Chapter Summary
In his Amá¹›ta-pravÄha-bhÄá¹£ya, ÅšrÄ«la Bhaktivinoda ṬhÄkura gives the following summary of the fourth chapter. Passing along the path of Chatrabhoga and coming to Vá¹›ddhamantreÅ›vara, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu reached the border of Orissa. On His way He enjoyed transcendental bliss by chanting and begging alms in different villages. In this way He reached the celebrated village of RemuṇÄ, where there is a Deity of GopÄ«nÄtha. There He narrated the story of MÄdhavendra PurÄ«, as He had heard it from His spiritual master, Īśvara PurÄ«. The narration is as follows.One night while in Govardhana, MÄdhavendra PurÄ« dreamed that the GopÄla Deity was within the forest. The next morning he invited his neighborhood friends to accompany him to excavate the Deity from the jungle. He then established the Deity of ÅšrÄ« GopÄlajÄ« on top of Govardhana Hill with great pomp. GopÄla was worshiped, and the AnnakÅ«á¹a festival was observed. This festival was known everywhere, and many people from the neighboring villages came to join. One night the GopÄla Deity again appeared to MÄdhavendra PurÄ« in a dream and asked him to go to JagannÄtha PurÄ« to collect some sandalwood pulp and smear it on the body of the Deity. Having received this order, MÄdhavendra PurÄ« immediately started for Orissa. Traveling through Bengal, he reached Remuá¹‡Ä village and there received a pot of condensed milk (kṣīra) offered to the Deity of GopÄ«nÄthajÄ«. This pot of condensed milk was stolen by GopÄ«nÄtha and delivered to MÄdhavendra PurÄ«. Since then, the GopÄ«nÄtha Deity has been known as Kṣīra-corÄ-gopÄ«nÄtha, the Deity who stole the pot of condensed milk. After reaching JagannÄtha PurÄ«, MÄdhavendra PurÄ« received permission from the King to take out one maund of sandalwood and twenty tolas of camphor. Aided by two men, he brought these things to RemuṇÄ. Again he saw in a dream that GopÄla at Govardhana Hill desired that very sandalwood to be turned into pulp mixed with camphor and smeared over the body of GopÄ«nÄthajÄ«. Understanding that that would satisfy the GopÄla Deity at Govardhana, MÄdhavendra PurÄ« executed the order and returned to JagannÄtha PurÄ«.ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu narrated this story for Lord NityÄnanda Prabhu and other devotees and praised the pure devotional service of MÄdhavendra PurÄ«. When He recited some verses composed by MÄdhavendra PurÄ«, He went into an ecstatic mood. But when He saw that many people were assembled, He checked Himself and ate some sweet rice prasÄdam. Thus He passed that night, and the next morning He again started for JagannÄtha PurÄ«.
