Sri Caitanya Caritamrita

Madhya-lila
Chapter 6: The Liberation of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya

Text* 1: I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Gauracandra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who converted the hardhearted SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, the reservoir of all bad logic, into a great devotee.
Text* 2: All glories to Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu! All glories to Lord NityÄnanda Prabhu! All glories to Advaita Ä€cÄrya! And all glories to all the devotees of Lord Caitanya!
Text* 3: In ecstasy, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu went from ĀṭhÄranÄlÄ to the temple of JagannÄtha. After seeing Lord JagannÄtha, He became very restless due to love of Godhead.
Text* 4: Lord ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu went swiftly to embrace Lord JagannÄtha, but when He entered the temple, He was so overwhelmed with love of Godhead that He fainted to the floor.
Text* 5: When ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu fell down, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya happened to see Him. When the watchman threatened to beat the Lord, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya immediately forbade him.
Text* 6: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya was very surprised to see the personal beauty of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu, as well as the transcendental transformations wrought on His body due to love of Godhead.
Text* 7: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu remained unconscious for a long time. Meanwhile, the time for offering prasÄdam to Lord JagannÄtha came, and the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya tried to think of a remedy.
Text 8: While Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu was unconscious, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, with the help of the watchman and some disciples, carried Him to his home and laid Him down in a very sanctified room.
Text* 9: Examining the body of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, SÄrvabhauma saw that His abdomen was not moving and that He was not breathing. Seeing His condition, the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya became very anxious.
Text* 10: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya then took a fine cotton swab and put it before the Lord’s nostrils. When he saw the cotton move very slightly, he became hopeful.
Text* 11: Sitting beside ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, he thought, “This is a transcendental ecstatic transformation brought about by love of Kṛṣṇa.â€
Text 12: Upon seeing the sign of sÅ«ddÄ«pta-sÄttvika, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya could immediately understand the transcendental ecstatic transformation in the body of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu. Such a sign takes place only in the bodies of eternally liberated devotees.
Text 13: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya considered, “The uncommon ecstatic symptoms of adhirÅ«á¸ha-bhÄva are appearing in the body of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu. This is very wonderful! How are they possible in the body of a human being?â€
Text* 14: While the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya was thinking in this way at his home, all the devotees of Caitanya MahÄprabhu, headed by NityÄnanda Prabhu, approached the Siá¹ha-dvÄra [the entrance door of the temple].
Text* 15: There the devotees heard the people talking about a mendicant who had come to JagannÄtha PurÄ« and seen the Deity of JagannÄtha.
Text* 16: The people said that the sannyÄsÄ« had fallen unconscious upon seeing the Deity of Lord JagannÄtha. Because His consciousness did not return, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya had taken Him to his home.
Text* 17: Hearing this, the devotees could understand that they were speaking of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu. Just then, ÅšrÄ« GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya arrived.
Text 18: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya was a resident of Nadia, the son-in-law of ViÅ›Ärada and a devotee of Caitanya MahÄprabhu. He knew the true identity of His Lordship.
Text* 19: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya had previously been acquainted with Mukunda Datta, and when the Ä€cÄrya saw him at JagannÄtha PurÄ«, he was very much astonished.
Text* 20: Mukunda Datta offered obeisances unto GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya upon meeting him. Then the Ä€cÄrya embraced Mukunda Datta and inquired about news of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text* 21: Mukunda Datta replied, “The Lord has already arrived here. We have come with Him.â€
Text* 22: As soon as GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya saw NityÄnanda Prabhu, he offered his obeisances unto Him. In this way, meeting all the devotees, he asked about news of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu again and again.
Text* 23: Mukunda Datta continued, “After accepting the sannyÄsa order, Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu has come to JagannÄtha PurÄ« and has brought all of us with Him.
Text* 24: “Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu left our company and walked ahead to see Lord JagannÄtha. We have just arrived and are now looking for Him.
Text* 25: “From the talk of the people in general, we have guessed that the Lord is now at the house of SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya.
Text* 26: “Upon seeing Lord JagannÄtha, Caitanya MahÄprabhu became ecstatic and fell unconscious, and SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya has taken Him to his home in this condition.
Text* 27: “Just as I was thinking of meeting you, by chance we have actually met.
Text* 28: “First let us all go to the house of SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya and see Caitanya MahÄprabhu. Later we shall come to see Lord JagannÄtha.â€
Text* 29: Hearing this and feeling very pleased, GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya immediately took all the devotees with him and approached the house of SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya.
Text* 30: Arriving at the home of SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, everyone saw the Lord lying unconscious. Seeing Him in this condition, GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya became very unhappy, but at the same time he was happy just to see the Lord.
Text* 31: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya permitted all the devotees to enter his house, and upon seeing NityÄnanda Prabhu, the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya offered Him obeisances.
Text* 32: SÄrvabhauma met with all the devotees and offered them a proper welcome. They were all pleased to see Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text* 33: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya then sent them all back to see Lord JagannÄtha, and he asked his own son, CandaneÅ›vara, to accompany them as a guide.
Text* 34: Everyone was then very pleased to see the Deity of Lord JagannÄtha. Lord NityÄnanda in particular was overwhelmed with ecstasy.
Text* 35: When Lord NityÄnanda Prabhu nearly fainted, all the devotees caught Him and steadied Him. At that time, the priest of Lord JagannÄtha brought a garland that had been offered to the Deity and offered it to NityÄnanda Prabhu.
Text* 36: Everyone was pleased to receive this garland worn by Lord JagannÄtha. Afterwards they all returned to the place where Lord ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu was staying.
Text* 37: All of the devotees then began to loudly chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Just before noon the Lord regained His consciousness.
Text* 38: Caitanya MahÄprabhu got up and very loudly chanted, “Hari! Hari!†SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya was very pleased to see the Lord regain consciousness, and he took the dust of the Lord’s lotus feet.
Text* 39: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya informed all of them, “Please take your midday baths immediately. Today I shall offer you mahÄ-prasÄdam, the remnants of food offered to Lord JagannÄtha.â€
Text* 40: After bathing in the sea, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu and His devotees returned very soon. The Lord then washed His feet and sat down on a carpet to take lunch.
Text* 41: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya made arrangements to bring various kinds of mahÄ-prasÄdam from the JagannÄtha temple. ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu then accepted lunch with great happiness.
Text* 42: Caitanya MahÄprabhu was offered special rice and first-class vegetables on golden plates. He thus took lunch in the company of His devotees.
Text 43: While SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya personally distributed the prasÄdam, Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu requested him, “Please give Me only boiled vegetables.
Text* 44: “You can offer the cakes and preparations made with condensed milk to all the devotees.†Hearing this, the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya folded his hands and spoke as follows.
Text* 45: “Today, all of you please try to taste the lunch just as Lord JagannÄtha accepted it.â€
Text* 46: After saying this, he made them all eat the various cakes and condensed-milk preparations. After feeding them, he offered them water to wash their hands, feet and mouths.
Text* 47: Begging permission from Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu and His devotees, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya then went with GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya to take lunch. After finishing their lunch, they returned to Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text 48: Offering his obeisances to Caitanya MahÄprabhu, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “Namo nÄrÄyaṇÄya†[“I offer my obeisances to NÄrÄyaṇaâ€].
Text* 49: Hearing these words, SÄrvabhauma understood Lord Caitanya to be a Vaiṣṇava sannyÄsÄ«.
Text 50: SÄrvabhauma then said to GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya, “I want to know Caitanya MahÄprabhu’s previous situation.â€
Text* 51: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya replied, “There was a man named JagannÄtha, who was a resident of NavadvÄ«pa, and whose surname was MiÅ›ra Purandara.
Text* 52: “Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu is the son of that JagannÄtha MiÅ›ra, and His former name was ViÅ›vambhara MiÅ›ra. He also happens to be the grandson of NÄ«lÄmbara CakravartÄ«.â€
Text* 53: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “NÄ«lÄmbara CakravartÄ« was a classmate of my father, MaheÅ›vara ViÅ›Ärada. I knew him as such.
Text* 54: “JagannÄtha MiÅ›ra Purandara was respected by my father. Thus because of their relationship with my father, I respect both JagannÄtha MiÅ›ra and NÄ«lÄmbara CakravartÄ«.â€
Text* 55: Hearing that ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu belonged to the Nadia district, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya became very pleased and addressed the Lord as follows.
Text 56: “You are naturally respectable. Besides, You are a sannyÄsÄ«; thus I wish to become Your personal servant.â€
Text* 57: As soon as Caitanya MahÄprabhu heard this from the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, He immediately remembered Lord Viṣṇu and began to speak humbly to him as follows.
Text 58: “Because you are a teacher of VedÄnta philosophy, you are the master of all the people in the world and their well-wisher as well. You are also the benefactor of all kinds of sannyÄsÄ«s.
Text* 59: “I am a young sannyÄsÄ«, and I actually have no knowledge of what is good and what is bad. Therefore I am taking shelter of you and accepting you as My spiritual master.
Text* 60: “I have come here only to associate with you, and I am now taking shelter of you. Will you kindly maintain Me in all respects?
Text* 61: “The incident that happened today was a great obstacle for Me, but you have kindly relieved Me of it.â€
Text* 62: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya replied, “Do not go alone to see the Deity at the JagannÄtha temple. It is better that You go with me or my men.â€
Text* 63: The Lord said, “I shall never enter the temple but shall always view the Lord from the side of the Garuá¸a-stambha.â€
Text* 64: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya then told GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya, “Take GosvÄmÄ«jÄ« and show Him Lord JagannÄtha.
Text* 65: “Also, the apartment belonging to my maternal aunt is in a very solitary place. Make all arrangements for Him to stay there.â€
Text* 66: Thus GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya took Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu to His residential quarters and showed Him where to find water, tubs and waterpots. Indeed, he arranged everything.
Text* 67: The next day GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya took Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu to see the early rising of Lord JagannÄtha.
Text* 68: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya then took Mukunda Datta with him and went to SÄrvabhauma’s house. When they arrived, SÄrvabhauma addressed Mukunda Datta as follows.
Text 69: “The sannyÄsÄ« is very meek and humble by nature, and His person is very beautiful to see. Consequently my affection for Him increases.
Text* 70: “From which sampradÄya has He accepted the sannyÄsa order, and what is His name?â€
Text* 71: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya replied, “The Lord’s name is ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, and His sannyÄsa preceptor is the greatly fortunate KeÅ›ava BhÄratÄ«.â€
Text* 72: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “ ‘ŚrÄ« Kṛṣṇa’ is a very good name, but He belongs to the BhÄratÄ« community. Therefore He is a second-class sannyÄsÄ«.â€
Text 73: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya replied, “ŚrÄ« Kṛṣṇa Caitanya MahÄprabhu does not rely on any external formality. There is no need for Him to accept the sannyÄsa order from a superior sampradÄya.â€
Text* 74: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya inquired, “ŚrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu is in His full-fledged youthful life. How can He keep the principles of sannyÄsa?
Text 75: “I shall continually recite VedÄnta philosophy before Caitanya MahÄprabhu so that He may remain fixed in His renunciation and thus enter upon the path of monism.â€
Text 76: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya then suggested, “If ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu would like, I could bring Him into a first-class sampradÄya by offering Him saffron cloth and performing the reformatory process again.â€
Text* 77: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya and Mukunda Datta became very unhappy when they heard this. GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya therefore addressed SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya as follows.
Text 78: “My dear Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, you do not know the greatness of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu. All the symptoms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are found in Him to the highest degree.â€
Text* 79: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya continued, “Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu is celebrated as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those who are ignorant in this connection find the conclusion of knowledgeable men very difficult to understand.â€
Text 80: The disciples of SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya retaliated, “By what evidence do you conclude that ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu is the Supreme Lord?â€
Text 81: The disciples of the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “We derive knowledge of the Absolute Truth by logical hypothesis.â€
Text 82: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya continued, “One can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead only by His mercy, not by guesswork or hypothesis.â€
Text* 83: The Ä€cÄrya continued, “If one receives but a tiny bit of the Lord’s favor by dint of devotional service, he can understand the nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Text 84: “ ‘My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of Your lotus feet, he can understand the greatness of Your personality. But those who speculate in order to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead are unable to know You, even though they continue to study the Vedas for many years.’ â€
Text* 85-86: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya then addressed SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya: “You are a great scholar and a teacher of many disciples. Indeed, there is no other scholar like you on earth. Nonetheless, because you are bereft of even a pinch of the Lord’s mercy, you cannot understand Him, even though He is present in your home.
Text 87: “It is not your fault; it is the verdict of the scriptures. You cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead simply by scholarship.â€
Text* 88: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya replied, “My dear GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya, please speak with great care. What is the proof that you have received the mercy of the Lord?â€
Text 89: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya replied, “Knowledge of the summum bonum, the Absolute Truth, is evidence of the mercy of the Supreme Lord.â€
Text* 90: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya continued, “You have seen the symptoms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the body of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu during His absorption in an ecstatic mood.
Text 91: “Despite directly perceiving the symptoms of the Supreme Lord in the body of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, you cannot understand Him. This is commonly called illusion.
Text 92: “A person influenced by the external energy is called bahirmukha jana, a mundane person, because despite his perception, he cannot understand the real substance.†Hearing GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya say this, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya smiled and began to speak as follows.
Text* 93: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “We are just having a discussion among friends and considering the points described in the scriptures. Do not become angry. I am simply speaking on the strength of the Å›Ästras. Please don’t take any offense.
Text* 94: “ŚrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu is certainly a great, uncommon devotee, but we cannot accept Him as an incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu because, according to Å›Ästra, there is no incarnation in this Age of Kali.
Text 95: “Another name for Lord Viṣṇu is Triyuga because there is no incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu in Kali-yuga. Indeed, this is the verdict of the revealed scriptures.â€
Text* 96: Upon hearing this, GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya became very unhappy. He said to the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, “You consider yourself the knower of all Vedic scriptures.
Text* 97: “ŚrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam and the MahÄbhÄrata are the two most important Vedic scriptures, but you have paid no attention to their statements.
Text* 98: “In ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam and the MahÄbhÄrata it is stated that the Lord appears directly, but you say that in this age there is no manifestation or incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu.
Text 99: “In this Age of Kali there is no lÄ«lÄ-avatÄra of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore He is known as Triyuga. That is one of His holy names.â€
Text* 100: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya continued, “There is certainly an incarnation in every age, and such an incarnation is called the yuga-avatÄra. But your heart has become so hardened by logic and argument that you cannot consider all these facts.
Text 101: “ ‘In the past, your son has had bodies of three different colors, according to the age. These colors were white, red and yellow. In this age [DvÄpara-yuga] He has accepted a blackish body.’
Text 102: “ ‘In the Age of Kali, as well as in DvÄpara-yuga, the people offer prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead by various mantras and observe the regulative principles of the supplementary Vedic literatures. Now please hear of this from me.
Text 103: “ ‘In this Age of Kali, those who are intelligent perform the congregational chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahÄ-mantra, worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appears in this age always describing the glories of Kṛṣṇa. That incarnation is yellowish in hue and is always associated with His plenary expansions [such as ÅšrÄ« NityÄnanda Prabhu] and personal expansions [such as GadÄdhara], as well as His devotees and associates [such as SvarÅ«pa DÄmodara].’
Text 104: “ ‘The Lord [in the incarnation of Gaurasundara] has a golden complexion. Indeed, His entire body, which is very nicely constituted, is like molten gold. Sandalwood pulp is smeared all over His body. He will take the fourth order of spiritual life [sannyÄsa] and will be very much self-controlled. He will be distinguished from MÄyÄvÄdÄ« sannyÄsÄ«s in that He will be fixed in devotional service and will spread the saá¹…kÄ«rtana movement.’ â€
Text* 105: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya then said, “There is no need to quote so much evidence from the Å›Ästras, for you are a very dry speculator. There is no need to sow seeds in barren land.
Text* 106: “When the Lord will be pleased with you, you will also understand these conclusions and will quote from the Å›Ästras.
Text* 107: “The false arguments and philosophical word jugglery of your disciples are not faults of theirs. They have simply received the benediction of MÄyÄvÄda philosophy.
Text 108: “ ‘I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is full of unlimited qualities and whose different potencies bring about agreement and disagreement between disputants. Thus the illusory energy again and again covers the self-realization of both disputants.’
Text 109: “ ‘In almost all cases, whatever learned brÄhmaṇas speak becomes accepted; nothing is impossible for one who takes shelter of My illusory energy and speaks under her influence.’ â€
Text* 110: After hearing this from GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “First go to the place where ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu is staying and invite Him here with His associates. Ask Him on my account.
Text* 111: “Take jagannÄtha-prasÄdam and first give it to Caitanya MahÄprabhu and His associates. After that, come back here and teach me well.â€
Text* 112: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya was the brother-in-law of SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya; therefore their relationship was very sweet and intimate. Under the circumstances, GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya taught him by sometimes blaspheming him, sometimes praising him and sometimes laughing at him. This had been going on for some time.
Text* 113: ÅšrÄ«la Mukunda Datta felt very satisfied to hear the conclusive statements of GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya, but he became very unhappy and angry to hear the statements put forward by SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya.
Text* 114: According to the instructions of SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya went to ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu and invited Him on the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya’s behalf.
Text* 115: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya’s statements were discussed before ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu. GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya and Mukunda Datta disapproved of the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya’s statements because they caused mental pain.
Text* 116: Hearing this, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu said, “Do not speak like that. SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya has shown great affection and mercy toward Me.
Text* 117: “Out of paternal affection for Me, he wants to protect Me and see that I follow the regulative principles of a sannyÄsÄ«. What fault is there in this?â€
Text* 118: The next morning, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu and SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya together visited the temple of Lord JagannÄtha. Both of them were in a very pleasant mood.
Text* 119: When they entered the temple, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya offered Caitanya MahÄprabhu a seat, while he himself sat down on the floor out of due respect for a sannyÄsÄ«.
Text 120: He then began to instruct Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu on VedÄnta philosophy, and out of affection and devotion, he spoke to the Lord as follows.
Text* 121: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “Hearing VedÄnta philosophy is a sannyÄsī’s main business. Therefore without hesitation You should study VedÄnta philosophy, hearing it without cessation from a superior person.â€
Text* 122: Lord Caitanya replied, “You are very merciful to Me, and therefore I think it is My duty to obey your order.â€
Text* 123: Thus for seven days continually, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu listened to the VedÄnta philosophy expounded by SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya. However, Caitanya MahÄprabhu did not say anything and did not indicate whether it was right or wrong. He simply sat there and listened to the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya.
Text* 124: On the eighth day, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said to Caitanya MahÄprabhu, “You have been listening to VedÄnta philosophy from me continually for seven days.
Text* 125: “You have simply been listening, fixed in Your silence. Since You do not say whether You think it is right or wrong, I cannot know whether You are actually understanding VedÄnta philosophy or not.â€
Text* 126: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu replied, “I am a fool, and consequently I do not study the VedÄnta-sÅ«tra. I am just trying to hear it from you because you have ordered Me.
Text 127: “Only for the sake of executing the duties of the renounced order of sannyÄsa do I listen. Unfortunately, I cannot in the least understand the meaning you are presenting.â€
Text* 128: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya replied, “I accept that You do not understand, yet even one who does not understand inquires about the subject matter.
Text* 129: “You are hearing again and again, yet You keep silent. I cannot understand what is actually within Your mind.â€
Text 130: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu then revealed His mind, saying, “I can understand the meaning of each sÅ«tra very clearly, but your explanations have simply agitated My mind.
Text 131: “The meaning of the aphorisms in the VedÄnta-sÅ«tra contain clear purports in themselves, but other purports you presented simply covered the meaning of the sÅ«tras like a cloud.
Text 132: “You do not explain the direct meaning of the Brahma-sÅ«tras. Indeed, it appears that your business is to cover their real meaning.â€
Text 133: Caitanya MahÄprabhu continued, “The VedÄnta-sÅ«tra is the summary of all the Upaniá¹£ads; therefore whatever direct meaning is there in the Upaniá¹£ads is also recorded in the VedÄnta-sÅ«tra, or VyÄsa-sÅ«tra.
Text* 134: “For each sūtra the direct meaning must be accepted without interpretation. However, you simply abandon the direct meaning and proceed with your imaginative interpretation.
Text 135: “Although there is other evidence, the evidence given in the Vedic version must be taken as foremost. Vedic versions understood directly are first-class evidence.â€
Text 136: Caitanya MahÄprabhu continued, “Conchshells and cow dung are nothing but the bones and the stool of some living entities, but according to the Vedic version they are both considered very pure.
Text 137: “The Vedic statements are self-evident. Whatever is stated there must be accepted. If we interpret according to our own imagination, the authority of the Vedas is immediately lost.â€
Text* 138: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu continued, “The Brahma-sÅ«tra, compiled by ÅšrÄ«la VyÄsadeva, is as radiant as the sun. One who tries to interpret its meaning simply covers that sunshine with a cloud.
Text 139: “All the Vedas and literature that strictly follows the Vedic principles explain that the Supreme Brahman is the Absolute Truth, the greatest of all, and a feature of the Supreme Lord.
Text 140: “Actually, the Supreme Absolute Truth is a person, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full with all opulences. You are trying to explain Him as impersonal and formless.
Text 141: “Wherever there is an impersonal description in the Vedas, the Vedas mean to establish that everything belonging to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is transcendental and free of mundane characteristics.â€
Text 142: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu continued, “ ‘Whatever Vedic mantras describe the Absolute Truth impersonally only prove in the end that the Absolute Truth is a person. The Supreme Lord is understood in two features — impersonal and personal. If one considers the Supreme Personality of Godhead in both features, he can actually understand the Absolute Truth. He knows that the personal understanding is stronger because we see that everything is full of variety. No one can see anything that is not full of variety.’
Text 143: “Everything in the cosmic manifestation emanates from the Absolute Truth, remains in the Absolute Truth, and after annihilation again enters the Absolute Truth.
Text 144: “The personal features of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are categorized in three cases — namely ablative, instrumental and locative.â€
Text 145-146: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu continued, “When the Supreme Personality of Godhead wished to become many, He glanced over the material energy. Before the creation there were no mundane eyes or mind; therefore the transcendental nature of the Absolute Truth’s mind and eyes is confirmed.
Text 147: “The word ‘Brahman’ indicates the complete Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is Śrī Kṛṣṇa. That is the verdict of all Vedic literature.
Text* 148: “The confidential meaning of the Vedas is not easily understood by common men; therefore that meaning is supplemented by the words of the PurÄṇas.
Text 149: “ ‘How greatly fortunate are Nanda MahÄrÄja, the cowherd men and all the inhabitants of VrajabhÅ«mi! There is no limit to their fortune, because the Absolute Truth, the source of transcendental bliss, the eternal Supreme Brahman, has become their friend.’
Text* 150: “The Vedic ‘apÄṇi-pÄda’ mantra rejects material hands and legs, yet it states that the Lord goes very fast and accepts everything offered to Him.
Text 151: “All these mantras confirm that the Absolute Truth is personal, but the MÄyÄvÄdÄ«s, throwing away the direct meaning, interpret the Absolute Truth as impersonal.
Text 152: “Are you describing as formless that Supreme Personality of Godhead whose transcendental form is complete with six transcendental opulences?
Text 153: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead has three primary potencies. Are you trying to prove that He has no potencies?
Text 154: “ ‘The internal potency of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, is spiritual, as verified by the Å›Ästras. There is another spiritual potency, known as ká¹£etra-jña, or the living entity. The third potency, which is known as nescience, makes the living entity godless and fills him with fruitive activity.
Text* 155: “ ‘O King, the ká¹£etra-jña-Å›akti is the living entity. Although he has the facility to live in either the material or spiritual world, he suffers the threefold miseries of material existence because he is influenced by the avidyÄ [nescience] potency, which covers his constitutional position.
Text 156: “ ‘This living entity, covered by the influence of nescience, exists in different forms in the material condition. O King, he is thus proportionately freed from the influence of material energy, to a greater or lesser degree.’
Text* 157: “ ‘The Supreme Personality of Godhead is sac-cid-Änanda-vigraha. This means that He originally has three potencies — the pleasure potency, the potency of eternality and the potency of knowledge. Together these are called the cit potency, and they are present in full in the Supreme Lord. For the living entities, who are part and parcel of the Lord, the pleasure potency in the material world is sometimes displeasing and sometimes mixed. This is not the case with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because He is not under the influence of the material energy or its modes.’
Text 158: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead in His original form is full of eternity, knowledge and bliss. The spiritual potency in these three portions [sat, cit and Änanda] assumes three different forms.
Text 159: “The three portions of the spiritual potency are called hlÄdinÄ« [the bliss portion], sandhinÄ« [the eternity portion] and samvit [the knowledge portion]. We accept knowledge of these as full knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Text 160: “The spiritual potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead also appears in three phases — internal, marginal and external. These are all engaged in His devotional service in love.
Text 161: “In His spiritual potency, the Supreme Lord enjoys six kinds of opulences. You do not accept this spiritual potency, and this is due to your great impudence.
Text 162: “The Lord is the master of the potencies, and the living entity is the servant of them. That is the difference between the Lord and the living entity. However, you declare that the Lord and the living entities are one and the same.
Text 163: “In the Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ the living entity is established as the marginal potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet you say that the living entity is completely different from the Lord.
Text* 164: “ ‘Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego are My eightfold separated energies.
Text 165: “ ‘Besides these inferior energies, which are material, there is another energy, a spiritual energy, and this is the living being, O mighty-armed one. The entire material world is sustained by the living entities.’
Text* 166: “The transcendental form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is complete in eternity, cognizance and bliss. However, you describe this transcendental form as a product of material goodness.
Text 167: “One who does not accept the transcendental form of the Lord is certainly an agnostic. Such a person should be neither seen nor touched. Indeed, he is subject to be punished by YamarÄja.
Text 168: “The Buddhists do not recognize the authority of the Vedas; therefore they are considered agnostics. However, those who have taken shelter of the Vedic scriptures yet preach agnosticism in accordance with the MÄyÄvÄda philosophy are certainly more dangerous than the Buddhists.
Text 169: “ŚrÄ«la VyÄsadeva presented the VedÄnta philosophy for the deliverance of conditioned souls, but if one hears the commentary of Åšaá¹…karÄcÄrya, everything is spoiled.
Text 170: “The VedÄnta-sÅ«tra aims at establishing that the cosmic manifestation has come into being by the transformation of the inconceivable potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Text 171: “The touchstone, after touching iron, produces volumes of gold without being changed. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead manifests Himself as the cosmic manifestation by His inconceivable potency, yet He remains unchanged in His eternal, transcendental form.
Text 172: “Śaá¹…karÄcÄrya states that the theory of transformation presented in the VedÄnta-sÅ«tra implies that the Absolute Truth itself is transformed. In this way the MÄyÄvÄdÄ« philosophers denigrate ÅšrÄ«la VyÄsadeva by accusing him of error. They thus find fault in the VedÄnta-sÅ«tra and misinterpret it to try to establish the theory of illusion.
Text 173: “The theory of illusion can be applied only when the living entity identifies himself with the body. As far as the cosmic manifestation is concerned, it cannot be called false, although it is certainly temporary.
Text 174: “The transcendental vibration oá¹kÄra is the sound form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All Vedic knowledge and this cosmic manifestation are produced from this sound representation of the Supreme Lord.
Text 175: “The subsidiary vibration tat tvam asi [“you are the sameâ€] is meant for the understanding of the living entity, but the principal vibration is oá¹kÄra. Not caring for oá¹kÄra, Åšaá¹…karÄcÄrya has stressed the vibration tat tvam asi.â€
Text* 176: Thus ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu criticized Åšaá¹…karÄcÄrya’s ÅšÄrÄ«raka-bhÄá¹£ya as imaginary, and He pointed out hundreds of faults in it. To defend Åšaá¹…karÄcÄrya, however, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya presented unlimited opposition.
Text 177: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya presented various types of false arguments with pseudo logic and tried to defeat his opponent in many ways. However, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu refuted all these arguments and established His own conviction.
Text 178: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu continued, “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the central point of all relationships, acting in devotional service to Him is one’s real occupation, and the attainment of love of Godhead is the ultimate goal of life. These three subject matters are described in the Vedic literature.
Text 179: “If one tries to explain the Vedic literature in a different way, he is indulging in imagination. Any interpretation of the self-evident Vedic version is simply imaginary.
Text* 180: “Actually there is no fault on the part of Åšaá¹…karÄcÄrya. He simply carried out the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He had to imagine some kind of interpretation, and therefore he presented a kind of Vedic literature that is full of atheism.
Text 181: “[Addressing Lord Śiva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead said:] ‘Please make the general populace averse to Me by imagining your own interpretation of the Vedas. Also, cover Me in such a way that people will take more interest in advancing material civilization just to propagate a population bereft of spiritual knowledge.’
Text 182: “[Lord Åšiva informed goddess DurgÄ, the superintendent of the material world:] ‘In the Age of Kali I take the form of a brÄhmaṇa and explain the Vedas through false scriptures in an atheistic way, similar to Buddhist philosophy.’ â€
Text* 183: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya became very much astonished upon hearing this. He became stunned and said nothing.
Text* 184: Lord ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu then told him, “Do not be astonished. Actually, devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the highest perfection of human activity.
Text* 185: “Even the self-satisfied sages perform devotional service to the Supreme Lord. Such are the transcendental qualities of the Lord. They are full of inconceivable spiritual potency.
Text 186: “ ‘Those who are self-satisfied and unattracted by external material desires are also attracted to the loving service of ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa, whose qualities are transcendental and whose activities are wonderful. Hari, the Personality of Godhead, is called Kṛṣṇa because He has such transcendentally attractive features.’ â€
Text* 187: After hearing the ÄtmÄrÄma verse, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya addressed ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, “My dear Sir, please explain this verse. I have a great desire to hear Your explanation of it.â€
Text* 188: The Lord replied, “First let Me hear your explanation. After that, I shall try to explain what little I know.â€
Text* 189: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya then began to explain the ÄtmÄrÄma verse, and according to the principles of logic, he put forward various propositions.
Text 190: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya explained the ÄtmÄrÄma verse in nine different ways on the basis of scripture. After hearing his explanation, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, smiling a little, began to speak.
Text* 191: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu said, “My dear Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, you are exactly like Bá¹›haspati, the priest of the heavenly kingdom. Indeed, no one within this world has the power to explain the scriptures in such a way.
Text* 192: “My dear Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, you have certainly explained this verse by the prowess of your vast learning, but you should know that, besides this scholarly explanation, there is another purport to this verse.â€
Text* 193: Upon the request of SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu began to explain the verse, without touching upon the nine explanations given by the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya.
Text 194: There are eleven words in the ÄtmÄrÄma verse, and ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu explained each word, one after the other.
Text* 195: Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu took each word specifically and combined it with the word “ÄtmÄrÄma.†He thus explained the word “ÄtmÄrÄma†in eighteen different ways.
Text* 196: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu said, “The Supreme Personality of Godhead, His different potencies and His transcendental qualities all have inconceivable prowess. It is not possible to explain them fully.
Text 197: “These three items attract the mind of a perfect student engaged in spiritual activities and overcome all other processes of spiritual activity.â€
Text 198: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu explained the meaning of the verse by giving evidence concerning Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« and the four ṛṣis Sanaka, Sanat-kumÄra, SanÄtana and Sanandana. Thus the Lord gave various meanings and explanations.
Text* 199: Upon hearing Caitanya MahÄprabhu’s explanation of the ÄtmÄrÄma verse, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya was struck with wonder. He then understood Lord ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu to be Kṛṣṇa in person, and he thus condemned himself in the following words.
Text* 200: “Caitanya MahÄprabhu is certainly Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. Because I could not understand Him and was very proud of my own learning, I have committed many offenses.â€
Text* 201: When SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya denounced himself as an offender and took shelter of the Lord, the Lord desired to show him mercy.
Text* 202: To show him mercy, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu allowed him to see His Viṣṇu form. Thus He immediately assumed four hands.
Text* 203: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu first showed him the four-handed form and then appeared before him in His original form of Kṛṣṇa, with a blackish complexion and a flute to His lips.
Text* 204: When SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya saw the form of Lord Kṛṣṇa manifested in Caitanya MahÄprabhu, he immediately fell down flat to offer Him obeisances. Then he stood up and with folded hands began to offer prayers.
Text* 205: By the mercy of the Lord, all truths were revealed to SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, and he could understand the importance of chanting the holy name and distributing love of Godhead everywhere.
Text 206: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya composed one hundred verses in a very short time. Indeed, not even Bá¹›haspati, the priest of the heavenly planets, could compose verses as quickly.
Text* 207: After hearing the one hundred verses, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu happily embraced SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, who was immediately overwhelmed in ecstatic love of Godhead and fell unconscious.
Text* 208: Out of ecstatic love of God, the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya shed tears, and his body was stunned. He exhibited an ecstatic mood, and he perspired, shook and trembled. He sometimes danced, sometimes chanted, sometimes cried and sometimes fell down to touch the lotus feet of the Lord.
Text* 209: While SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya was in this ecstasy, GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya was very pleased. The associates of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu all laughed to see the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya dance so.
Text* 210: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya told Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu, “Sir, You have brought all this upon SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya.â€
Text* 211: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu replied, “You are a devotee. Because of your association, Lord JagannÄtha has shown him mercy.â€
Text* 212: After this, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu pacified the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, and when he was quieted, he offered many prayers to the Lord.
Text* 213: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “My dear Sir, You have delivered the entire world, but that is not a very great task. However, You have also delivered me, and that is certainly the work of very wonderful powers.
Text* 214: “I had become dull-headed due to reading too many books on logic. Consequently I had become like an iron bar. Nonetheless, You have melted me, and therefore Your influence is very great.â€
Text* 215: After hearing the prayers offered by SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu returned to His residence, and the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, through GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya, induced the Lord to accept lunch there.
Text* 216: Early the following morning, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu went to see Lord JagannÄtha in the temple, and He saw the Lord rise from His bed.
Text* 217: The priest there presented Him with garlands and prasÄdam that had been offered to Lord JagannÄtha. This pleased Caitanya MahÄprabhu very much.
Text* 218: Carefully tying the prasÄdam and garlands in a cloth, Caitanya MahÄprabhu hastened to the house of SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya.
Text* 219: He arrived at the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya’s house a little before sunrise, just when the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya was arising from bed.
Text* 220: As SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya arose from bed, he distinctly chanted, “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa.†Lord Caitanya was very pleased to hear him chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa.
Text* 221: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya noticed ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu outside, and with great haste he went to Him and offered prayers unto His lotus feet.
Text* 222: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya offered a carpet for the Lord to sit upon, and both of them sat there. Then ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu opened the prasÄdam and placed it in the hands of the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya.
Text* 223: At that time the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya had not even washed his mouth, nor had he taken his bath or finished his morning duties. Nonetheless, he was very pleased to receive the prasÄdam of Lord JagannÄtha.
Text* 224: By the mercy of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, all the dullness in the mind of SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya was eradicated. After reciting the following two verses, he ate the prasÄdam offered to him.
Text* 225: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “ ‘One should eat the mahÄ-prasÄdam of the Lord immediately upon receiving it, even though it is dried up, stale or brought from a distant country. One should consider neither time nor place.
Text 226: “ ‘The prasÄdam of Lord Kṛṣṇa is to be eaten by gentlemen as soon as it is received; there should be no hesitation. There are no regulative principles concerning time and place. This is the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.’ â€
Text* 227: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu was very pleased to see this. He became ecstatic in love of Godhead and embraced SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya.
Text* 228: The Lord and the servant embraced each other and began to dance. Simply by touching each other, they became ecstatic.
Text* 229: As they danced and embraced, spiritual symptoms manifested in their bodies. They perspired, trembled and shed tears, and the Lord began to speak in His ecstasy.
Text 230: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu said, “Today I have conquered the three worlds very easily. Today I have ascended to the spiritual world.â€
Text* 231: Caitanya MahÄprabhu continued, “I think that today all My desires have been fulfilled because I see that SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya has acquired faith in the mahÄ-prasÄdam of Lord JagannÄtha.
Text* 232: “Indeed, today you have undoubtedly taken shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa, without reservation, has become very merciful toward you.
Text* 233: “My dear Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, today you have been released from material bondage in the bodily conception of life; you have cut to pieces the shackles of the illusory energy.
Text* 234: “Today your mind has become fit to take shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa because, surpassing the Vedic regulative principles, you have eaten the remnants of food offered to the Lord.
Text 235: “ ‘When a person takes shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead without reservation, the unlimited, merciful Lord bestows His causeless mercy upon him. Thus he can pass over the insurmountable ocean of nescience. Those whose intelligence is fixed in the bodily conception, who think, “I am this body,†are fit food for dogs and jackals. The Supreme Lord never bestows His mercy upon such people.’ â€
Text* 236: After speaking to SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya in this way, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu returned to His residence. From that day on, the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya was free because his false pride had been dismantled.
Text* 237: From that day on, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya did not know anything but the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu, and from that day he could explain the revealed scriptures only in accordance with the process of devotional service.
Text* 238: Seeing that SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya was firmly fixed in the cult of Vaiṣṇavism, GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya, his brother-in-law, began to dance, clap his hands and chant, “Hari! Hari!â€
Text* 239: The next day, the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya went to visit the temple of Lord JagannÄtha, but before he reached the temple, he went to see Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text* 240: When he met Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu, the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya fell down flat to offer Him respects. After offering various prayers to Him, he spoke of his previous bad disposition with great humility.
Text 241: Then the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya asked Caitanya MahÄprabhu, “Which item is most important in the execution of devotional service?†The Lord replied that the most important item was the chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
Text 242: “ ‘In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.’ â€
Text* 243: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu very elaborately explained the harer nÄma verse of the Bá¹›han-nÄradÄ«ya PurÄṇa, and SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya was struck with wonder to hear His explanation.
Text 244: GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya reminded SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, “My dear Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, what I foretold to you has now taken place.â€
Text* 245: Offering his obeisances to GopÄ«nÄtha Ä€cÄrya, the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya said, “Because I am related to you and you are a devotee, by your mercy the Lord has shown mercy to me.
Text* 246: “You are a first-class devotee, whereas I am in the darkness of logical arguments. Because of your relationship with the Lord, the Lord has bestowed His benediction upon me.â€
Text* 247: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu was very pleased with this humble statement. After embracing the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, He said, “Now go see Lord JagannÄtha in the temple.â€
Text* 248: After visiting the temple of Lord JagannÄtha, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya returned home with JagadÄnanda and DÄmodara.
Text* 249: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya brought large quantities of excellent food remnants blessed by Lord JagannÄtha. All this prasÄdam was given to his own brÄhmaṇa servant, along with JagadÄnanda and DÄmodara.
Text* 250: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya then composed two verses on the leaf of a palm tree. Giving the palm leaf to JagadÄnanda Prabhu, the Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya requested him to deliver it to ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text* 251: JagadÄnanda and DÄmodara then returned to ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu, bringing Him both the prasÄdam and the palm leaf on which the verses were composed. But Mukunda Datta took the palm leaf from the hands of JagadÄnanda before he could deliver it to ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text* 252: Mukunda Datta then copied the two verses on the wall outside the room. After this, JagadÄnanda took the palm leaf from Mukunda Datta and delivered it to Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text* 253: As soon as Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu read the two verses, He immediately tore up the palm leaf. However, all the devotees read these verses on the outside wall, and they all kept them within their hearts. The verses read as follows.
Text 254: “Let me take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa, who has descended in the form of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu to teach us real knowledge, His devotional service and detachment from whatever does not foster Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He has descended because He is an ocean of transcendental mercy. Let me surrender unto His lotus feet.
Text 255: “Let my consciousness, which is like a honeybee, take shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has just now appeared as ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa Caitanya MahÄprabhu to teach the ancient system of devotional service to Himself. This system had almost been lost due to the influence of time.â€
Text* 256: These two verses composed by SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya will always declare his name and fame as loudly as a pounding drum, for they have become pearl necklaces around the necks of all devotees.
Text* 257: Indeed, SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya became an unalloyed devotee of Caitanya MahÄprabhu; he did not know anything but the service of the Lord.
Text* 258: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya always chanted the holy name of ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, son of mother ÅšacÄ« and reservoir of all good qualities. Indeed, chanting the holy names became his meditation.
Text* 259: One day SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya came before Caitanya MahÄprabhu and, after offering obeisances, began to recite a verse.
Text* 260: He began to quote one of Lord BrahmÄ’s prayers from ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam, but he changed two syllables at the end of the verse.
Text 261: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya recited, “ ‘One who seeks Your compassion and thus tolerates all kinds of adverse conditions due to the karma of his past deeds, who engages always in Your devotional service with his mind, words and body, and who always offers obeisances unto You is certainly a bona fide candidate for becoming Your unalloyed devotee.’ â€
Text* 262: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu immediately pointed out, “In that verse the word is ‘mukti-pade,’ but you have changed it to ‘bhakti-pade.’ What is your intention?â€
Text 263: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya replied, “The awakening of pure love of Godhead, which is the result of devotional service, far surpasses liberation from material bondage. For those averse to devotional service, merging into the Brahman effulgence is a kind of punishment.â€
Text* 264-265: The Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya continued, “The impersonalists, who do not accept the transcendental form of Lord ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa, and the demons, who are always engaged in blaspheming and fighting with Him, are punished by being merged into the Brahman effulgence. But that does not happen to the person engaged in the devotional service of the Lord.
Text 266: “There are five kinds of liberation: sÄlokya, sÄmÄ«pya, sÄrÅ«pya, sÄrṣṭi and sÄyujya.
Text* 267: “If there is a chance to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a pure devotee sometimes accepts the sÄlokya, sÄrÅ«pya, sÄmÄ«pya or sÄrṣṭi forms of liberation, but never sÄyujya.
Text 268: “A pure devotee does not like even to hear about sÄyujya-mukti, which inspires him with fear and hatred. Indeed, the pure devotee would rather go to hell than merge into the effulgence of the Lord.â€
Text 269: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya continued, “There are two kinds of sÄyujya-mukti: merging into the Brahman effulgence and merging into the personal body of the Lord. Merging into the Lord’s body is even more abominable than merging into His effulgence.â€
Text* 270: SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya concluded, “ ‘Even though he is offered all kinds of liberation, the pure devotee does not accept them. He is fully satisfied engaging in the service of the Lord.’ â€
Text* 271: Lord ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu replied, “The word ‘mukti-pade’ has another meaning. ‘Mukti-pada’ directly refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Text 272: “All kinds of liberation exist under the feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore He is known as mukti-pada. According to another meaning, mukti is the ninth subject, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the shelter of liberation.
Text 273: “Since I can understand Kṛṣṇa according to these two meanings,†Caitanya MahÄprabhu said, “what point is there in changing the verse?â€
Text* 274: “Although Your explanation is correct, it should not be used, because there is ambiguity in the word ‘mukti-pada.’
Text* 275: “The word ‘mukti’ refers to five kinds of liberation. But its direct meaning usually conveys the idea of becoming one with the Lord.
Text* 276: “The very sound of the word ‘mukti’ immediately induces hate and fear, but when we say the word ‘bhakti,’ we naturally feel transcendental bliss within the mind.â€
Text* 277: Upon hearing this explanation, the Lord began to laugh and, with great pleasure, immediately embraced SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya very firmly.
Text* 278: Indeed, that very person who had been accustomed to reading and teaching MÄyÄvÄda philosophy was now even hating the word “mukti.†This was possible only by the mercy of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Text* 279: As long as it does not turn iron into gold by its touch, no one can recognize an unknown stone to be a touchstone.
Text* 280: Upon seeing transcendental Vaiṣṇavism in SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, everyone could understand that Lord Caitanya was none other than Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda MahÄrÄja.
Text* 281: After this incident, all the inhabitants of JagannÄtha PurÄ«, headed by KÄśī MiÅ›ra, came to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord.
Text* 282: Later I shall describe how SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya always engaged in the service of the Lord.
Text* 283: I shall also describe in full detail how SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya perfectly rendered service to ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu by offering Him alms.
Text* 284-285: If one hears with faith and love these pastimes concerning Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu’s meeting with SÄrvabhauma Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya, he very soon is freed from the net of speculation and fruitive activity and attains the shelter of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu’s lotus feet.
Text 286: 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