Chapter 13

The Advent of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

This Thirteenth Chapter of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta describes Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's appearance. The entire Adi-lila section describes Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's household life, and similarly the Antya-lila describes His life in the sannyasa order. Within the Antya-lila, the first six years of His sannyasa life are called Madhya-lila. During this time, Caitanya Mahaprabhu toured southern India, went to Vrndavana, returned from Vrndavana and preached the sankirtana movement.

A learned brahmana named Upendra Misra who resided in the district of Srihatta was the father of Jagannatha Misra, who came to Navadvipa to study under the direction of Nilambara Cakravarti and then settled there after marrying Nilambara Cakravarti's daughter, Sacidevi. Sri Sacidevi gave birth to eight children, all daughters, who died one after another immediately after birth. After her ninth pregnancy, she gave birth to a son, who was named Visvarupa. Then, in 1407 Saka Era (A.D. 1486), on the full moon evening of the month of Phalguna, during the constellation of simha-lagna, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared as the son of Sri Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra. After hearing of the birth of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, learned scholars and brahmanas, bringing many gifts, came to see the newly born baby. Nilambara Cakravarti, who was a great astrologer, immediately prepared a horoscope, and by astrological calculation he saw that the child was a great personality. This chapter describes the symptoms of this great personality.

TEXT 1

sa prasidatu caitanya-
devo yasya prasadatah
tal-lila-varnane yogyah
sadyah syad adhamo 'py ayam

SYNONYMS

sah--He; prasidatu--may bestow His blessings; caitanya-devah--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; yasya--of whom; prasadatah--by the grace; tat-lila--His pastimes; varnane--in the description; yogyah--able; sadyah--immediately; syat--becomes possible; adhamah--the most fallen; api--although; ayam--I am.

TRANSLATION

I wish the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by whose mercy even one who is fallen can describe the pastimes of the Lord.

PURPORT

To describe Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu or Lord Sri Krsna, one needs supernatural power, which is the grace and mercy of the Lord. Without this grace and mercy, one cannot compose transcendental literature. By dint of the grace of the Lord, however, even one who is unfit for a literary career can describe wonderful transcendental topics. Description of Krsna is possible for one who is empowered. Krsna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana (Cc. Antya 7.11). Unless endowed with the mercy of the Lord, one cannot preach of the Lord's name, fame, quality, form, entourage and so on. It should be concluded, therefore, that the description of Caitanya-caritamrta by Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami manifests specific mercy bestowed upon the author, although he thought of himself as the most fallen. We should not consider him fallen because he describes himself as such. Rather, anyone who is able to compose such transcendental literature is our esteemed master.






TEXT 2

jaya jaya sri-krsna-caitanya gauracandra
jayadvaitacandra jaya jaya nityananda

SYNONYMS

jaya jaya--all glories; sri-krsna-caitanya--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; gaura-candra--Lord Gauracandra; jaya advaita-candra--all glories to Advaita Acarya; jaya jaya--all glories to; nityananda--Lord Nityananda Prabhu.

TRANSLATION

All glories to Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu! All glories to Advaitacandra! All glories to Lord Nityananda Prabhu!






TEXT 3

jaya jaya gadadhara jaya srinivasa
jaya mukunda vasudeva jaya haridasa

SYNONYMS

jaya jaya gadadhara--all glories to Gadadhara Prabhu; jaya srinivasa--all glories to Srivasa Thakura; jaya mukunda--all glories to Mukunda; vasudeva--all glories to Vasudeva; jaya haridasa--all glories to Haridasa Thakura.

TRANSLATION

All glories to Gadadhara Prabhu! All glories to Srivasa Thakura! All glories to Mukunda Prabhu and Vasudeva Prabhu! All glories to Haridasa Thakura!






TEXT 4

jaya damodara-svarupa jaya murari gupta
ei saba candrodaye tamah kaila lupta

SYNONYMS

jaya--all glories; damodara-svarupa--of the name Svarupa Damodara; jaya--all glories; murari gupta--of the name Murari Gupta; ei saba--of all these; candra-udaye--such moons having arisen; tamah--darkness; kaila--made; lupta--dissipated.

TRANSLATION

All glories to Svarupa Damodara and Murari Gupta! All these brilliant moons have together dissipated the darkness of this material world.






TEXT 5

jaya sri-caitanyacandrera bhakta candra-gana
sabara prema jyotsnaya ujjvala tri-bhuvana

SYNONYMS

jaya--all glories; sri-caitanya--of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; candrera--who is as bright as the moon; bhakta--devotees; candra-gana--other moons; sabara--of all of them; prema-jyotsnaya--by the full light of love of Godhead; ujjvala--bright; tri-bhuvana--all the three worlds.

TRANSLATION

All glories to the moons who are devotees of the principal moon, Lord Caitanyacandra! Their bright moonshine illuminates the entire universe.

PURPORT

In this verse we find the moon described as candra-gana, which is plural in number. This indicates that there are many moons. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says, naksatranam aham sasi: "Among the stars, I am the moon." (Bg. 10.21) All the stars are like the moon. Western astronomers consider the stars to be suns, but Vedic astronomers, following the Vedic scriptures, consider them moons. The sun has the ability to shine powerfully, and the moons reflect the sunshine and therefore look brilliant. In Caitanya-caritamrta Krsna is described to be like the sun. The supreme powerful is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, or Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and His devotees are also bright and illuminating because they reflect the supreme sun. The Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 22.31) states:

krsna----surya-sama; maya haya andhakara
yahan krsna, tahan nahi mayara adhikara
"Krsna is bright like the sun. As soon as the sun appears, there is no question of darkness or nescience." Similarly, this verse also describes that by the illumination of all the moons, brightened by the reflection of the Krsna sun, or by the grace of all the devotees of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the entire world will be illuminated, despite the darkness of Kali-yuga. Only the devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu can dissipate the darkness of Kali-yuga, the ignorance of the population of this age. No one else can do so. We therefore wish that all the devotees of the Krsna consciousness movement may reflect the supreme sun and thus dissipate the darkness of the entire world.






TEXT 6

ei ta' kahila grantharambhe mukha-bandha
ebe kahi caitanya-lila-krama-anubandha

SYNONYMS

ei ta'--thus; kahila--I have spoken; grantha-arambhe--in the beginning of the book; mukha-bandha--preface; ebe--now; kahi--I speak; caitanya--of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; lila-krama--the chronological order of His pastimes; anubandha--as they are combined together.

TRANSLATION

Thus I have spoken the preface of Caitanya-caritamrta. Now I shall describe Caitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes in chronological order.






TEXT 7

prathame ta' sutra-rupe kariye ganana
pacne taha vistari kariba vivarana

SYNONYMS

prathame--in the beginning; ta'--however; sutra-rupe--in the form of a synopsis; kariye--do; ganana--counting; pache--thereafter; taha--that; vistari--describing; kariba--I shall do; vivarana--expansion.

TRANSLATION

First let me give a synopsis of the Lord's pastimes. Then I shall describe them in detail.






TEXT 8

sri-krsna-caitanya navadvipe avatari
ata-callisa vatsara prakata vihari

SYNONYMS

sri-krsna-caitanya--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; navadvipe--at Navadvipa; avatari--adventing Himseif; ata-callisa--forty-eight; vatsara--years; prakata--visible; vihari--enjoying.

TRANSLATION

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, adventing Himself in Navadvipa, was visible for forty-eight years, enjoying His pastimes.






TEXT 9

caudda-sata sata sake janmera pramana
caudda-sata pancanne ha-ila antardhana

SYNONYMS

caudda-sata--1400 (A.D. 1479); sata--and seven; sake--in the Saka Era; janmera--of birth; pramana--evidence; caudda-sata pancanne--in the year 1455 (A.D. 1534); ha-ila--became; antardhana--disappearance.

TRANSLATION

In the year 1407 of the Saka Era (A.D. 1486), Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared, and in the year 1455 (A.D. 1534) He disappeared from this world.






TEXT 10

cabbisa vatsara prabhu kaila grha-vasa
nirantara kaila krsna-kirtana-vilasa

SYNONYMS

cabbisa--twenty-four; vatsara--years; prabhu--the Lord; kaila--did; grha-vasa--residing at home; nirantara--always; kaila--did; krsna-kirtana--chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra; vilasa--pastimes.

TRANSLATION

For twenty-four years Lord Caitanya lived in the grhastha-asrama [household life], always engaging in the pastimes of the Hare Krsna movement.






TEXT 11

cabbisa vatsara-sese kariya sannyasa
ara cabbisa vatsara kaila nilacale vasa

SYNONYMS

cabbisa--twenty-four; vatsara--years; sese--at the end of; kariya--accepting; sannyasa--renounced order; ara--another; cabbisa--twenty-four; vatsara--years; kaila--did; nilacale--at Jagannatha Puri; vasa--reside.

TRANSLATION

After twenty-four years He accepted the renounced order of life, sannyasa, and He resided for twenty-four years more at Jagannatha Puri.






TEXT 12

tara madhye chaya vatsara----gamanagamana
kabhu daksina, kabhu gauda, kabhu vrndavana

SYNONYMS

tara madhye--out of that; chaya vatsara--six years; gamana-agamana--touring; kabhu--sometimes; daksina--in South India; kabhu--sometimes; gauda--in Bengal; kabhu--sometimes; vrndavana--in Vrndavana.

TRANSLATION

Of these last twenty-four years, He spent the first six years continuously touring India, sometimes in South India, sometimes in Bengal and sometimes in Vrndavana.






TEXT 13

astadasa vatsara rahila nilacale
krsna-prema-namamrte bhasa'la sakale

SYNONYMS

astadasa--eighteen; vatsara--years; rahila--remained; nilacale--at Jagannatha Puri; krsna-prema--love of Godhead; nama-amrte--in the nectar of the Hare Krsna mantra; bhasa'la--inundated; sakale--everyone.

TRANSLATION

For the remaining eighteen years He continuously stayed in Jagannatha Puri. Chanting the nectarean Hare Krsna maha-mantra, He inundated everyone there in a flood of love of Krsna.






TEXT 14

garhasthye prabhura lila----'adi'-lilakhyana
'madhya'- 'antya'-lila----sesa-lilara dui nama

SYNONYMS

garhasthye--in household life; prabhura--of the Lord; lila--pastimes; adi--the original; lila--pastimes; akhyana--has the name of; madhya--middle; antya--last; lila--pastimes; sesa-lilara--the last part of the pastimes; dui--two; nama--names.

TRANSLATION

The pastimes of His household life are known as adi-lila, or the original pastimes. His later pastimes are known as madhya-lila and antya-lila, or the middle and final pastimes.






TEXT 15

adi-lila-madhye prabhura yateka carita
sutra-rupe murari gupta karila grathita

SYNONYMS

adi-lila--the original pastimes; madhye--within; prabhura--of the Lord; yateka--whatever; carita--activities; sutra-rupe--in the form of notes; murari gupta--of the name Murari Gupta; karila--has; grathita--recorded.

TRANSLATION

All the pastimes enacted by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His adi-lila were recorded in summary form by Murari Gupta.






TEXT 16

prabhura ye sesa-lila svarupa-damodara
sutra kari' granthilena granthera bhitara

SYNONYMS

prabhura--of the Lord; ye--whatever; sesa-lila--pastimes at the end; svarupa- damodara--of the name Svarupa Damodara; sutra kari'--in the form of notes; granthilena--recorded; granthera--a book; bhitara--within.

TRANSLATION

His later pastimes [madhya-lila and antya-lila] were recorded in the form of notes by His secretary, Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, and thus kept within a book.






TEXT 17

ei dui janera sutra dekhiya suniya
varnana karena vaisnava krama ye kariya

SYNONYMS

ei--of these; dui--two; janera--persons; sutra--notes; dekhiya--after looking at; suniya--and hearing; varnana--description; karena--does; vaisnava--the devotee; krama--chronological; ye--which; kariya--making.

TRANSLATION

By seeing and hearing the notes recorded by these two great personalities, a Vaisnava, a devotee of the Lord, can know these pastimes one after another.






TEXT 18

balya, pauganda, kaisora, yauvana,----cari bheda
ataeva adi-khande lila cari bheda

SYNONYMS

balya--childhood; pauganda--early boyhood; kaisora--later boyhood; yauvana--youth; cari--four; bheda--divisions; ataeva--therefore; adi-khande--in the original part; lila--of the pastimes; cari--four; bheda--divisions.

TRANSLATION

In His original pastimes there are four divisions: balya, pauganda, kaisora and yauvana [childhood, early boyhood, later boyhood and youth ].






TEXT 19

sarva-sad-guna-purnam tam
vande phalguna-purnimam
yasyam sri-krsna-caitanyo
'vatirnah krsna-namabhih

SYNONYMS

sarva--all; sat--auspicious; guna--qualities; purnam--filled with; tam--that; vande--I offer obeisances; phalguna--of the month of Phalguna; purnimam--the full-moon evening; yasyam--in which; sri-krsna-caitanyah--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; avatirnah--advented; krsna--Lord Krsna's; namabhih--with the chanting of the holy names.

TRANSLATION

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the full-moon evening in the month of Phalguna, an auspicious time full of auspicious symptoms, when Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advented Himself with the chanting of the holy name, Hare Krsna.






TEXT 20

phalguna-purnima-sandhyaya prabhura janmodaya
sei-kale daiva-yoge candra-grahana haya

SYNONYMS

phalguna-purnima--of the full moon of the month of Phalguna; sandhyaya--in the evening; prabhura--of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; janma-udaya--at the time of His birth; sei-kale--at that moment; daiva-yoge--accidentally; candra-grahana--lunar eclipse; haya--takes place.

TRANSLATION

On the full-moon evening of the month of Phalguna when the Lord took birth, coincidentally there was also a lunar eclipse.






TEXT 21

'hari' 'hari' bale loka harasita hana
janmila caitanya-prabhu 'nama' janmaiya

SYNONYMS

hari hari--the holy names of the Lord; bale--speak; loka--the people; harasita--jubilant; hana--becoming; janmila--took birth; caitanya-prabhu--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nama--the holy name; janmaiya--after causing to appear.

TRANSLATION

In jubilation everyone was chanting the holy name of the Lord--"Hari! Hari!"--and Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then appeared, after first causing the appearance of the holy name.






TEXT 22

janma-balya-pauganda-kaisora-yuva-kale
hari-nama laoyaila prabhu nana chale

SYNONYMS

janma--time of birth; balya--childhood; pauganda--early boyhood; kaisora--end of boyhood; yuva-kale--youth; hari-nama--the holy name of the Lord; laoyaila--caused to take; prabhu--the Lord; nana--various; chale--under different pleas.

TRANSLATION

At His birth, in His childhood, in His early and later boyhood as well as in His youth, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, under different pleas, induced people to chant the holy name of Hari [the Hare Krsna maha-mantra].






TEXT 23

balya-bhava chale prabhu karena krandana
'krsna' 'hari' nama suni' rahaye rodana

SYNONYMS

balya-bhava chale--as if in His childhood state; prabhu--the Lord; karena--does; krandana--crying; krsna--Lord Krsna; hari--Lord Hari; nama--names; suni'--hearing; rahaye--stops; rodana--crying.

TRANSLATION

In His childhood, when the Lord was crying, He would stop immediately upon hearing the holy names Krsna and Hari.






TEXT 24

ataeva 'hari' 'hari' bale narigana
dekhite aise yeba sarva bandhu jana

SYNONYMS

ataeva--therefore; hari hari--the holy name of the Lord; bale--chant; nari-gana--all the ladies; dekhite--to see; aise--they come; yeba--whoever; sarva--all; bandhu-jana--friends.

TRANSLATION

All the friendly ladies who came to see the child would chant the holy names, "Hari, Hari!" as soon as the child would cry.






TEXT 25

'gaurahari' bali' tare hase sarva nari ataeva haila tanra nama 'gaurahari'

SYNONYMS

gaurahari--of the name Gaurahari; bali'--addressing Him thus; tare--unto the Lord; hase--laugh; sarva nari--all the ladies; ataeva--therefore; haila--became; tanra--His; nama--name; gaurahari--of the name Gaurahari.

TRANSLATION

When all the ladies saw this fun, they enjoyed laughing and called the Lord "Gaurahari." Since then, Gaurahari became another of His names.






TEXT 26

balya vayasa----yavat hate khadi dila
pauganda vayasa----yavat vivaha na kaila

SYNONYMS

balya vayasa--childhood age; yavat--until the time; hate--in His hand; khadi--chalk; dila--was given; pauganda vayasa--the part of boyhood known as pauganda; yavat--until; vivaha--marriage; na--not; kaila--did take place.

TRANSLATION

His childhood lasted until the date of hate khadi, the beginning of His education, and His age from the end of His childhood until He married is called pauganda.






TEXT 27

vivaha karile haila navina yauvana
sarvatra laoyaila prabhu nama-sankirtana

SYNONYMS

vivaha karile--after getting married; haila--began; navina--new; yauvana--youth; sarvatra--everywhere; laoyaila--caused to take; prabhu--the Lord; nama-sankirtana--the sankirtana movement.

TRANSLATION

After His marriage His youth began, and in His youth He induced everyone to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra anywhere and everywhere.






TEXT 28

pauganda-vayase padena, padana sisyagane
sarvatra karena krsna-namera vyakhyane

SYNONYMS

pauganda-vayase--in the age of pauganda; padena--studies; padana--teaches; sisya-gane--disciples; sarvatra--everywhere; karena--does; krsna-namera--the holy name of Lord Krsna; vyakhyane--description.

TRANSLATION

During His pauganda age He became a serious student and also taught disciples. In this way He used to explain the holy name of Krsna everywhere.






TEXT 29

sutra-vrtti-panji-tika krsnete tatparya
sisyera pratita haya,----prabhava ascarya

SYNONYMS

sutra--aphorisms; vrtti--explanation; panji--application; tika--notes; krsnete--unto Krsna; tatparya--culmination; sisyera--of the disciple; pratita--realization; haya--becomes; prabhava--influence; ascarya--wonderful.

TRANSLATION

When teaching a course in grammar [vyakarana] and explaining it with notes, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught His disciples about the glories of Lord Krsna. All explanations culminated in Krsna, and His disciples would understand them very easily. Thus His influence was wonderful.

PURPORT

Srila Jiva Gosvami compiled a grammar in two parts named Laghu-hari-namamrta-vyakarana and Brhad-dhari-namamrta-vyakarana. If someone studies these two texts in vyakarana, or grammar, he learns the grammatical rules of the Sanskrit language and simultaneously learns how to become a great devotee of Lord Krsna.

In the Caitanya-bhagavata, First Chapter, there is a statement about the method by which Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught grammar. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained the aphorisms of grammar to be eternal, like the holy name of Krsna. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (15.15), vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah. The purport of all revealed scriptures is understanding of Krsna. Therefore if a person explains anything that is not Krsna, he simply wastes his time laboring hard without fulfilling the aim of his life. If one simply becomes a teacher or professor of education but does not understand Krsna, it is to be understood that he is among the lowest of mankind, as stated in Bhagavad-gita (7.15): naradhama mayayapahrta-jnanah. If one does not know the essence of all revealed scriptures but still becomes a teacher, his teaching is like the disturbing braying of an ass.






TEXT 30

yare dekhe, tare kahe,----kaha krsna-nama
krsna-name bhasaila navadvipa-grama

SYNONYMS

yare--whomever; dekhe--He sees; tare--to him; kahe--He says; kaha--speak; krsna-nama--the holy name of Lord Krsna; krsna-name--by the holy name of Lord Krsna; bhasaila--was inundated; navadvipa--the place of the name Navadvipa; grama--village.

TRANSLATION

When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was a student, He asked whomever He met to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. In this way He inundated the whole town of Navadvipa with the chanting of Hare Krsna.

PURPORT

The present Navadvipa-dhama is but a part of the whole of Navadvipa. Navadvipa means "nine islands." These nine islands, which occupy an area of land estimated at thirty-two square miles, are surrounded by different branches of the Ganges. In all nine of those islands of the Navadvipa area there are different places for cultivating devotional service. It is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.5.23) that there are nava-vidha bhakti, nine different activities of devotional service:

sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam
sakhyam atma-nivedanam
There are different islands in the Navadvipa area for cultivation of these nine varieties of devotional service. They are as follows: (1) Antardvipa, (2) Simantadvipa, (3) Godrumadvipa, (4) Madhyadvipa, (5) Koladvipa, (6) Rtudvipa, (7) Jahnudvipa, (8) Modadruma-dvipa and (9) Rudradvipa. According to the settlement map, our ISKCON Navadvipa center is situated on the Rudradvipa island. Below Rudradvipa, in Antardvipa, is Mayapur. There Sri Jagannatha Misra, the father of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, used to reside. In all these different islands, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as a young man, used to lead His sankirtana party. He thus inundated the entire area with the waves of love of Krsna.






TEXT 31

kisora vayase arambhila sankirtana
ratra-dine preme nrtya, sange bhakta-gana

SYNONYMS

kisora vayase--just before the beginning of His youthful life; arambhila--began; sankirtana--the sankirtana movement; ratra-dine--night and day; preme--in ecstasy; nrtya--dancing; sange--along with; bhakta-gana--the devotees.

TRANSLATION

Just prior to His youthful life, He began the sankirtana movement. Day and night He used to dance in ecstasy with His devotees.






TEXT 32

nagare nagare bhrame kirtana kariya
bhasaila tri-bhuvana prema-bhakti diya

SYNONYMS

nagare nagare--in different parts of the town; bhrame--wanders; kirtana--chanting; kariya--performing; bhasaila--inundated; tri-bhuvana--all the three worlds; prema-bhakti--love of Godhead; diya--distributing.

TRANSLATION

The sankirtana movement went on from one part of the town to another, as the Lord wandered everywhere performing kirtana. In this way He inundated the whole world by distributing love of Godhead.

PURPORT

One may raise the question how all three worlds became inundated with love of Krsna since Caitanya Mahaprabhu performed kirtana only in the Navadvipa area. The answer is that Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself. The entire cosmic manifestation results from the Lord's first setting it in motion. Similarly, since the sankirtana movement was first set in motion five hundred years ago by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's desire that it spread all over the universe, the Krsna consciousness movement, in continuity of that same motion, is now spreading all over the world, and in this way it will gradually spread all over the universe. With the spread of the Krsna consciousness movement, everyone will merge in an ocean of love of Krsna.






TEXT 33

cabbisa vatsara aiche navadvipa-grame
laoyaila sarva-loke krsna-prema-name

SYNONYMS

cabbisa--twenty-four; vatsara--years; aiche--in that way; navadvipa--of the name Navadvipa; grame--in the village; laoyaila--induced; sarva-loke--every man; krsna-prema--love of Krsna; name--in the holy name.

TRANSLATION

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu lived in the Navadvipa area for twenty-four years, and He induced every person to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and thus merge in love of Krsna.






TEXT 34

cabbisa vatsara chila kariya sannyasa
bhakta-gana lana kaila nilacale vasa

SYNONYMS

cabbisa--twenty-four; vatsara--years; chila--remained; kariya--accepting; sannyasa--the renounced order; bhakta-gana--devotees; lana--taking with Him; kaila--did; nilacale--in Jagannatha Puri; vasa--reside.

TRANSLATION

For His remaining twenty-four years, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, after accepting the renounced order of life, stayed at Jagannatha Puri with His devotees.






TEXT 35

tara madhye nilacale chaya vatsara
nrtya, gita, premabhakti-dana nirantara

SYNONYMS

tara madhye--out of those twenty-four years; nilacale--while He was staying at Jagannatha Puri; chaya vatsara--continuously for six years; nrtya--dancing; gita--chanting; prema-bhakti--love of Krsna; dana--distribution; nirantara--always.

TRANSLATION

For six of these twenty-four years in Nilacala [Jagannatha Puri], He distributed love of Godhead by always chanting and dancing.






TEXT 36

setubandha, ara gauda-vyapi vrndavana
prema-nama pracariya karila bhramana

SYNONYMS

setubandha--Cape Comorin; ara--and; gauda--Bengal; vyapi--extending; vrndavana--to Vrndavana; prema-nama--love of Krsna and the holy name of Krsna; pracariya--distributing; karila--performed; bhramana--touring.

TRANSLATION

Beginning from Cape Comorin and extending through Bengal to Vrndavana, during these six years He toured all of India, chanting, dancing and distributing love of Krsna.






TEXT 37

ei 'madhya-lila' nama----lila-mukhyadhama
sesa astadasa varsa----'antya-lila' nama

SYNONYMS

ei--these; madhya-lila nama--named the middle pastimes; lila--pastimes; mukhya-dhama--principal place; sesa--last; astadasa--eighteen; varsa--years; antya-lila--the final pastimes; nama--named.

TRANSLATION

The activities of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His travels after He accepted sannyasa are His principal pastimes. His activities during His remaining eighteen years are called antya-lila, or the final portion of His pastimes.






TEXT 38

tara madhye chaya vatsara bhaktagana-sange
prema-bhakti laoyaila nrtya-gita-range

SYNONYMS

tara madhye--out of that; chaya vatsara--six years; bhakta-gana-sange--along with devotees; prema-bhakti--love of Krsna; laoyaila--induced; nrtya--dancing; gita--chanting; range--in transcendental bliss.

TRANSLATION

For six of the eighteen years He continuously stayed in Jagannatha Puri, He regularly performed kirtana, inducing all the devotees to love Krsna simply by chanting and dancing.






TEXT 39

dvadasa vatsara sesa rahila nilacale
premavastha sikhaila asvadana-cchale

SYNONYMS

dvadasa--twelve; vatsara--years; sesa--balance; rahila--remained; nilacale--at Jagannatha Puri; prema-avastha--a state of ecstasy; sikhaila--instructed everyone; asvadana-chale--under the plea of tasting it Himself.

TRANSLATION

For the remaining twelve years He stayed in Jagannatha Puri, He taught everyone how to taste the transcendental mellow ecstasy of love of Krsna by tasting it Himself.

PURPORT

A person who is advanced in Krsna consciousness always feels separation from Krsna because such a feeling of separation excels the feeling of meeting Krsna. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in His last twelve years of existence within this world at Jagannatha Puri, taught the people of the world how, with a feeling of separation, one can develop His dormant love of Krsna. Such feelings of separation or meeting with Krsna are different stages of love of Godhead. These feelings develop in time when a person seriously engages in devotional service. The highest stage is called prema-bhakti, but this stage is attained by executing sadhana-bhakti. One should not try to elevate himself artificially to the stage of prema-bhakti without seriously following the regulative principles of sadhana-bhakti. prema-bhakti is the stage of relishing, whereas sadhana-bhakti is the stage of improving in devotional service. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught this cult of devotional service in full detail by practical application in His own life. It is said, therefore, apani acari' bhakti sikhaimu sabare. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself, and in the role of a krsna-bhakta, a devotee of Krsna, He instructed the entire world how one can execute devotional service and thus go back home, back to Godhead, in due course of time.






TEXT 40

ratri-divase krsna-viraha-sphurana
unmadera cesta kare pralapa-vacana

SYNONYMS

ratri-divase--day and night; krsna-viraha--feelings of separation from Krsna; sphurana--awakening; unmadera--of a madman; cesta--activities; kare--performs; pralapa--talking inconsistently; vacana--words.

TRANSLATION

Day and night Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu felt separation from Krsna. Manifesting symptoms of this separation, He cried and talked very inconsistently, like a madman.






TEXT 41

sri-radhara pralapa yaiche uddhava-darsane
seimata unmada-pralapa kare ratri-dine

SYNONYMS

sri-radhara--of Srimati Radharani; pralapa--talking; yaiche--as She did; uddhava-darsane--by meeting Uddhava; sei-mata--exactly like that; unmada--madness; pralapa--talking inconsistently; kare--does; ratri-dine--day and night.

TRANSLATION

As Srimati Radharani talked inconsistently when She met Uddhava, so also Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu relished, both day and night, such ecstatic talk in the mood of Srimati Radharani.

PURPORT

In this connection one should refer to Srimati Radharani's soliloquy after meeting Uddhava in Vrndavana. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu presented a similar picture of such ecstatic imaginary talking. Full of jealousy and madness symptomizing neglect by Krsna, Srimati Radharani, criticizing a bumblebee, talked just like a madwoman. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in the last days of His pastimes, exhibited all the symptoms of such ecstasy. In this connection one should refer to the Fourth Chapter of Adi-lila, verses 107 and 108.






TEXT 42

vidyapati, jayadeva, candidasera gita
asvadena ramananda-svarupa-sahita

SYNONYMS

vidyapati--the author of the name Vidyapati; jayadeva--of the name Jayadeva; candidasera--of the name Candidasa; gita--their songs; asvadena--tastes; ramananda--of the name Ramananda; svarupa--of the name Svarupa; sahita--along with.

TRANSLATION

The Lord used to read the books of Vidyapati, Jayadeva and Candidasa, relishing their songs with His confidential associates like Sri Ramananda Raya and Svarupa Damodara Gosvami.

PURPORT

Vidyapati was a famous composer of songs about the pastimes of Radha-Krsna. He was an inhabitant of Mithila, born in a brahmana family. It is calculated that he composed his songs during the reign of King Sivasimha and Queen Lachimadevi in the beginning of the fourteenth century of the Saka Era, almost one hundred years before the appearance of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The twelfth generation of Vidyapati's descendants is still living. Vidyapati's songs about the pastimes of Lord Krsna express intense feelings of separation from Krsna, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu relished all those songs in His ecstasy of separation from Krsna.

Jayadeva was born during the reign of Maharaja Laksmana Sena of Bengal in the eleventh or twelfth century of the Saka Era. His father was Bhojadeva, and his mother was Vamadevi. For many years he lived in Navadvipa, then the capital of Bengal. His birthplace was in the Birbhum district in the village Kendubilva. In the opinion of some authorities, however, he was born in Orissa, and still others say that he was born in southern India. He passed the last days of his life in Jagannatha Puri. One of his famous books is Gita-govinda, which is full of transcendental mellow feelings of separation from Krsna. The gopis felt separation from Krsna before the rasa dance, as mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the Gita-govinda expresses such feelings. There are many commentaries on the Gita-govinda by many Vaisnavas.

Candidasa was born in the village of Nannura, which is also in the Birbhum district of Bengal. He was born of a brahmana family, and it is said that he also took birth in the beginning of the fourteenth century, Sakabda Era. It has been suggested that Candidasa and Vidyapati were great friends because the writings of both express the transcendental feelings of separation profusely. The feelings of ecstasy described by Candidasa and Vidyapati were actually exhibited by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He relished all those feelings in the role of Srimati Radharani, and His appropriate associates for this purpose were Sri Ramananda Raya and Sri Svarupa Damodara Gosvami. These intimate associates of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu helped the Lord very much in the pastimes in which He felt like Radharani.

Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments in this connection that such feelings of separation as Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu enjoyed from the books of Vidyapati, Candidasa and Jayadeva are especially reserved for persons like Sri Ramananda Raya and Svarupa Damodara, who were paramahamsas, men of the topmost perfection, because of their advanced spiritual consciousness. Such topics are not to be discussed by ordinary persons imitating the activities of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. For critical students of mundane poetry and literary men without God consciousness who are after bodily sense gratification, there is no need to read such a high standard of transcendental literature. Persons who are after sense gratification should not try to imitate raganuga devotional service. In their songs, Candidasa, Vidyapati and Jayadeva have described the transcendental activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mundane reviewers of the songs of Vidyapati, Jayadeva and Candidasa simply help people in general become debauchees, and this leads only to social scandals and atheism in the world. One should not misunderstand the pastimes of Radha and Krsna to be the activities of a mundane young boy and girl. The mundane sexual activities of young boys and girls are most abominable. Therefore, those who are in bodily consciousness and who desire sense gratification are forbidden to indulge in discussions of the transcendental pastimes of Sri Radha and Krsna.






TEXT 43

krsnera viyoge yata prema-cestita
asvadiya purna kaila apana vanchita

SYNONYMS

krsnera--of Lord Krsna; viyoge--in separation; yata--as many; prema--loving affairs; cestita--activities; asvadiya--tasting them; purna--fulfilled; kaila--made; apana--own; vanchita--desires.

TRANSLATION

In separation from Krsna, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu relished all these ecstatic activities, and thus He fulfilled His own desires.

PURPORT

In the beginning of Caitanya-caritamrta it is said that Lord Caitanya appeared in order to taste the feelings Radharani felt upon seeing Krsna. Krsna Himself could not understand the ecstatic feelings of Radharani toward Him, and therefore He desired to accept the role of Radharani and thereby taste these feelings. Lord Caitanya is Krsna with the feelings of Radharani; in other words, He is a combination of Radha and Krsna. It is therefore said, sri-krsna-caitanya radha-krsna nahe anya. By worshiping Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu alone, one can relish the loving affairs of Radha and Krsna together. One should therefore try to understand Radha-Krsna not directly but through Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and through His devotees. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura therefore says, rupa-raghunatha-pade haibe akuti, kabe hama bujhaba se yugala-piriti: "When shall I develop a mentality of service toward Sri Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and the other devotees of Lord Caitanya and thus become eligible to understand the pastimes of Sri Radha and Krsna?"






TEXT 44

ananta caitanya-lila ksudra jiva hana
ke varnite pare, taha vistara kariya

SYNONYMS

ananta--unlimited; caitanya-lila--the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; ksudra--a small; jiva--living entity; hana--being; ke--who; varnite--describe; pare--can; taha--that; vistara--expanding; kariya--doing so.

TRANSLATION

The pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu are unlimited. How much can a small living entity elaborate about those transcendental pastimes?






TEXT 45

sutra kari' gane yadi apane ananta
sahasra-vadane tenho nahi paya anta

SYNONYMS

sutra--aphorisms; kari'--making; gane--counts; yadi--if; apane--personally; ananta--Sesa Naga, the Personality of Godhead; sahasra-vadane--by thousands of mouths; tenho--He also; nahi--does not; paya--get; anta--the limit.

TRANSLATION

If Sesanaga Ananta personally were to make the pastimes of Lord Caitanya into sutras, even with His thousands of mouths there is no possibility that He could find their limit.






TEXT 46

damodara-svarupa, ara gupta murari
mukhya-mukhya-lila sutre likhiyache vicari'

SYNONYMS

damodara-svarupa--of the name Svarupa Damodara; ara--and; gupta murari--of the name Murari Gupta; mukhya-mukhya--most important; lila--pastimes; sutre--in notes; likhiyache--have written; vicari'--by mature deliberation.

TRANSLATION

Devotees like Sri Svarupa Damodara and Murari Gupta have recorded all the principal pastimes of Lord Caitanya in the form of notes, after deliberate consideration.






TEXT 47

sei, anusare likhi lila-sutragana
vistari' varniachena taha dasa-vrndavana

SYNONYMS

sei--that; anusare--following; likhi--I write; lila--pastimes; sutra-gana--notes; vistari'--very explicitly; varniyachena--has described; taha--that; dasa-vrndavana--Vrndavana dasa Thakura.

TRANSLATION

The notes kept by Sri Svarupa Damodara and Murari Gupta are the basis of this book. Following those notes, I write of all the pastimes of the Lord. The notes have been described elaborately by Vrndavana dasa Thakura.






TEXT 48

caitanya-lilara vyasa,----dasa vrndavana
madhura kariya lila karila racana

SYNONYMS

caitanya-lilara--of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; vyasa--the authorized writer Vyasadeva; dasa vrndavana--Vrndavana dasa Thakura; madhura--sweet; kariya--making it; lila--pastimes; karila--did; racana--compilation.

TRANSLATION

Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura, the authorized writer of the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, is as good as Srila Vyasadeva. He has described the pastimes in such a way as to make them sweeter and sweeter.






TEXT 49

grantha-vistara-bhaye chadila ye ye sthana
sei sei sthane kichu kariba vyakhyana

SYNONYMS

grantha--of the book; vistara--of expansion; bhaye--being afraid; chadila--gave up; ye ye sthana--which different places; sei sei sthane--in those places; kichu--something; kariba--I shall make; vyakhyana--description.

TRANSLATION

Being afraid of his book's becoming too voluminous, he left some places without vivid descriptions. I shall try to fill those places as far as possible.






TEXT 50

prabhura lilamrta tenho kaila asvadana
tanra bhukta-sesa kichu kariye carvana

SYNONYMS

prabhura--of the Lord; lilamrta--the nectar of the pastimes; tenho--he (Vrndavana dasa Thakura); kaila--did; asvadana--taste; tanra--his; bhukta--of food; sesa--remnants; kichu--something; kariye--I do; carvana--chew.

TRANSLATION

The transcendental pastimes of Lord Caitanya have actually been relished by Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura. I am simply trying to chew the remnants of food left by him.






TEXT 51

adi-lila-sutra likhi, suna, bhakta-gana
sanksepe likhiye samyak na yaya likhana

SYNONYMS

adi-lila--the first part of His pastimes; sutra likhi--I write a synopsis; suna--hear; bhakta-gana--all you devotees; sanksepe--in brief; likhiye--I write; samyak--full; na--not; yaya--possible; likhana--to write.

TRANSLATION

My dear devotees of Lord Caitanya, let me now write a synopsis of the adi-lila; I write of these pastimes in brief because it is not possible to describe them in full.






TEXT 52

kona vancha purana lagi' vrajendra-kumara
avatirna haite mane karila vicara

SYNONYMS

kona--some; vancha--desire; purana--fulfillment; lagi'--for the matter of; vrajendra-kumara--Lord Krsna; avatirna haite--to descend as an incarnation; mane--in the mind; karila--did; vicara--consideration.

TRANSLATION

To fulfill a particular desire within His mind, Lord Krsna, Vrajendra-kumara, decided to descend on this planet after mature contemplation.






TEXT 53

age avatarila ye ye guru-parivara
sanksepe kahiye, kaha na yaya vistara

SYNONYMS

age--first of all; avatarila--allowed to descend; ye ye--all those; guru-parivara--family of spiritual masters; sanksepe--in brief; kahiye--I describe; kaha--to describe; na--not; yaya--possible; vistara--expansively.

TRANSLATION

Lord Krsna therefore first allowed His family of superiors to descend on the earth. I shall try to describe them in brief because it is not possible to describe them fully.






TEXTS 54-55

sri-saci-jagannatha, sri-madhava-puri
kesava bharati, ara sri-isvara puri

advaita acarya, ara pandita srivasa
acaryaratna, vidyanidhi, thakura haridasa

SYNONYMS

sri-saci-jagannatha--Srimati Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra; sri-madhava puri--Sri Madhavendra Puri; kesava bharati--of the name Kesava Bharati; ara--and; sri-isvara puri--of the name Sri Isvara Puri; advaita acarya--of the name Advaita Acarya; ara--and; pandita srivasa--of the name Srivasa Pandita; acarya-ratna--of the name Acaryaratna; vidyanidhi--of the name Vidyanidhi; thakura haridasa--of the name Thakura Haridasa.

TRANSLATION

Lord Sri Krsna, before appearing as Lord Caitanya, requested these devotees to precede Him: Sri Sacidevi, Jagannatha Misra, Madhavendra Puri, Kesava Bharati, Isvara Puri, Advaita Acarya, Srivasa Pandita, Acaryaratna, Vidyanidhi and Thakura Haridasa.






TEXT 56

srihatta-nivasi sri-upendra-misra-nama
vaisnava, pandita, dhani, sad-guna-pradhana

SYNONYMS

sri-hatta-nivasi--a resident of Srihatta; sri-upendra-misra-nama--by the name of Upendra Misra; vaisnava--a devotee of Lord Visnu; pandita--learned; dhani--rich; sat-guna-pradhana--qualified with all good qualities.

TRANSLATION

There was also Sri Upendra Misra, a resident of the district of Srihatta. He was a great devotee of Lord Visnu, a learned scholar, a rich man and a reservoir of all good qualities.

PURPORT

Upendra Misra is described in the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 35, as the gopala named Parjanya. The same personality who was formerly the grandfather of Lord Krsna appeared as Upendra Misra at Srihatta and begot seven sons. He was a resident of Dhaka-daksina-grama in the district of Srihatta. There are still many residents of that part of the country who introduce themselves as belonging to the Misra family of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.






TEXTS 57-58

sapta misra tanra putra----sapta rsisvara
kamsari, paramananda, padmanabha, sarvesvara

jagannatha, janardana, trailokyanatha
nadiyate ganga-vasa kaila jagannatha

SYNONYMS

sapta misra--seven Misras; tanra--his; putra--sons; sapta--seven; rsi--great saintly persons; isvara--most influential; kamsari--of the name Kamsari; paramananda--of the name Paramananda; padmanabha--of the name Padmanabha; sarvesvara--of the name Sarvesvara; jagannatha--of the name Jagannatha; janardana--of the name Janardana; trailokyanatha--of the name Trailokyanatha; nadiyate--at Navadvipa; ganga-vasa--living on the bank of the Ganges; kaila--did; jagannatha--the fifth son of Upendra Misra.

TRANSLATION

Upendra Misra had seven sons, who were all saintly and most influential: (1) Kamsari, (2) Paramananda, (3) Padmanabha, (4) Sarvesvara, (5) Jagannatha, (6) Janardana and (7) Trailokyanatha. Jagannatha Misra, the fifth son, decided to reside on the bank of the Ganges at Nadia.






TEXT 59

jagannatha misravara----padavi 'purandara'
nanda-vasudeva-rupa sadguna-sagara

SYNONYMS

jagannatha misra-vara--Jagannatha Misra, who was the chief among the seven; padavi--designation; purandara--another name of Vasudeva; nanda--Nanda, the father of Krsna; vasudeva--the father of Krsna; rupa--like; sat-guna--good qualities; sagara--ocean.

TRANSLATION

Jagannatha Misra was designated as Purandara. Exactly like Nanda Maharaja and Vasudeva, he was an ocean of all good qualities.






TEXT 60

tanra patni 'saci'-nama, pativrata sati
yanra pita 'nilambara' nama cakravarti

SYNONYMS

tanra patni--his wife; saci--of the name Saci; nama--named; pati-vrata--devoted to her husband; sati--chaste; yanra--whose; pita--father; nilambara--of the name Nilambara; nama--named; cakravarti--with the title Cakravarti.

TRANSLATION

His wife, Srimati Sacidevi, was a chaste woman highly devoted to her husband. Sacidevi's father's name was Nilambara, and his surname was Cakravarti.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 104, it is mentioned that Nilambara Cakravarti was formerly Garga Muni. Some of the family descendants of Nilambara Cakravarti still live in the village of the name Magdoba in the district of Faridpur in Bangladesh. His nephew was Jagannatha Cakravarti, also known as Mamu Thakura, who became a disciple of Pandita Gosvami and stayed at Jagannatha Puri as the priest of Tota-gopinatha. Nilambara Cakravarti lived at Navadvipa in the neighborhood of Belapukuriya. This fact is mentioned in the book Prema-vilasa. Because he lived near the house of the Kazi, the Kazi was also considered one of the maternal uncles of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Kazi used to address Nilambara Cakravarti as kaka, or "uncle." One cannot separate the residence of the Kazi from Vamanapukura because the tomb of the Kazi is still existing there. Formerly the place was known as Belapukuriya, and now it is called Vamanapukura. This has been ascertained by archeological evidence.






TEXT 61

radhadese janmila thakura nityananda
gangadasa pandita, gupta murari, mukunda

SYNONYMS

radha-dese--the place where there is no Ganges; janmila--took birth; thakura nityananda--Nityananda Prabhu; gangadasa pandita--of the name Gangadasa Pandita; gupta murari--of the name Murari Gupta; mukunda--of the name Mukunda.

TRANSLATION

In Radhadesa, the part of Bengal where the Ganges is not visible, Nityananda Prabhu, Gangadasa Pandita, Murari Gupta and Mukunda took birth.

PURPORT

Here radha-dese refers to the village of the name Ekacakra in the district of Birbhum, next to Burdwan. After the Burdwan railway station there is another branch line, which is called the Loop Line of the eastern railway, and there is a railway station of the name Mallarapura. Eight miles east of this railway station Ekacakra Village is still situated. Ekacakra Village extends north and south for an area of about eight miles. Other villages, namely Viracandra-pura and Virabhadra-pura, are situated within the area of the village of Ekacakra. In honor of the holy name of Virabhadra Gosvami, these places are renowned as Viracandra-pura and Virabhadra-pura.

In the Bengali year 1331 (A.D. 1924) a thunderbolt struck the temple of Ekacakra-grama. Therefore the temple is now in a broken state. Before this, there were no such accidents in that quarter. Within the temple there is a Deity of Sri Krsna established by Sri Nityananda Prabhu. The name of the Deity is Bankima Raya or Banka Raya.

On the right side of Bankima Raya is a Deity of Jahnava, and on His left side is Srimati Radharani. The priests of the temple describe that Lord Nityananda Prabhu entered within the body of Bankima Raya and that the Deity of Jahnava-mata was therefore later placed on the right side of Bankima Raya. Afterwards, many other Deities were installed within the temple. On another throne within the temple are Deities of Muralidhara and Radha-Madhava. On another throne are Deities of Manomohana, Vrndavana-candra and Gaura-Nitai. But Bankima Raya is the Deity originally installed by Nityananda Prabhu.

On the eastern side of the temple is a ghata known as Kadamba-khandi on the bank of the Yamuna, and it is said that the Deity of Bankima Raya was floating in the water and Lord Nityananda Prabhu picked Him up and then installed Him in the temple. Thereafter, in a place known as Bhaddapura, in the village of Viracandra-pura, about half a mile west, in a place underneath a nima tree, Srimati Radharani was found. For this reason, the Radharani of Bankima Raya was known as Bhaddapurera Thakurani, the mistress of Bhaddapura. On another throne, on the right side of Bankima Raya, is a Deity of Yogamaya.

Now the temple and temple corridor rest on a high plinth, and on a concrete structure in front of the temple is a meeting hall. It is also said that on the northern side of the temple there was a Deity of Lord Siva named Bhandisvara and that the father of Nityananda Prabhu, Hadai Pandita, used to worship that Deity. At present, however, the Bhandisvara Deity is missing, and in his place a Jagannatha Svami Deity has been installed. Lord Nityananda Prabhu did not factually construct any temples. The temple was constructed at the time of Virabhadra Prabhu. In the Bengali year 1298 (A.D. 1891), the temple being in a dilapidated condition, a brahmacari of the name Sivananda Svami repaired it.

In this temple there is an arrangement to offer foodstuffs to the Deity on the basis of seventeen seers of rice and necessary vegetables. The present priestly order of the temple belongs to the family of Gopijana-vallabhananda, one of the branches of Nityananda Prabhu. There is a land settlement in the name of the temple, and income from this land finances the expenditures for the temple. There are three parties of priestly gosvamis who take charge of the temple management, one after another. A few steps onward from the temple is a place known as Visramatala, where it is said that Nityananda Prabhu in His childhood used to enjoy sporting with His boyfriends by enacting the rasa-lila and various other pastimes of Vrndavana.

Near the temple is a place named Amalitala, which is so named because of a big tamarind tree there. According to a party named the Nedadi-sampradaya, Virabhadra Prabhu, with the assistance of twelve hundred Nedas, dug a great lake of the name Svetaganga. Outside of the temple are tombs of the Gosvamis, and there is a small river known as the Maudesvara, which is called the water of Yamuna. Within half a mile from this small river is the birthplace of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. It appears that there was a big meeting hall in front of the temple, but later it became dilapidated. It is now covered by banyan trees. Later on, a temple was constructed within which Gaura-Nityananda Deities are existing. The temple was constructed by the late Prasannakumara Karapharma. A tablet was installed in his memory in the Bengali year 1323 (A.D. 1916), in the month of Vaisakha (April-May).

The place where Nityananda Prabhu appeared is called Garbhavasa. There is an allotment of about forty-three bighas (fourteen acres) of land to continue the worship in a temple there. The Maharaja of Dinajapura donated twenty bighas (6.5 acres) of land in this connection. It is said that near the place known as Garbhavasa, Hadai Pandita conducted a primary school. The priests of this place, listed in a genealogical table, were as follows: (1) Sri Raghavacandra, (2) Jagadananda dasa, (3) Krsnadasa, (4) Nityananda dasa, (5) Ramadasa, (6) Vrajamohana dasa, (7) Kanai dasa, (8) Gauradasa, (9) Sivananda dasa and (10) Haridasa. Krsnadasa belonged to the Cidiya-kunja at Vrndavana. The date of his disappearance is Krsna-janmastami. Cidiya-kunja is a place now managed by the gosvamis of Singara-ghata in Vrndavana. They are also known as belonging to the Nityananda family, most probably on the basis of their relationship with Krsnadasa.

Near Garbhavasa is a place called Bakulatala, where Sri Nityananda Prabhu and His boyfriends used to take part in sporting activities known as jhala-jhapeta. There is a bakula tree there that is wonderful because all its branches and subbranches look like the hoods of serpents. It has been suggested that by the desire of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Anantadeva manifested Himself in that way. The tree is very old. It is said that formerly it had two trunks, but later on, when the playmates of Nityananda Prabhu felt inconvenience in jumping from the branches of one trunk to those of the nother, Nityananda Prabhu, by His mercy, merged the two trunksinto one.

Another place nearby is named Hantugada. It is said that Lord Nityananda Prabhu brought all the holy places there. Therefore the people in the surrounding villages go there instead of to the Ganges to take bath. It is named Hantugada because Srila Nityananda Prabhu used to perform the dadhi-cida festival of distributing chipped rice with yogurt prasada there and He took the prasada kneeling down. A sanctified lake in this place is always full of water throughout the year. A great fair is held there during Gosthastami, and there is another big fair on the birthday of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika it is described that Halayudha, Baladeva, Visvarupa and Sankarsana appeared as Nityananda Avadhuta.






TEXT 62

asankhya bhaktera karaila avatara
sese avatirna haila vrajendra-kumara

SYNONYMS

asankhya--unlimited; bhaktera--of devotees; karaila--made into being; avatara--incarnation; sese--at last; avatirna--descended; haila--became; vrajendra-kumara--Lord Krsna, the son of Nanda Maharaja.

TRANSLATION

Lord Krsna, Vrajendra-kumara, first caused countless devotees to appear, and at last He appeared Himself.






TEXT 63

prabhura avirbhava-purve yata vaisnava-gana
advaita-acaryera sthane karena gamana

SYNONYMS

prabhura--of the Lord; avirbhava--appearance; purve--before; yata--all; vaisnava-gana--devotees; advaita-acaryera--of Advaita Acarya; sthane--place; karena--do; gamana--go.

TRANSLATION

Before the appearance of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all the devotees of Navadvipa used to gather in the house of Advaita Acarya.






TEXT 64

gita-bhhagavata kahe acarya-gosani
jnana-karma nindi' kare bhaktira badai

SYNONYMS

gita--Bhagavad-gita; bhagavata--Srimad-Bhagavatam; kahe--recites; acarya-gosani--Advaita Acarya; jnana--the path of philosophical speculation; karma--fruitive activity; nindi'--decrying; kare--establishes; bhaktira--of devotional service; badai--excellence.

TRANSLATION

In these meetings of the Vaisnavas, Advaita Acarya used to recite Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, decrying the paths of philosophical speculation and fruitive activity and establishing the superexcellence of devotional service.






TEXT 65

sarva-sastre kahe krsna-bhaktira vyakhyana
jnana, yoga, tapo-dharma nahi mane ana

SYNONYMS

sarva-sastre--in all revealed scriptures; kahe--says; krsna-bhaktira--of devotional service to Lord Krsna; vyakhyana--explanation; jnana--philosophical speculation; yoga--mystic hatha-yoga; tapas--austerities; dharma--religious procedures; nahi--does not; mane--accept; ana--other.

TRANSLATION

In all the revealed scriptures of Vedic culture, devotional service to Lord Krsna is explained throughout. Therefore devotees of Lord Krsna do not recognize the processes of philosophical speculation, mystic yoga, unnecessary austerity and so-called religious rituals. They do not accept any process but devotional service.

PURPORT

Our Krsna consciousness movement follows this principle. We do not recognize any method for spiritual realization other than Krsna consciousness, devotional service. Sometimes we are criticized by groups following jnana, yoga, tapas or dharma, but fortunately we are unable to make any compromises with them. We simply stand on the platform of devotional service and preach the same principles all over the world.






TEXT 66

tanra sange ananda kare vaisnavera gana
krsna-katha, krsna-puja, nama-sankirtana

SYNONYMS

tanra sange--with Him (Advaita Acarya); ananda--pleasure; kare--takes; vaisnavera--of the devotees; gana--assembly; krsna-katha--topics of Lord Krsna; krsna-puja--worship of Krsna; nama-sankirtana--chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.

TRANSLATION

In the house of Advaita Acarya, all the Vaisnavas took pleasure in always talking of Krsna, always worshiping Krsna and always chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.

PURPORT

On these principles only does the Krsna consciousness movement go on. We have no business other than to talk of Krsna, worship Krsna and chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.






TEXT 67

kintu sarva-loka dekhi' krsna-bahirmukha
visaye nimagna loka dekhi' paya duhkha

SYNONYMS

kintu--but; sarva-loka--all people; dekhi'--seeing; krsna-bahirmukha--without Krsna consciousness; visaye--material enjoyment; nimagna--merged; loka--all people; dekhi'--seeing; paya duhkha--felt pained.

TRANSLATION

But Sri Advaita Acarya Prabhu felt pained to see all the people without Krsna consciousness simply merging in material sense enjoyment.

PURPORT

A bona fide devotee of Lord Krsna is always pained to see the fallen condition of the whole world. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura used to say, "There is no scarcity of anything within this world. The only scarcity is of Krsna consciousness." That is the vision of all pure devotees. Because of this lack of Krsna consciousness in human society, people are suffering terribly, being merged in an ocean of nescience and sense gratification. A devotee onlooker is very much aggrieved to see such a situation in the world.






TEXT 68

lokera nistara-hetu karena cintana
kemate e saba lokera ha-ibe tarana

SYNONYMS

lokera--of all people; nistara-hetu--for the matter of deliverance; karena--does; cintana--contemplation; kemate--how; e--these; saba--all; lokera--of people in general; ha-ibe--will become; tarana--liberation.

TRANSLATION

Seeing the condition of the world, He began to think seriously of how all these people could be delivered from the clutches of maya.






TEXT 69

krsna avatari' karena bhaktira vistara
tabe ta' sakala lokera ha-ibe nistara

SYNONYMS

krsna--Lord Krsna; avatari'--descending; karena--does; bhaktira--of devotional service; vistara--expansion; tabe--then; ta'--certainly; sakala--all; lokera--of the people; ha-ibe--there will be; nistara--liberation.

TRANSLATION

Srila Advaita Acarya Prabhu thought, "If Krsna Himself appears in order to distribute the cult of devotional service, then only will liberation be possible for all people."

PURPORT

Just as a condemned person can be relieved by a special favor of the chief executive head, the president or king, so the condemned people of this Kali-yuga can be delivered only by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself or a person especially empowered for this purpose. Srila Advaita Acarya Prabhu desired that the Supreme Personality of Godhead advent Himself to deliver the fallen souls of this age.






TEXT 70

krsna avatarite acarya pratijna kariya
krsna-puja kare tulasi-gangajala diya

SYNONYMS

krsna--Lord Krsna; avatarite--to cause His advent; acarya--Advaita Acarya; pratijna--promise; kariya--making; krsna-puja--worship of Lord Krsna; kare--does; tulasi--tulasi leaves; ganga-jala diya--with the water of the Ganges.

TRANSLATION

With this consideration, Advaita Acarya Prabhu, promising to cause Lord Krsna to descend, began to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, with tulasi leaves and water of the Ganges.

PURPORT

Tulasi leaves and Ganges water, with, if possible, a little pulp of sandalwood, is sufficient paraphernalia to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita:

patram puspam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam
asnami prayatatmanah
"If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it." (Bg. 9.26) Following this principle, Advaita Prabhu pleased the Supreme personality of Godhead with tulasi leaves and water of the Ganges.






TEXT 71

krsnera ahvana kare saghana hunkara
hunkare akrsta haila vrajendra-kumara

SYNONYMS

krsnera--of Lord Krsna; ahvana--invitation; kare--does; saghana--with great gravity; hunkara--vibration; hunkare--and by such loud cries; akrsta--attracted; haila--became; vrajendra-kumara--the son of Vrajendra, Lord Krsna.

TRANSLATION

By loud cries He invited Krsna to appear, and this repeated invitation attracted Lord Krsna to descend.






TEXT 72

jagannathamisra-patni sacira udare
asta kanya krame haila, janmi' janmi' mare

SYNONYMS

jagannatha-misra--of the name Jagannatha Misra; patni--his wife; sacira--of Sacimata; udare--within the womb; asta--eight; kanya--daughters; krame--one after another; haila--appeared; janmi'--after taking birth; janmi'--after taking birth; mare--all died.

TRANSLATION

Before the birth of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, eight daughters took birth one after another from the womb of Sacimata, the wife of Jagannatha Misra. But just after their birth, they all died.






TEXT 73

apatya-virahe misrera duhkhi haila mana
putra lagi' aradhila visnura carana

SYNONYMS

apatya--of children; virahe--in separation; misrera--of Jagannatha Misra; duhkhi--unhappy; haila--became; mana--mind; putra--son; lagi'--for the matter of; aradhila--worshiped; visnura--of Lord Visnu; carana--lotus feet.

TRANSLATION

Jagannatha Misra was very unhappy at the death of his children one after another. Therefore, desiring a son, he worshiped the lotus feet of Lord Visnu.






TEXT 74

tabe putra janamila 'visvarupa' nama
maha-gunavan tenha----'baladeva'-dhama

SYNONYMS

tabe--thereafter; putra--son; janamila--took birth; visvarupa--Visvarupa; nama--named; maha-gunavan--highly qualified; tenha--He; baladeva--of Lord Baladeva; dhama--incarnation.

TRANSLATION

After this, Jagannatha Misra got a son of the name Visvarupa, who was most powerful and highly qualified because He was an incarnation of Baladeva.

PURPORT

Visvarupa was the elder brother of Gaurahari, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When arrangements were being made for His marriage, He took sannyasa and left home. He took the sannyasa name of Sankararanya. In 1431 Sakabda Era (A.D. 1510), He disappeared in Panderapura in the district of Sholapur. As an incarnation of Sankarsana, He is both the ingredient and immediate cause of the creation of this material world. He is nondifferent from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as amsa and amsi, or the part and the whole, are not different. He belongs to the quadruple manifestation of catur-vyuha as an incarnation of Sankarsana. In the Gaura-candrodaya it is said that Visvarupa, after His so-called demise, remained mixed within Sri Nityananda Prabhu.






TEXT 75

baladeva-prakasa----parama-vyome 'sankarsana'
tenha----visvera upadana-nimitta-karana

SYNONYMS

baladeva-prakasa--manifestation of Baladeva; parama-vyome--in the spiritual sky; sankarsana--of the name Sankarsana; tenha--He; visvera--the cosmic manifestation; upadana--ingredient; nimitta-karana--immediate cause.

TRANSLATION

The expansion of Baladeva known as Sankarsana in the spiritual world is the ingredient and immediate cause of this material cosmic manifestation.






TEXT 76

tanha ba-i visve kichu nahi dekhi ara
ataeva 'visvarupa' nama ye tanhara

SYNONYMS

tanha ba-i--except Him; visve--within this cosmic manifestation; kichu--something; nahi--there is none; dekhi--I see; ara--further; ataeva--therefore; visvarupa--universal form; nama--name; ye--that; tanhara--His.

TRANSLATION

The gigantic universal form is called the Visvarupa incarnation of Maha-sankarsana. Thus we do not find anything within this cosmic manifestation except the Lord Himself.






TEXT 77

naitac citram bhagavati
hy anante jagad-isvare
otam protam idam yasmin
tantusv anga yatha patah

SYNONYMS

na--not; etat--this; citram--wonderful; bhagavati--in the Supreme Personality of Godhead; hi--certainly; anante--in the unlimited; jagat-isvare--the master of the universe; otam--lengthwise; protam--breadthwise; idam--this universe; yasmin--in whom; tantusu--in the threads; anga--O King; yatha--as much as; patah--a cloth.

TRANSLATION

"As the thread in a cloth spreads both lengthwise and breadthwise, so everything we see within this cosmic manifestation is directly and indirectly existing in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is not very wonderful for Him."

PURPORT

This is a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.15.35).






TEXT 78

ataeva prabhu tanre bale, 'bada bhai'
krsna, balarama dui----caitanya, nitai

SYNONYMS

ataeva--therefore; prabhu--Lord Caitanya; tanre--unto Visvarupa; bale--says; bada bhai--elder brother; krsna--Lord Krsna; balarama--and Baladeva; dui--two; caitanya--Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nitai--and Lord Nityananda Prabhu.

TRANSLATION

Because Maha-sankarsana is the ingredient and efficient cause of the cosmic manifestation, He is present in every detail of it. Lord Caitanya therefore called Him His elder brother. The two brothers are known as Krsna and Balarama in the spiritual world, but at the present moment they are Caitanya and Nitai. Therefore the conclusion is that Nityananda Prabhu is the original Sankarsana, Baladeva.






TEXT 79

putra pana dampati haila anandita mana
visese sevana kare govinda-carana

SYNONYMS

putra--son; pana--having gotten; dampati--husband and wife; haila--became; anandita--pleased; mana--mind; visese--specifically; sevana--service; kare--render; govinda-carana--the lotus feet of Lord Govinda.

TRANSLATION

The husband and wife [Jagannatha Misra and Sacimata], having gotten Visvarupa as their son, were very pleased within their minds. Because of their pleasure, they specifically began to serve the lotus feet of Govinda.

PURPORT

There is a common saying in India that everyone goes to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead when he is in distress, but when a person is in an opulent position, he forgets God. In Bhagavad-gita (7.16) this is also confirmed:

catur-vidha bhajante mam
janah sukrtino 'rjuna
arto jijnasur artharthi
jnani ca bharatarsabha
"If backed by pious activities in the past, four kinds of men--namely, those who are distressed, those in need of money, those searching after knowledge and those who are inquisitive--become interested in devotional service." The husband and wife, Jagannatha Misra and Sacimata, were very unhappy because their eight daughters had passed away. Now, when they got Visvarupa as their son, certainly they became extremely happy. They knew that it was by the grace of the Lord that they were endowed with such happiness and opulence. Therefore instead of forgetting the Lord, they became more and more adherent in rendering service to the lotus feet of Govinda. When a common man becomes opulent, he forgets God; but the more opulent a devotee becomes by the grace of the Lord, the more he becomes attached to the service of the Lord.






TEXT 80

caudda-sata chaya sake sesa magha mase
jagannatha-sacira dehe krsnera pravese

SYNONYMS

caudda-sata--1400; chaya--6; sake--in the year of the Saka Era; sesa--last; magha--Magha; mase--in the month; jagannatha--of Jagannatha Misra; sacira--and of Sacidevi; dehe--in the bodies; krsnera--of Lord Krsna; pravese--by the entrance.

TRANSLATION

In the month of January in the year 1406 of the Saka Era (A.D. 1485), Lord Krsna entered the bodies of both Jagannatha Misra and Saci.

PURPORT

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu took His birth in the year 1407 Saka Era (A.D. 1486), in the month of Phalguna. But here we see that He entered the bodies of His parents in the year 1406 in the month of Magha. Therefore, the Lord entered the bodies of His parents thirteen full months before His birth. Generally a common child remains within the womb of his mother for ten lunar months, but here we see that the Lord remained within the body of His mother for thirteen lunar months.






TEXT 81

misra kahe saci-sthane,----dekhi ana rita
jyotirmaya deha, geha laksmi-adhisthita

SYNONYMS

misra kahe--Jagannatha Misra began to speak; saci-sthane--in the presence of Sacidevi-mata; dekhi--I see; ana--extraordinary; rita--behavior; jyotir-maya--effulgent; deha--body; geha--home; laksmi--the goddess of fortune; adhisthita--situated.

TRANSLATION

Jagannatha Misra said to Sacimata, "I see wonderful things! Your body is effulgent, and it appears as if the goddess of fortune were now staying personally in my home."






TEXT 82

yahan tahan sarva-loka karaye sammana
ghare pathaiya deya dhana, vastra, dhana

SYNONYMS

yahan--wherever; tahan--anywhere; sarva-loka--all people; karaye--show; sammana--respect; ghare--at home; pathaiya--sending; deya--give; dhana--riches; vastra--cloth; dhana--paddy.

TRANSLATION

"Anywhere and everywhere I go, all people offer me respect. Even without my asking, they voluntarily give me riches, clothing and paddy."

PURPORT

A brahmana does not become anyone's servant. To render service to someone else is the business of the sudras. A brahmana is always independent because he is a teacher, spiritual master and advisor to society. The members of society provide him with all the necessities for life. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord has divided society into four divisions--brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra. A society cannot run smoothly without this scientific division. A brahmana should give good advice to all the members of the society, a ksatriya should look after the administration, maintaining law and order in society, vaisyas should produce and trade to meet all the needs of society, whereas sudras should render service to the higher sections of society (the brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas).

Jagannatha Misra was a brahmana; therefore people would send him all bodily necessities--money, cloth, grain and so on. While Lord Caitanya was in the womb of Sacimata, Jagannatha Misra received all these necessities of life without asking for them. Because of the presence of the Lord in his family, everyone offered him due respect as a brahmana. In other words, if a brahmana or Vaisnava sticks to his position as an eternal servant of the Lord and executes the will of the Lord, there is no question of scarcity for his personal maintenance or the needs of his family.






TEXT 83

saci kahe,----muni dekhon akasa-upare
divya-murti loka saba yena stuti kare

SYNONYMS

saci kahe--mother Sacidevi replied; muni--I; dekhon--see; akasa-upare--in outer space; divya-murti--brilliant forms; loka--people; saba--all; yena--as if; stuti--prayers; kare--offering.

TRANSLATION

Sacimata told her husband, "I also see wonderfully brilliant human beings appearing in outer space, as if offering prayers."

PURPORT

Jagannatha Misra was honored by everyone on the earth and was supplied with all necessities. Similarly, mother Saci saw many demigods in outer space offering prayers to her because of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's presence in her womb.






TEXT 84

jagannatha misra kahe,----svapna ye dekhila
jyotirmaya-dhama mora hrdaye pasila

SYNONYMS

jagannatha misra kahe--Jagannatha Misra replied; svapna--dream; ye--that; dekhila--I have seen; jyotir-maya--with a brilliant effulgence; dhama--abode; mora--my; hrdaye--in the heart; pasila--entered.

TRANSLATION

Jagannatha Misra then replied, "In a dream I saw the effulgent abode of the Lord enter my heart.






TEXT 85

amara hrdaya haite gela tomara hrdaye
hena bujhi, janmibena kona mahasaye

SYNONYMS

amara hrdaya haite--from my heart; gela--transferred; tomara hrdaye--into your heart; hena--like this; bujhi--I understand; janmibena--will take birth; kona--some; mahasaye--very great personality.

TRANSLATION

"From my heart it entered your heart. I therefore understand that a great personality will soon take birth."






TEXT 86

eta bali' dunhe rahe harasita hana
salagrama seva kare visesa kariya

SYNONYMS

eta bali'--after this conversation; dunhe--both of them; rahe--remained; harasita--jubilant; hana--becoming; salagrama--salagrama-narayana-sila; seva--service; kare--rendered; visesa--with special attention; kariya--giving it.

TRANSLATION

After this conversation, both husband and wife were very jubilant, and together they rendered service to the household salagrama-sila.

PURPORT

Especially in every brahmana's house there must be a salagrama-sila to be worshiped by the brahmana family. This system is still current. People who are brahmana by caste, who are born in a brahmana family, must worship the salagrama-sila. Unfortunately, with the progress of Kali-yuga, the so-called brahmanas, although very proud of taking birth in brahmana families, no longer worship the salagrama-sila. But actually it has been a custom since time immemorial that a person born in a brahmana family must worship the salagrama-sila in all circumstances. In our Krsna consciousness society, some of the members are very anxious to introduce the salagrama-sila, but we have purposely refrained from introducing it because most of the members of the Krsna consciousness movement do not originally come from families of the brahmana caste. After some time, when we find that they are actually situated strictly in the line of brahminical behavior, this salagrama-sila will be introduced.

In this age, the worship of the salagrama-sila is not as important as the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. That is the injunction of the sastra. Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam. kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha. Srila Jiva Gosvami's opinion is that by chanting the holy name offenselessly one becomes completely perfect. Nevertheless, just to purify the situation of the mind, worship of the Deity in the temple is also necessary. Therefore when one is advanced in spiritual consciousness or is perfectly situated on a spiritual platform he may take to the worship of the salagrama-sila.

The transference of the Lord from the heart of Jagannatha Misra to the heart of Sacimata is explained by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura as follows: "It is to be concluded that Jagannatha Misra and Sacimata are nitya-siddhas, ever purified associates of the Lord. Their hearts are always uncontaminated, and therefore they never forget the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A common man in this material world has a contaminated heart. He must therefore first purify his heart to come to the transcendental position. But Jagannatha Misra and Sacimata were not a common man and woman with contaminated hearts. When the heart is uncontaminated, it is said to be in the existential position of Vasudeva. Vasudeva can beget Vasudeva, or Krsna, who is transcendentally situated."

It is to be understood that Sacidevi did not become pregnant as an ordinary woman becomes pregnant because of sense indulgence. One should not think the pregnancy of Sacimata to be that of an ordinary woman because that is an offense. One can understand the pregnancy of Sacimata when one is actually advanced in spiritual consciousness and fully engaged in the devotional service of the Lord.

In Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.16) it is stated:

bhagavan api visvatma
bhaktanam abhayan-karah
avivesamsa-bhagena
mana anakadundubheh
This is a statement regarding the birth of Lord Krsna. The incarnation of the Lord entered the mind of Vasudeva and was then transferred to the mind of Devaki. Srila Sridhara Svami gives the following annotation in this connection: 'mana avivesa' manasy avirbabhuva; jivanam iva na dhatu-sambandha ity arthah. There was no question of the seminal discharge necessary for the birth of an ordinary human being. Srila Rupa Gosvami also comments in this connection that Lord Krsna first appeared in the mind of Anakadundubhi, Vasudeva, and was then transferred to the mind of Devaki-devi. Thus the spiritual bliss in the mind of Devaki-devi gradually increased, just as the moon increases every night until it becomes a full moon. At the time of His appearance, Lord Krsna came out of the mind of Devaki and appeared within the prison house of Kamsa by the side of Devaki's bed. At that time, by the spell of yogamaya, Devaki thought that her child had now been born. In this connection, even the demigods from the celestial kingdom were also bewildered. As it is stated, muhyanti yat surayah (Bhag. 1.1.1). They came to offer their prayers to Devaki, thinking that the Supreme Lord was within her womb. The demigods came to Mathura from their celestial kingdom. This indicates that Mathura is still more important than the celestial kingdom of the upper planetary system.

Lord Krsna, as the eternal son of Yasodamayi, is always present in Vrndavana. The pastimes of Lord Krsna are continuously going on within both this material world and the spiritual world. In such pastimes, the Lord always thinks Himself the eternal son of mother Yasoda and father Nanda Maharaja. In the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Chapter Six, verse 43, it is stated, "When magnanimous, broad-hearted Nanda Maharaja came back from a tour, he immediately took his son Krsna on his lap and experienced transcendental bliss by smelling His head." Similarly, in the Tenth Canto, Ninth Chapter, verse 21, it is said, "This Personality of Godhead, appearing as the son of a cowherd damsel, is easily available and understandable to devotees, whereas those who are under the concept of bodily life, even though they are very advanced in austerity and penance or even though they are great philosophers, are unable to understand Him."

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura next quotes Sripada Baladeva Vidyabhusana, who refers to the prayers offered by the demigods to Lord Krsna in the womb of Devaki and summarizes the birth of Krsna as follows: "As the rising moon manifests light in the east, so Devaki, who was always situated on the transcendental platform, having been initiated in the Krsna mantra by Vasudeva, the son of Surasena, kept Krsna within her heart." From this statement of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.18) it is understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, having been transferred from the heart of Anakadundubhi, or Vasudeva, manifested Himself in the heart of Devaki. According to Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana, the "heart of Devaki" means the womb of Devaki because in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, Second Chapter, verse 41, the demigods say, distyamba te kuksi-gatah parah puman: "Mother Devaki, the Lord is already within your womb." Therefore, that the Lord was transferred from the heart of Vasudeva to the heart of Devaki means that He was transferred to the womb of Devaki.

Similarly, in regard to the appearance of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu as described in the Caitanya-caritamrta, the words visese sevana kare govinda-carana, "they specifically began to worship the lotus feet of Govinda," indicate that exactly as Krsna appeared in the heart of Devaki through the heart of Vasudeva, so Lord Caitanya appeared in the heart of Sacidevi through the heart of Jagannatha Misra. This is the mystery of the appearance of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Consequently, one should not think of Lord Caitanya's appearance as that of a common man or living entity. This subject matter is a little difficult to understand, but for devotees of the Lord it will not at all be difficult to realize the statements given by Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami.






TEXT 87

haite haite haila garbha trayodasa masa
tathapi bhumistha nahe,----misrera haila trasa

SYNONYMS

haite haite--thus becoming; haila--it so became; garbha--pregnancy; trayodasa--thirteenth; masa--month; tathapi--still; bhumistha--delivery; nahe--there was no sign; misrera--of Jagannatha Misra; haila--became; trasa--apprehension.

TRANSLATION

In this way the pregnancy approached its thirteenth month, but still there was no sign of the delivery of the child. Thus Jagannatha Misra became greatly apprehensive.






TEXT 88

nilambara cakravarti kahila ganiya
ei mase putra habe subha-ksana pana

SYNONYMS

nilambara cakravarti--of the name Nilambara Cakravarti; kahila--said; ganiya--by astrological calculation; ei mase--in this month; putra--son; habe--will take birth; subha-ksana--auspicious moment; pana--taking advantage of.

TRANSLATION

Nilambara Cakravarti [the grandfather of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu] then did an astrological calculation and said that in that month, taking advantage of an auspicious moment, the child would take birth.






TEXT 89

caudda-sata sata-sake masa ye phalguna
paurnamasira sandhya-kale haile subha-ksana

SYNONYMS

caudda-sata sata-sake--in 1407 of the Saka Era (A.D. 1486); masa--month; ye--which; phalguna--of the name Phalguna; paurnamasira--of the full moon; sandhya-kale--in the evening; haile--there was; subha-ksana--an auspicious constellation.

TRANSLATION

Thus in the year 1407 of the Saka Era (A.D. 1486), in the month of Phalguna [March-April], on the evening of the full moon, the desired auspicious moment appeared.

PURPORT

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya, has presented the horoscope of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as follows:

sala 1407.10.22.28.45
dinam
7    11    8
15    54    38
40    37    40
13    6    23

The explanation of the horoscope given by Bhaktivinoda Thakura is that at the time of the birth of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu the constellations were situated as follows: Sukra (Venus) was in Mesa-rasi (Aries), in the constellation of Asvini; Ketu (the ninth planet) was in Simha-rasi (Leo), in Uttaraphalguni; Candra (the moon) was in Simha-rasi, in Purvaphalguni (the eleventh lunar mansion); Sani (Saturn) was in Vrscika-rasi (Scorpio), in Jyestha; Brhaspati (Jupiter) was in Dhanu-rasi, in Purvasadha (Sagittarius); Mangala (Mars) was in Makara-rasi (Capricorn), in Sravana; Ravi (the sun) and Rahu were in Kumbha-rasi (Aquarius), in Purvabhadrapada; and Budha (Mercury) was in Mina-rasi (Pisces), in Uttarabhadrapada.. The lagna was Simha.






TEXT 90

simha-rasi, simha-lagna, ucca graha-gana
sad-varga, asta-varga, sarva sulaksana

SYNONYMS

simha--the lion; rasi--sign of the zodiac; simha--the lion; lagna--birth moment; ucca--high; graha-gana--all planets; sat-varga--six area; asta-varga--eight area; sarva--all; su-laksana--auspiciousness.

TRANSLATION

According to the Jyotir-veda, or Vedic astronomy, when the figure of the lion appears both in the zodiac and the time of birth [lagna], this indicates a very high conjunction of planets, an area under the influence of sad-varga and asta-varga, which are all-auspicious moments.

PURPORT

The divisions of the sad-varga area are technically called ksetra, hora, drekkana, navamsa, dvadasamsa and trimsamsa. According to Jyotir-vedic astrology, when it is calculated who rules the constellation of six areas, the auspicious moment is calculated. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who was previously also a great astrologer, says that in the book named Brhaj-jataka and other books there are directions for knowing the movements of the stars and planets. One who knows the process of drawing a straight line and thus understands the area of asta-varga can explain the auspicious constellations. This science is known especially by persons who are called hora-sastra-vit, or those who know the scripture of the name Hora. On the strength of astrological calculations from the Hora scripture, Nilambara Cakravarti, the grandfather of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, ascertained the auspicious moment in which the Lord would appear.






TEXT 91

a-kalanka gauracandra dila darasana
sa-kalanka candre ara kon prayojana

SYNONYMS

a-kalanka--without contamination; gauracandra--the moon of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; dila--gave; darasana--audience; sa-kalanka--with contamination; candre--for a moon; ara--also; kon--what; prayojana--necessity.

TRANSLATION

When the spotless moon of Caitanya Mahaprabhu became visible, what would be the need for a moon full of black marks on its body?






TEXT 92

eta jani' rahu kaila candrera grahana
'krsna' 'krsna' 'hari' name bhase tri-bhuvana

SYNONYMS

eta jani'--knowing all this; rahu--the zodiac figure Rahu; kaila--attempted; candrera--of the moon; grahana--eclipse; krsna krsna--the holy name of Krsna; hari--the holy name of Hari; name--the names; bhase--inundated; tri-bhuvana--the three worlds.

TRANSLATION

Considering this, Rahu, the black planet, covered the full moon, and immediately vibrations of "Krsna! Krsna! Hari!" inundated the three worlds.

PURPORT

According to the Jyotir-veda, the Rahu planet comes in front of the full moon, and thus a lunar eclipse takes place. It is customary in India that all the followers of the Vedic scriptures bathe in the Ganges or the sea as soon as there is a lunar or solar eclipse. All strict followers of Vedic religion stand up in the water throughout the whole period of the eclipse and chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. At the time of the birth of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu such a lunar eclipse took place, and naturally all the people standing in the water were chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.






TEXT 93

jaya jaya dhvani haila sakala bhuvana
camatkara haiya loka bhave mane mana

SYNONYMS

jaya jaya--all glories; dhvani--vibration; haila--there was; sakala--all; bhuvana--worlds; camatkara--wonderful; haiya--becoming; loka--all the people; bhave--state; mane mana--within their minds.

TRANSLATION

All people thus chanted the Hare Krsna maha-mantra during the lunar eclipse, and their minds were struck with wonder.






TEXT 94

jagat bhariya loka bale----'hari' 'hari'
sei-ksane gaurakrsna bhume avatari

SYNONYMS

jagat--the whole world; bhariya--fulfilling; loka--people; bale--said; hari hari--the holy name of the Lord; sei-ksane--at that time; gaurakrsna--Lord Krsna in the form of Gaurahari; bhume--on the earth; avatari--advented.

TRANSLATION

When the whole world was thus chanting the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna in the form of Gaurahari advented Himself on the earth.






TEXT 95

prasanna ha-ila saba jagatera mana
'hari' bali' hinduke hasya karaye yavana

SYNONYMS

prasanna--joyful; ha-ila--became; saba--all; jagatera--of the whole world; mana--the mind; hari--the holy name of the Lord; bali'--saying; hinduke--unto the Hindus; hasya--laughing; karaye--do so; yavana--the Muslims.

TRANSLATION

The whole world was pleased. While the Hindus chanted the holy name of the Lord, the non-Hindus, especially the Muslims, jokingly imitated the words.

PURPORT

Although the Muslims, or non-Hindus, have no interest in chanting the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, while the Hindus in Navadvipa chanted during the lunar eclipse the Muslims imitated them. Thus the Hindus and Muslims joined together in chanting the holy name of the Lord when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advented Himself.






TEXT 96

'hari' bali' narigana dei hulahuli
svarge vadya-nrtya kare deva kutuhali

SYNONYMS

hari bali'--by saying the word Hari; nari-gana--all the ladies; dei--chanting; hulahuli--the sound of hulahuli; svarge--in the heavenly planets; vadya-nrtya--music and dance; kare--do; deva--demigods; kutuhali--curious.

TRANSLATION

While all the ladies vibrated the holy name of Hari on earth, in the heavenly planets dancing and music were going on, for the demigods were very curious.






TEXT 97

prasanna haila dasa dik, prasanna nadijala
sthavara-jangama haila anande vihvala

SYNONYMS

prasanna--jubilant; haila--became; dasa--ten; dik--directions; prasanna--satisfied; nadi-jala--the water of the rivers; sthavara--immovable; jangama--movable; haila--became; anande--in joy; vihvala--overwhelmed.

TRANSLATION

In this atmosphere, all the ten directions became jubilant, as did the waves of the rivers. Moreover, all beings, moving and nonmoving, were overwhelmed with transcendental bliss.






TEXT 98

nadiya-udayagiri, purnacandra gaurahari,
krpa kari' ha-ila udaya
papa-tamah haila nasa, tri-jagatera ullasa,
jagabhari' hari-dhvani haya

SYNONYMS

nadiya--the place known as Nadiya; udayagiri--is the appearing place; purna-candra--the full moon; gaurahari--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; krpa--by mercy; kari'--doing so; ha-ila--became; udaya--risen; papa--sinful; tamah--darkness; haila--became; nasa--dissipated; tri-jagatera--of the three worlds; ullasa--happiness; jaga-bhari'--filling the whole world; hari-dhvani--the transcendental vibration of Hari; haya--resounded.

TRANSLATION

Thus by His causeless mercy the full moon, Gaurahari, rose in the district of Nadia, which is compared to Udayagiri, where the sun first becomes visible. His rising in the sky dissipated the darkness of sinful life, and thus the three worlds became joyful and chanted the holy name of the Lord.






TEXT 99

sei-kale nijalaya, uthiya advaita raya,
nrtya kare anandita-mane
haridase lana sange, hunkara-kirtana-range
kene nace, keha nahi jane

SYNONYMS

sei-kale--at that time; nija-alaya--in His own house; uthiya--standing; advaita--Advaita Acarya; raya--the rich man; nrtya--dancing; kare--performs; anandita--with joyful; mane--mind; haridase--Thakura Haridasa; lana--taking; sange--with Him; hunkara--loudly; kirtana--sankirtana; range--performing; kene--why; nace--dances; keha nahi--no one; jane--knows.

TRANSLATION

At that time Sri Advaita Acarya Prabhu, in His own house at Santipura, was dancing in a pleasing mood. Taking Haridasa Thakura with Him, He danced and loudly chanted Hare Krsna. But why they were dancing, no one could understand.

PURPORT

It is understood that Advaita Prabhu, at that time, was in His own paternal house at Santipura. Haridasa Thakura frequently used to meet Him. Coincidentally, therefore, he was also there, and upon the birth of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu both of them immediately began to dance. But no one in Santipura could understand why those two saintly persons were dancing.






TEXT 100

dekhi' uparaga hasi', sighra ganga-ghate asi'
anande karila ganga-snana
pana uparaga-chale, apanara mano-bale,
brahmanere dila nana dana

SYNONYMS

dekhi'--seeing; uparaga--the eclipse; hasi'--laughing; sighra--very soon; ganga-ghate--on the bank of the Ganges; asi'--coming; anande--in jubilation; karila--took; ganga-snana--bath in the Ganges; pana--taking advantage of; uparaga-chale--on the event of the lunar eclipse; apanara--His own; manah-bale--by the strength of mind; brahmanere--unto the brahmanas; dila--gave; nana--various; dana--charities.

TRANSLATION

Seeing the lunar eclipse and laughing, both Advaita Acarya and Haridasa Thakura immediately went to the bank of the Ganges and bathed in the Ganges in great jubilation. Taking advantage of the occasion of the lunar eclipse, Advaita Acarya, by His own mental strength, distributed various types of charity to the brahmanas.

PURPORT

It is the custom of Hindus to give in charity to the poor as much as possible during the time of a lunar or solar eclipse. Advaita Acarya, therefore, taking advantage of this eclipse, distributed many varieties of charity to the brahmanas. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam there is a statement in the Tenth Canto, Third Chapter, verse 11, that when Krsna took His birth, immediately Vasudeva, taking advantage of this moment, distributed ten thousand cows to the brahmanas. It is customary among Hindus that at the time a child is born, especially a male child, the parents distribute great charity in jubilation. Advaita Acarya was actually interested in distributing charity because of Lord Caitanya's birth at the time of the lunar eclipse. People could not understand, however, why Advaita Acarya was giving such a great variety of things in charity. He did so not because of the lunar eclipse but because of the Lord's taking birth at that moment. He distributed charity exactly as Vasudeva did at the time of Lord Krsna's appearance.






TEXT 101

jagat anandamaya, dekhi' mane sa-vismaya,
tharethore kahe haridasa
tomara aichana ranga, mora mana parasanna,
dekhi----kichu karye ache bhasa

SYNONYMS

jagat--the whole world; ananda-maya--full of pleasure; dekhi'--seeing; mane--within the mind; sa-vismaya--with amazement; tharethore--by direct and indirect indications; kahe--says; haridasa--Haridasa Thakura; tomara--Your; aichana--that kind of; ranga--performance; mora--my; mana--mind; parasanna--very much pleased; dekhi--I can understand; kichu--something; karye--in work; ache--there is; bhasa--indication.

TRANSLATION

When he saw that the whole world was jubilant, Haridasa Thakura, his mind astonished, directly and indirectly expressed himself to Advaita Acarya, "Your dancing and distributing charity are very pleasing to me. I can understand that there is some special purpose in these actions."






TEXT 102

acaryaratna, srivasa, haila mane sukhollasa
yai' snana kaila ganga-jale
anande vihvala mana, kare hari-sankirtana
nana dana kaila mano-bale

SYNONYMS

acaryaratna--of the name Acaryaratna; srivasa--of the name Srivasa; haila--became; mane--in the mind; sukha-ullasa--happy; yai'--going; snana--bathing; kaila--executed; ganga-jale--in the water of the Ganges; anande--in jubilation; vihvala--overwhelmed; mana--mind; kare--does; hari-sankirtana--performance of sankirtana; nana--various; dana--charities; kaila--did; manah-bale--by the strength of the mind.

TRANSLATION

Acaryaratna [Candrasekhara] and Srivasa Thakura were overwhelmed with joy, and immediately they went to the bank of the Ganges to take bath in the water of the Ganges. Their minds full of happiness, they chanted the Hare Krsna mantra and gave charity by mental strength.






TEXT 103

ei mata bhakta-tati, yanra yei dese sthiti,
tahan tahan pana mano-bale
nace, kare sankirtana, anande vihvala mana,
dana kare grahanera chale

SYNONYMS

ei mata--in this way; bhakta-tati--all the devotees there; yanra--whose; yei--whichever; dese--in the country; sthiti--resident; tahan tahan--there and there; pana--taking advantage; manah-bale--by the strength of the mind; nace--dance; kare sankirtana--perform sankirtana; anande--in joyfulness; vihvala--overwhelmed; mana--mind; dana--in charity; kare--give; grahanera--of the lunar eclipse; chale--on the pretense.

TRANSLATION

In this way all the devotees, wherever they were situated, in every city and every country, danced, performed sankirtana and gave charity by mental strength on the plea of the lunar eclipse, their minds overwhelmed with joy.






TEXT 104

brahmana-sajjana-nari, nana-dravye thali bhari'
aila sabe yautuka la-iya
yena kanca-sona-dyuti, dekhi' balakera murti,
asirvada kare sukha pana

SYNONYMS

brahmana--the respectful brahmanas; sat-jana--gentlemen; nari--ladies; nana--varieties; dravye--with gifts; thali--plates; bhari'--filled up; aila--came; sabe--all; yautuka--presentations; la-iya--taking; yena--like; kanca--raw; sona--gold; dyuti--glaring; dekhi'--seeing; balakera--of the child; murti--form; asirvada--blessings; kare--offered; sukha--happiness; pana--achieving.

TRANSLATION

All sorts of respectful brahmana gentlemen and ladies, carrying plates filled with various gifts, came with their presentations. Seeing the newborn child, whose form resembled natural glaring gold, all of them with happiness offered their blessings.






TEXT 105

savitri, gauri, sarasvati, saci, rambha, arundhati
ara yata deva-narigana
nana-dravye patra bhari', brahmanira vesa dhari',
asi' sabe kare darasana

SYNONYMS

savitri--the wife of Lord Brahma; gauri--the wife of Lord Siva; sarasvati--the wife of Lord Nrsimhadeva; saci--the wife of King Indra; rambha--a dancing girl of heaven; arundhati--the wife of Vasistha; ara--and; yata--all; deva--celestial; nari-gana--women; nana--varieties; dravye--with gifts; patra bhari'--filling up the baskets; brahmanira--in the forms of brahmana ladies; vesa dhari'--dressing like that; asi'--coming there; sabe--all; kare--do; darasana--visit.

TRANSLATION

Dressing themselves as the wives of brahmanas, all the celestial ladies, including the wives of Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Lord Nrsimhadeva, King Indra and Vasistha Rsi, along with Rambha, a dancing girl of heaven, came there with varieties of gifts.

PURPORT

When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was a newly born baby, He was visited by the neighboring ladies, most of whom were the wives of respectable brahmanas. In the dress of brahmanas' wives, celestial ladies like the wives of Lord Brahma and Lord Siva also came to see the newly born child. Ordinary people saw them as respectable brahmana ladies of the neighborhood, but actually they were all celestial ladies dressed in that way.






TEXT 106

antarikse deva-gana, gandharva, siddha, carana,
stuti-nrtya kare vadya-gita
nartaka, vadaka, bhata, navadvipe yara nata,
sabe asi' nace pana prita

SYNONYMS

antarikse--in outer space; deva-gana--the demigods; gandharva--the inhabitants of Gandharvaloka; siddha--the inhabitants of Siddhaloka; carana--the professional singers of the heavenly planets; stuti--prayers; nrtya--dancing; kare--do; vadya--music; gita--song; nartaka--dancers; vadaka--professional drummers; bhata--professional blessers; navadvipe--in the city of Navadvipa; yara--of whom; nata--stage; sabe--all of them; asi'--coming; nace--began to dance; pana--achieving; prita--happiness.

TRANSLATION

In outer space all the demigods, including the inhabitants of Gandharvaloka, Siddhaloka and Caranaloka, offered their prayers and danced to the accompaniment of music, songs and the beating of drums. Similarly, in Navadvipa city all the professional dancers, musicians and blessers gathered together, dancing in great jubilation.

PURPORT

As there are professional singers, dancers and reciters of prayers in the heavenly planets, so in India still there are professional dancers, blessers and singers, all of whom assemble together during householder ceremonies, especially marriages and birth ceremonies. These professional men earn their livelihood by taking charity on such occasions from the homes of the Hindus. Eunuchs also take advantage of such ceremonies to receive charity. That is their means of livelihood. Such men never become servants or engage themselves in agriculture or business occupations; they simply take charity from neighborhood friends to maintain themselves peacefully. The bhatas are a class of brahmanas who go to such ceremonies to offer blessings by composing poems with references to the Vedic scriptures.






TEXT 107

keba ase keba yaya, keba nace keba gaya,
sambhalite nare kara bola
khandileka duhkha-soka, pramoda-purita loka,
misra haila anande vihvala

SYNONYMS

keba--who; ase--is coming; keba--who; yaya--is going; keba--who; nace--is dancing; keba--who; gaya--is singing; sambhalite--to understand; nare--cannot; kara--others; bola--language; khandileka--dissipated; duhkha--unhappiness; soka--lamentation; pramoda--jubilation; purita--full of; loka--all people; misra--Jagannatha Misra; haila--became; anande--in happiness; vihvala--overwhelmed.

TRANSLATION

No one could understand who was coming and who was going, who was dancing and who was singing. Nor could they understand one another's language. Yet all unhappiness and lamentation were immediately dissipated, and people became all-jubilant. Thus Jagannatha Misra was also overwhelmed with joy.






TEXT 108

acaryaratna, srivasa, jagannatha-misra-pasa,
asi' tanre kare savadhana
karaila jatakarma, ye achila vidhi-dharma,
tabe misra kare nana dana

SYNONYMS

acaryaratna--Candrasekhara Acarya; srivasa--Srivasa Thakura; jagannatha-misra pasa--at the house of Jagannatha Misra; asi'--coming; tanre--unto him; kare--do; savadhana--attention; karaila--executed; jata-karma--the auspicious ceremony at the time of birth; ye--whatever; achila--there was; vidhi-dharma--regulative principles of religion; tabe--at that time; misra--Jagannatha Misra; kare--does; nana--varieties; dana--charities.

TRANSLATION

Candrasekhara Acarya and Srivasa Thakura both came to Jagannatha Misra and drew his attention in various ways. They performed the ritualistic ceremonies prescribed at the time of birth according to religious principles. Jagannatha Misra also gave varieties of charity.






TEXT 109

yautuka paila yata, ghare va achila kata,
saba dhana vipre dila dana
yata nartaka, gayana, bhata, akincana jana,
dhana diya kaila sabara mana

SYNONYMS

yautuka--presentation; paila--received; yata--as much as; ghare--in the house; va--or; achila--there was; kata--whatever; saba dhana--all riches; vipre--unto the brahmanas; dila--gave; dana--in charity; yata--all; nartaka--dancers; gayana--singers; bhata--blessers; akincana jana--poor men; dhana diya--giving them riches; kaila--did; sabara--everyone's; mana--honor.

TRANSLATION

Whatever riches Jagannatha Misra collected in the form of gifts and presentations, and whatever he had in his house, he distributed among the brahmanas, professional singers, dancers, bhatas and the poor. He honored them all by giving them riches in charity.






TEXT 110

srivasera brahmani, nama tanra 'malini',
acaryaratnera patni-sange
sindura, haridra, taila, kha-i, kala, narikela,
diya puje narigana range

SYNONYMS

srivasera brahmani--the wife of Srivasa Thakura; nama--name; tanra--her; malini--of the name Malini; acaryaratnera--of Candrasekhara (Acaryaratna); patni--wife; sange--along with; sindura--vermilion; haridra--turmeric; taila--oil; kha-i--fused rice; kala--banana; narikela--coconut; diya--giving; puje--worship; nari-gana--ladies; range--in a happy mood.

TRANSLATION

The wife of Srivasa Thakura, whose name was Malini, accompanied by the wife of Candrasekhara [Acaryaratna] and other ladies, came there in great happiness to worship the baby with paraphernalia such as vermilion, turmeric, oil, fused rice, bananas and coconuts.

PURPORT

Vermilion, kha-i (fused rice), bananas, coconuts and turmeric mixed with oil are all auspicious gifts for such a ceremony. As there is puffed rice, so there is another preparation of rice called kha-i, or fused rice, which, along with bananas, is taken as a very auspicious presentation. Also, turmeric mixed with oil and vermilion makes an auspicious ointment that is smeared over the body of a newly born baby or a person who is going to marry. These are all auspicious activities in family affairs. We see that five hundred years ago at the birth of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu all these ceremonies were performed rigidly, but at present such ritualistic performances hardly ever take place. Generally a pregnant mother is sent to the hospital, and as soon as her child is born he is washed with an antiseptic, and this concludes everything.






TEXT 111

advaita-acarya-bharya, jagat-pujita arya,
nama tanra 'sita thakurani'
acaryera ajna pana, gela upahara lana,
dekhite balaka-siromani

SYNONYMS

advaita-acarya-bharya--the wife of Advaita Acarya; jagat-pujita--worshiped by the whole world; arya--the most advanced cultured lady; nama--name; tanra--her; sita thakurani--mother Sita; acaryera ajna pana--taking the order of Advaita Acarya; gela--went; upahara--presentation; lana--taking; dekhite--to see; balaka--the child; siromani--topmost.

TRANSLATION

One day shortly after Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was born, Advaita Acarya's wife, Sitadevi, who is worshipable by the whole world, took her husband's permission and went to see that topmost child with all kinds of gifts and presentations.

PURPORT

It appears that Advaita Acarya had two different houses, one at Santipura and one at Navadvipa. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was born, Advaita Acarya was residing not at His Navadvipa house but at His Santipura house. Therefore, as formerly explained (text 99), from Advaita's old paternal house in Santipura (nijalaya)Sita came to Navadvipa to present gifts to the newly born child, Caitanya Mahaprabhu.






TEXT 112

suvarnera kadi-ba-uli, rajatamudra-pasuli,
suvarnera angada, kankana
du-bahute divya sankha, rajatera malabanka,
svarna-mudrara nana haragana

SYNONYMS

suvarnera--made of gold; kadi-ba-uli--bangles worn on the hand; rajata-mudra--gold coins; pasuli--a kind of ornament covering the foot; suvarnera--made of gold; angada--a kind of ornament; kankana--another kind of ornament for the hand; du-bahute--in two arms; divya--celestial; sankha--conchshell; rajatera--made of gold; malabanka--bangles for the foot; svarna-mudrara--made of gold; nana--varieties; hara-gana--necklaces.

TRANSLATION

She brought different kinds of golden ornaments, including bangles for the hand, armlets, necklaces and anklets.






TEXT 113

vyaghra-nakha hema-jadi, kati-pattasutra-dori
hasta-padera yata abharana
citra-varna patta-sadi, buni photo pattapadi,
svarna-raupya-mudra bahu-dhana

SYNONYMS

vyaghra-nakha--tiger nails; hema-jadi--set in gold; kati-pattasutra-dori--silken thread for the waist; hasta-padera--of the hands and legs; yata--all kinds of; abharana--ornaments; citra-varna--printed with varieties of colors; patta-sadi--silken saris; buni--woven; photo--small jackets for children; patta-padi--with embroidery of silk; svarna--gold; raupya--silver; mudra--coins; bahu-dhana--all kinds of riches.

TRANSLATION

There were also tiger nails set in gold, waist decorations of silk and lace, ornaments for the hands and legs, nicely printed silken saris and a child's garment, also made of silk. Many other riches, including gold and silver coins, were also presented to the child.

PURPORT

From the gifts presented by Sita Thakurani, Advaita Acarya's wife, it appears that Advaita Acarya was at that time a very rich man. Although brahmanas are not the rich men of society, Advaita Acarya, being the leader of the brahmanas in Santipura, was considerably well-to-do. Therefore He presented many ornaments to the baby, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But Kamalakanta Visvasa's asking for three hundred rupees from the King of Jagannatha Puri, Maharaja Prataparudra, on the plea that Advaita Acarya was in debt for that amount, indicates that such a rich man, who could present many valuable ornaments, saris, etc., thought it difficult to repay three hundred rupees. Therefore the value of a rupee at that time was many thousands of times greater than it is now. At the present, no one feels difficulty over a debt of three hundred rupees, nor can an ordinary man accumulate such valuable ornaments to present to a friend's son. Probably the value of three hundred rupees at that time was equal to the present value of thirty thousand rupees.






TEXT 114

durva, dhanya, gorocana, haridra, kunkuma, candana,
mangala-dravya patra bhariya
vastra-gupta dola cadi' sange lana dasi cedi,
vastralankara petari bhariya

SYNONYMS

durva--fresh grass; dhanya--rice paddy; gorocana--a yellow patch for the head of a cow; haridra--turmeric; kunkuma--a kind of scent produced in Kashmir; candana--sandalwood; mangala-dravya--auspicious things; patra bhariya--filling up a dish; vastra-gupta--covered by cloth; dola--palanquin; cadi'--riding; sange--along with; lana--taking; dasi--maidservant; cedi--female attendants; vastra-alankara--ornaments and clothes; petari--basket; bhariya--filled up.

TRANSLATION

Riding in a palanquin covered with cloth and accompanied by maidservants, Sita Thakurani came to the house of Jagannatha Misra, bringing with her many auspicious articles such as fresh grass, paddy, gorocana, turmeric, kunkuma and sandalwood. All these presentations filled a large basket.

PURPORT

The words vastra-gupta dola are very significant in this verse. Even fifty or sixty years ago in Calcutta, all respectable ladies would go to a neighboring place riding on a palanquin carried by four men. The palanquin was covered with soft cotton, and in that way there was no chance to see a respectable lady traveling in public. Ladies, especially those coming from respectable families, could not be seen by ordinary men. This system is still current in remote places. The Sanskrit word asurya-pasya indicates that a respectable lady could not be seen even by the sun. In the oriental culture this system was very much prevalent and was strictly observed by respectable ladies, both Hindu and Muslim. We have actual experience in our childhood that our mother would not go next door to her house to observe an invitation by walking; she would go in either a carriage or a palanquin carried by four men. This custom was also strictly followed five hundred years ago, and the wife of Advaita Acarya, being a very respectable lady, observed the customary rules current in that social environment.






TEXT 115

bhaksya, bhojya, upahara, sange la-ila bahu bhara,
saci-grhe haila upanita
dekhiya balaka-thama, saksat gokula-kana,
varna-matra dekhi viparita

SYNONYMS

bhaksya--foods; bhojya--fried foods; upahara--presentation; sange--along with her; la-ila--took; bahu bhara--many packages; saci-grhe--in the house of mother Saci; haila--was; upanita--carried; dekhiya--seeing; balaka-thama--the feature of the child; saksat--directly; gokula-kana--Lord Krsna of Gokula; varna-matra--only the color; dekhi--seeing; viparita--opposite.

TRANSLATION

When Sita Thakurani came to the house of Sacidevi, bringing with her many kinds of eatables, dresses and other gifts, she was astonished to see the newly born child, for she appreciated that except for a difference in color, the child was directly Krsna of Gokula Himself.

PURPORT

A petari is a kind of big basket that is carried in pairs on the ends of a rod balanced over the shoulders. The man who carries such a load is called a bhari. This system of carrying luggage and packages is still current in India and other oriental countries, and we have seen that the same system is still current even in Jakarta, Indonesia.






TEXT 116

sarva anga----sunirmana, suvarna-pratima-bhana,
sarva anga----sulaksanamaya
balakera divya jyoti, dekhi' paila bahu priti,
vatsalyete dravila hrdaya

SYNONYMS

sarva anga--all different parts of the body; sunirmana--well constructed; suvarna--gold; pratima--form; bhana--like; sarva--all; anga--parts of the body; sulaksana-maya--full of auspicious signs; balakera--of the child; divya--transcendental; jyoti--effulgence; dekhi'--seeing; paila--got; bahu--much; priti--satisfaction; vatsalyete--by parental affection; dravila--melted; hrdaya--her heart.

TRANSLATION

Seeing the transcendental bodily effulgence of the child, each of His nicely constructed limbs full of auspicious signs and resembling a form of gold, Sita Thakurani was very much pleased, and because of her maternal affection, she felt as if her heart were melting.






TEXT 117

durva, dhanya, dila sirse, kaila bahu asise,
cirajivi hao dui bhai
dakini-sankhini haite, sanka upajila cite,
dare nama thuila 'nimai'

SYNONYMS

durva--fresh grass; dhanya--paddy; dila--gave; sirse--on the head; kaila--did; bahu--with much; asise--blessing; cira-jivi--live long; hao--become; dui bhai--two brothers; dakini-sankhini--ghosts and witches; haite--from; sanka--doubt; upajila--grew; cite--in the heart; dare--out of fear; nama--name; thuila--kept; nimai--Lord Caitanya's childhood name, derived from the nima (nimba) tree.

TRANSLATION

She blessed the newly born child by placing fresh grass and paddy on His head and saying, "May You be blessed with a long duration of life." But being afraid of ghosts and witches, she gave the child the name Nimai.

PURPORT

Dakini and Sankhini are two companions of Lord Siva and his wife who are supposed to be extremely inauspicious, having been born of ghostly life. It is believed that such inauspicious living creatures cannot go near a nima tree. At least medically it is accepted that nima wood is extremely antiseptic, and formerly it was customary to have a nima tree in front of one's house. On very large roads in India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, there are hundreds and thousands of nima trees. Nima wood is so antiseptic that the Ayurvedic science uses it to cure leprosy. Medical scientists have extracted the active principle of the nima tree, which is called margosic acid. Nima is used for many purposes, especially to brush the teeth. In Indian villages ninety percent of the people use nima twigs for this purpose. Because of all the antiseptic effects of the nima tree and because Lord Caitanya was born beneath a nima tree, Sita Thakurani gave the Lord the name Nimai. Later in His youth He was celebrated as Nimai Pandita, and in the neighborhood villages He was called by that name, although His real name was Visvambhara.






TEXT 118

putramata-snanadine, dila vastra vibhusane,
putra-saha misrere sammani'
saci-misrera puja lana, manete harisa hana,
ghare aila sita thakurani

SYNONYMS

putra-mata--of the mother and child; snana-dine--on the day of bathing; dila--gave; vastra--cloth; vibhusane--ornaments; putra-saha--with the child; misrere--unto Jagannatha Misra; sammani'--congratulating; saci--Sacidevi; misrera--Jagannatha Misra; puja--honor; lana--receiving; manete--within the mind; harisa--pleased; hana--becoming; ghare--home; aila--returned; sita thakurani--mother Sita, wife of Advaita Acarya.

TRANSLATION

On the day the mother and son bathed and left the maternity home, Sita Thakurani gave them all kinds of ornaments and garments and then also honored Jagannatha Misra. Then Sita Thakurani, being honored by mother Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra, was greatly happy within her mind, and thus she returned home.

PURPORT

On the fifth day from the birth of a child, as also on the ninth day, the mother bathes either in the Ganges or in a sacred place. This is called niskramana, or the ceremony of coming out of the maternity home. Nowadays the maternity home is a hospital, but formerly in every respectable house one room was set aside as a maternity home where children would take birth, and on the ninth day after the birth of a child the mother would come into the regular rooms in the ceremony called niskramana. Of the ten purificatory processes, niskramana is one. Formerly, especially in Bengal, the higher castes observed four months after the birth of a child as a quarantine. At the end of the fourth month, the mother first had to see the sun rise. Later the higher castes, namely, the brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas, observed only twenty-one days as a quarantine, whereas the sudras had to observe thirty days. For the sections of society known as kartabhaja and satima, the mother of the child was immediately purified after the quarantine by the throwing of hari-nuta, small pieces of sweetmeat, in sankirtana. Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra, with the newly born child, were honored by Sita Thakurani. Similarly, while Sita Thakurani was returning home, she was also honored by Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra. That was the system in respectable families of Bengal.






TEXT 119

aiche saci-jagannatha, putra pana laksminatha,
purna ha-ila sakala vanchita
dhana-dhanye bhare ghara, lokamanya kalevara,
dine dine haya anandita

SYNONYMS

aiche--in that way; saci-jagannatha--mother Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra; putra--son; pana--having obtained; laksmi-natha--personally the husband of the goddess of fortune; purna--fulfilled; ha-ila--became; sakala--all; vanchita--desires; dhana-dhanye--with riches and grains; bhare ghara--the house filled up; loka-manya kalevara--the body beloved by the people in general; dine dine--day after day; haya--becomes; anandita--pleased.

TRANSLATION

In this way mother Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra, having obtained a son who was the husband of the goddess of fortune, had all their desires fulfilled. Their house was always filled with riches and grains. As they saw the beloved body of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, day after day their pleasure increased.

PURPORT

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore everyone offered their respects to Him. Even the denizens of heaven used to come in the dress of ordinary men to offer their respect to the Lord. His father and mother, Jagannatha Misra and Sacidevi, seeing the honor of their transcendental son, also became very much pleased within their hearts.






TEXT 120

misra----vaisnava, santa, alampata, suddha, danta,
dhana-bhoge nahi abhimana
putrera prabhave yata, dhana asi' mile, tata,
visnu-prite dvije dena dana

SYNONYMS

misra--Jagannatha Misra; vaisnava--a great devotee; santa--peaceful; alampata--very regular; suddha--purified; danta--controlled; dhana-bhoge--in the matter of enjoying material happiness; nahi--there is no; abhimana--desire; putrera--of their son; prabhave--by the influence; yata--all; dhana--riches; asi'--coming; mile--gets; tata--so much so; visnu-prite--for the satisfaction of Lord Visnu; dvije--to the brahmanas; dena--gives; dana--charity.

TRANSLATION

Jagannatha Misra was an ideal Vaisnava. He was peaceful, restrained in sense gratification, pure and controlled. Therefore he had no desire to enjoy material opulence. Whatever money came because of the influence of his transcendental son, he gave it in charity to the brahmanas for the satisfaction of Visnu.






TEXT 121

lagna gani' harsamati, nilambara cakravarti,
gupte kichu kahila misrere
mahapurusera cihna, lagne ange bhinna bhinna,
dekhi,----ei taribe samsare

SYNONYMS

lagna gani'--by astrological calculation of the birth moment; harsa-mati--very pleased; nilambara cakravarti--of the name Nilambara Cakravarti; gupte--in private; kichu--something; kahila--said; misrere--unto Jagannatha Misra; maha-purusera cihna--all the symptoms of a great personality; lagne--in the birth moment; ange--on the body; bhinna bhinna--different; dekhi--I see; ei--this child; taribe--shall deliver; samsare--all the three worlds.

TRANSLATION

After calculating the birth moment of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nilambara Cakravarti privately said to Jagannatha Misra that he saw all the different symptoms of a great personality in both the body and birth moment of the child. Thus he understood that in the future this child would deliver all the three worlds.






TEXT 122

aiche prabhu saci-ghare, krpaya kaila avatare,
yei iha karaye sravana
gaura-prabhu dayamaya, tanre hayena sadaya,
sei paya tanhara carana

SYNONYMS

aiche--in this way; prabhu--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; saci-ghare--in the home of Sacidevi; krpaya--by His causeless mercy; kaila--made; avatare--advent; yei--anyone who; iha--this; karaye--does; sravana--hear; gaura-prabhu--Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; daya-maya--being very merciful; tanre--upon him; hayena--becomes; sa-daya--merciful; sei--that person; paya--gets; tanhara--His; carana--lotus feet.

TRANSLATION

In this way Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, out of His causeless mercy, made His advent in the house of Sacidevi. Lord Caitanya is very merciful to anyone who hears this narration of His birth, and thus such a person attains the lotus feet of the Lord.






TEXT 123

paiya manusa janma, ye na sune gaura-guna,
hena janma tara vyartha haila
paiya amrtadhuni, piye visa-garta-pani,
janmiya se kene nahi maila

SYNONYMS

paiya manusa janma--anyone who has gotten the form of a human body; ye--who; na--does not; sune--hear; gaura-guna--the qualities of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; hena janma--such a birth; tara--his; vyartha haila--becomes useless; paiya--getting the opportunity; amrtadhuni--of the river of nectar; piye--drinks; visa-garta-pani--water in a poison pit of material happiness; janmiya--taking birth as a human being; se--he; kene--why; nahi--did not; maila--die.

TRANSLATION

Anyone who attains a human body but does not take to the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is baffled in his opportunity. Amrtadhuni is a flowing river of the nectar of devotional service. If after getting a human body one drinks the water in a poison pit of material happiness instead of the water of such a river, it would be better for him not to have lived, but to have died long ago.

PURPORT

In this connection Srimat Prabodhananda Sarasvati has composed the following verses in his Caitanya-candramrta (37, 36, 34):

acaitanyam idam visvam yadi caitanyam isvaram
na viduh sarva-sastra-jna hy api bhramyanti te janah
"This material world is without Krsna consciousness. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna consciousness personified. Therefore if a very learned scholar or scientist does not understand Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, certainly he is wandering uselessly in this world."

prasarita-maha-prema-piyusa-rasa-sagare
caitanya-candre prakate yo dino dina eva sah
"A person who does not take advantage of the nectar of devotional service overflowing during the presence of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's cult is certainly the poorest of the poor."

avatirne gaura-candre vistirne prema-sagare
suprakasita-ratnaughe yo dino dina eva sah
"The advent of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is just like an expanding ocean of nectar. One who does not collect the valuable jewels within this ocean is certainly the poorest of the poor."

Similarly, the Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.3.19, 20, 23) states:

sva-vid-varahostra-kharaih
samstutah purusah pasuh
na yat-karna-pathopeto
jatu nama gadagrajah

bile batorukrama-vikraman ye
na srnvatah karna-pute narasya
jihvasati dardurikeva suta
na copagayaty urugaya-gathah

jivan chavo bhagavatanghri-renum
na jatu martyo 'bhilabheta yas tu
sri-visnu-padya manujas tulasyah
svasan chavo yas tu na veda gandham

"A person who has no connection with Krsna consciousness may be a very great personality in so-called human society, but actually he is no better than a great animal. Such big animals are generally praised by other animals like dogs, hogs camels and asses. A person who does not lend his aural reception to hearing about the Supreme Personality of Godhead must be considered to have earholes like holes in a field. Although that person has a tongue, it is like the tongue of a frog, which unnecessarily creates a disturbance by croaking, inviting the snake of death. Similarly, a person who neither takes advantage of the dust of the lotus feet of great devotees nor smells the tulasi leaves offered to the lotus feet of the Lord must be considered dead even though he is supposedly working."

Similarly, the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, Chapter One, verse 4, states:

nivrtta-tarsair upagiyamanad
bhavausadhac chrotra-mano-'bhirama
t ka uttamasloka-gunanuvadat
puman virajyeta vina pasu-ghnat
"Who but the animal-killer or the killer of the soul will not care to hear glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Such glorification is enjoyed by persons liberated from the contamination of this material world."

Similarly, in the Third Canto, Chapter Twenty-three, verse 56, the Bhagavatam says, na tirtha-pada-sevayai jivann api mrto hi sah: "Although a person is apparently living, if he does not serve the lotus feet of great devotees he is to be considered a dead body."






TEXT 124

sri-caitanya-nityananda, acarya advaitacandra,
svarupa-rupa-raghunathadasa
inha-sabara sri-carana, sire vandi nija-dhana,
janma-lila gaila krsnadasa

SYNONYMS

sri-caitanya-nityananda--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu; acarya advaitacandra--Acarya Sri Advaitacandra; svarupa-rupa-raghunathadasa--Svarupa Damodara, Rupa Gosvami and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami; inha-sabara--of all of them; sri-carana--the lotus feet; sire--on the head; vandi--offering respect; nija-dhana--personal property; janma-lila--narration of the birth; gaila--sang; krsnadasa--Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami.

TRANSLATION

Taking on my head as my own property the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, Acarya Advaitacandra, Svarupa Damodara, Rupa Gosvami and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, I, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, have thus described the advent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

PURPORT

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda, Advaita Prabhu, Svarupa Damodara, Rupa Gosvami, Raghunatha dasa and their followers are all accepted by Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami. Anyone who follows in the footsteps of Kaviraja Gosvami also accepts the lotus feet of the above-mentioned lords as his personal property. For a materialistic person, material wealth and opulence are only illusory. Actually they are not possessions but entanglements because by enjoying the material world a conditioned soul becomes more and more entangled by incurring debts for his present enjoyment. Unfortunately, a conditioned soul considers property for which he is in debt to be his own, and he is very busy acquiring such property. But a devotee considers such property not real property but simply an entanglement in the material world. If Lord Krsna is very much pleased with a devotee, He takes away his material property, as stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.88.8), where Lord Krsna says, yasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad-dhanam sanaih. "To show special favor to a devotee, I take away all his material property." Similarly, Narottama dasa Thakura says:

dhana mora nityananda, radha-krsna-sricarana
sei mora pranadhana
"My real riches are Nityananda Prabhu and the lotus feet of Sri Radha and Krsna." He further prays, "O Lord, kindly give me this opulence. I do not want anything but Your lotus feet as my property." Srila Narottama dasa Thakura has sung in many places that his real property is the lotus feet of Radha and Krsna. Unfortunately we are interested in unreal property and are neglecting our real property (adhane yatana kari' dhana teyaginu).

Sometimes smartas consider Raghunatha dasa Gosvami a sudra. But Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami here especially mentions svarupa-rupa-raghunathadasa. Therefore one who considers the lotus feet of Raghunatha dasa to be transcendental to all divisions of the caste system enjoys the riches of actual spiritual bliss.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Thirteenth Chapter, describing the advent of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.


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