Chapter Summary
The seventeenth chapter, as summarized by ÅšrÄ«la Bhaktivinoda ṬhÄkura in his Amá¹›ta-pravÄha-bhÄá¹£ya, describes Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu’s pastimes from His sixteenth year until the time He accepted the renounced order of life. ÅšrÄ«la Vá¹›ndÄvana dÄsa ṬhÄkura has already vividly described these pastimes in the Caitanya-bhÄgavata; therefore Kṛṣṇa dÄsa KavirÄja GosvÄmÄ« describes them only briefly. Vivid descriptions of some portions of His pastimes are seen in this chapter, however, because Vá¹›ndÄvana dÄsa ṬhÄkura has not elaborately described them.In this chapter we shall find descriptions of the mango distribution festival and Lord Caitanya’s discourses with Chand Kazi. Finally, the chapter shows that the same son of mother YaÅ›odÄ, Lord Kṛṣṇa, tasted four transcendental mellows of devotional service in His form of ÅšacÄ«nandana, the son of mother ÅšacÄ«. To understand ÅšrÄ«matÄ« RÄdhÄrÄṇī’s ecstatic love for Him, Lord ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa assumed the form of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu. The attitude of ÅšrÄ«matÄ« RÄdhÄrÄṇī is considered the superexcellent devotional mentality. As Caitanya MahÄprabhu, Kṛṣṇa Himself assumed the position of ÅšrÄ«matÄ« RÄdhÄrÄṇī to taste Her ecstatic situation. No one else could do this.When ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa assumed the form of the four-armed NÄrÄyaṇa, the gopÄ«s showed their respect, but they were not very interested in Him. In the ecstatic love of the gopÄ«s, all worshipable forms but Kṛṣṇa are rejected. Among all the gopÄ«s, ÅšrÄ«matÄ« RÄdhÄrÄṇī has the highest ecstatic love. When Kṛṣṇa in His form of NÄrÄyaṇa saw RÄdhÄrÄṇī, He could not keep His position as NÄrÄyaṇa and again assumed the form of Kṛṣṇa.The King of VrajabhÅ«mi is Nanda MahÄrÄja, and the same person in NavadvÄ«pa is JagannÄtha MiÅ›ra, the father of Caitanya MahÄprabhu. Similarly, mother YaÅ›odÄ is the Queen of VrajabhÅ«mi, and in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya she is ÅšacÄ«mÄtÄ. Therefore the son of ÅšacÄ« is the son of YaÅ›odÄ. ÅšrÄ« NityÄnanda occupies an ecstatic position of parental love in servitude and fraternal attraction. ÅšrÄ« Advaita Prabhu exhibits the ecstasy of both fraternity and servitude. All the Lord’s other associates, situated in their original love, engage in the service of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu.The same Absolute Truth who enjoys as Kṛṣṇa, ÅšyÄmasundara, who plays His flute and dances with the gopÄ«s, sometimes takes birth in a brÄhmaṇa family and plays the part of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, accepting the renounced order of life. It appears contradictory that the same Kṛṣṇa accepted the ecstasy of the gopÄ«s, and of course this is very difficult for an ordinary person to understand. But if we accept the inconceivable energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we can understand that everything is possible. There is no need of mundane arguments in this connection, because mundane arguments are meaningless in regard to inconceivable potency.At the end of the seventeenth chapter, ÅšrÄ«la KṛṣṇadÄsa KavirÄja GosvÄmÄ«, following in the footsteps of ÅšrÄ«la VyÄsadeva, has summarized all the Ädi-lÄ«lÄ pastimes separately.
