty-third and eighty-fourth branches of the tree. Lord Caitanya and NityÄnanda used to dance in their kÄ«rtana performances.
Text 116: RÄmadÄsa AbhirÄma was fully absorbed in the mellow of friendship. He made a flute of a bamboo stick with sixteen knots.
Text* 117: By the order of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, three devotees accompanied Lord NityÄnanda Prabhu when He returned to Bengal to preach.
Text* 118: These three were RÄmadÄsa, MÄdhava Ghoá¹£a and VÄsudeva Ghoá¹£a. Govinda Ghoá¹£a, however, remained with ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu at JagannÄtha PurÄ« and thus felt great satisfaction.
Text 119: BhÄgavata Ä€cÄrya, CirañjÄ«va, ÅšrÄ« Raghunandana, MÄdhavÄcÄrya, KamalÄkÄnta and ÅšrÄ« Yadunandana were all among the branches of the Caitanya tree.
Text 120: JagÄi and MÄdhÄi, 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-pÄvana, “the deliverer of the fallen souls.â€
Text* 121: I have given a brief description of the devotees of Lord Caitanya in Bengal. Actually His devotees are innumerable.
Text 122: I have especially mentioned all these devotees because they accompanied Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu in Bengal and Orissa and served Him in many ways.
Text* 123: Let me briefly describe some of the devotees of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu in JagannÄtha PurÄ«.
Text 124-126: Among the devotees who accompanied the Lord in JagannÄtha PurÄ«, two of them — ParamÄnanda PurÄ« and SvarÅ«pa DÄmodara — were the heart and soul of the Lord. Among the other devotees were GadÄdhara, JagadÄnanda, Åšaá¹…kara, VakreÅ›vara, DÄmodara Paṇá¸ita, ṬhÄkura HaridÄsa, RaghunÄtha Vaidya and RaghunÄtha dÄsa.
Text* 127: All these devotees were associates of the Lord from the very beginning, and when the Lord took up residence in JagannÄtha PurÄ«, they remained there to serve Him faithfully.
Text* 128: All the devotees who resided in Bengal used to visit JagannÄtha PurÄ« every year to see the Lord.
Text* 129: Now let me enumerate the devotees of Bengal who first came to see the Lord at JagannÄtha PurÄ«.
Text 130: There was SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, one of the biggest branches of the tree of the Lord, and his sister’s husband, ÅšrÄ« GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya.
Text 131: In the list of devotees at JagannÄtha PurÄ« [which begins with ParamÄnanda PurÄ«, SvarÅ«pa DÄmodara, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya and GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya], KÄśī MiÅ›ra was the fifth, Pradyumna MiÅ›ra the sixth and BhavÄnanda RÄya the seventh. Lord Caitanya took great pleasure in meeting with them.
Text* 132: Embracing RÄya BhavÄnanda, the Lord declared to him, “You formerly appeared as PÄṇá¸u, and your five sons appeared as the five PÄṇá¸avas.â€
Text* 133: The five sons of BhavÄnanda RÄya were RÄmÄnanda RÄya, Paá¹­á¹­anÄyaka GopÄ«nÄtha, KalÄnidhi, SudhÄnidhi and NÄyaka VÄṇīnÄtha.
Text 134: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu told BhavÄnanda RÄya, “Your five sons are all My dear devotees. RÄmÄnanda RÄya and I are one, although our bodies are different.â€
Text 135-136: King PratÄparudra of Orissa, the OriyÄ devotees KṛṣṇÄnanda and ÅšivÄnanda, and ParamÄnanda MahÄpÄtra, BhagavÄn Ä€cÄrya, BrahmÄnanda BhÄratÄ«, ÅšrÄ« Åšikhi MÄhiti and MurÄri MÄhiti constantly associated with Caitanya MahÄprabhu while He resided in JagannÄtha PurÄ«.
Text 137: MÄdhavÄ«devÄ«, the seventeenth of the prominent devotees, was the younger sister of Åšikhi MÄhiti. She is considered to have formerly been a maidservant of ÅšrÄ«matÄ« RÄdhÄrÄṇī.
Text 138: BrahmacÄrÄ« KÄśīśvara was a disciple of Īśvara PurÄ«, and ÅšrÄ« Govinda was another of his dear disciples.
Text* 139: In the list of prominent devotees at NÄ«lÄcala [JagannÄtha PurÄ«], KÄśīśvara was the eighteenth and Govinda the nineteenth. They both came to see Caitanya MahÄprabhu at JagannÄtha PurÄ«, being thus ordered by Īśvara PurÄ« at the time of his passing away.
Text* 140: Both KÄśīśvara and Govinda were Godbrothers of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, and thus the Lord duly honored them as soon as they arrived. But because Īśvara PurÄ« had ordered them to give Caitanya MahÄprabhu personal service, the Lord accepted their service.
Text* 141: Govinda cared for the body of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, whereas KÄśīśvara went in front of the Lord when He went to see JagannÄtha in the temple.
Text* 142: When Caitanya MahÄprabhu went to the temple of JagannÄtha, KÄśīśvara, being very strong, cleared the crowds aside with his hands so that Caitanya MahÄprabhu could pass untouched.
Text* 143: RÄmÄi and NandÄi, the twentieth and twenty-first among the important devotees in JagannÄtha PurÄ«, always assisted Govinda twenty-four hours a day in rendering service to the Lord.
Text 144: Every day RÄmÄi filled twenty-two big waterpots, whereas NandÄi personally assisted Govinda.
Text 145: The twenty-second devotee, KṛṣṇadÄsa, was born of a pure and respectable brÄhmaṇa family. While touring southern India, Lord Caitanya took KṛṣṇadÄsa with Him.
Text 146: As a bona fide devotee, Balabhadra Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, the twenty-third principal associate, acted as the brahmacÄrÄ« of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu when He toured MathurÄ.
Text 147: Baá¸a HaridÄsa and Choá¹­a HaridÄsa, the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth devotees in NÄ«lÄcala, were good singers who always accompanied Lord Caitanya.
Text* 148: Among the devotees who lived with Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu at JagannÄtha PurÄ«, RÄmabhadra Ä€cÄrya was the twenty-sixth, Siá¹heÅ›vara the twenty-seventh, Tapana Ä€cÄrya the twenty-eighth, RaghunÄtha Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya the twenty-ninth and NÄ«lÄmbara the thirtieth.
Text* 149: Siá¹…gÄbhaá¹­á¹­a was the thirty-first, KÄmÄbhaá¹­á¹­a the thirty-second, ÅšivÄnanda the thirty-third and KamalÄnanda the thirty-fourth. They all formerly served ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu in Bengal, but later these servants left Bengal to live with the Lord in JagannÄtha PurÄ«.
Text 150: AcyutÄnanda, the thirty-fifth devotee, was the son of Advaita Ä€cÄrya. He also lived with Lord Caitanya, taking shelter of His lotus feet at JagannÄtha PurÄ«.
Text* 151: Nirloma Gaá¹…gÄdÄsa and ViṣṇudÄsa were the thirty-sixth and thirty-seventh among the devotees who lived at JagannÄtha PurÄ« as servants of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text 152-154: The prominent devotees at VÄrÄṇasÄ« were the physician CandraÅ›ekhara, Tapana MiÅ›ra and RaghunÄtha Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, Tapana MiÅ›ra’s son. When Lord Caitanya came to VÄrÄṇasÄ« after seeing Vá¹›ndÄvana, for two months He lived at the residence of CandraÅ›ekhara Vaidya and accepted prasÄdam at the house of Tapana MiÅ›ra.
Text* 155: When ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu stayed at the house of Tapana MiÅ›ra, RaghunÄtha Bhaá¹­á¹­a, who was then a boy, washed His dishes and massaged His legs.
Text* 156: When RaghunÄtha grew to be a young man, he visited Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu at JagannÄtha PurÄ« and stayed there for eight months. Sometimes he offered prasÄdam to the Lord.
Text* 157: Later, by the order of Lord Caitanya, RaghunÄtha went to Vá¹›ndÄvana and remained there under the shelter of ÅšrÄ«la RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ«.
Text 158: While he stayed with ÅšrÄ«la RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ«, his engagement was to recite ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam for him to hear. As a result of this BhÄgavatam recitation, he attained perfectional love of Kṛṣṇa, by which he remained always maddened.
Text* 159: 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: From each branch of the tree have grown hundreds and thousands of subbranches of disciples and granddisciples.
Text* 161: 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: Each and every branch of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu’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: I have briefly described the devotees of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu in different places. Even Lord Åšeá¹£a, who has thousands of mouths, could not list them all.
Text 164: 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