eka-dina naivedya-tÄmbÅ«la khÄiyÄ
bhÅ«mite paá¸ilÄ prabhu acetana hañÄ
eka-dina - one day; naivedya - food offered to the Deity; tÄmbÅ«la - betel nut; khÄiyÄ - after eating; bhÅ«mite - on the ground; paá¸ilÄ - fell; prabhu - the Lord; acetana - unconscious; haÃ±Ä - becoming.
One day ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu ate betel nuts offered to the Deity, but they acted as an intoxicant, and He fell down on the ground unconscious.
Betel nuts are an intoxicant, and therefore the regulative principles prohibit eating them. ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu’s pastime of fainting after eating betel nuts is a solid instruction to all of us that one should not touch betel nuts, even those offered to Viṣṇu, just as one should not touch grains on the EkÄdaśī day. Of course, Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu’s fainting had a particular purpose. As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He can do whatever He likes and eat whatever He wants, but we should not imitate His pastimes.
