Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has given a summary of this chapter in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya: "In this Fourteenth Chapter of the Caitanya-caritamrta there is a description of how Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu enjoyed His childhood pastimes--crawling, crying, eating dirt and giving intelligence to His mother, favoring a brahmana guest, riding on the shoulders of two thieves and misleading them to His own house, and, on the plea of being diseased, taking prasada in the house of Hiranya and Jagadisa on the Ekadasi day. The chapter further describes how He displayed Himself as a naughty boy, how when His mother fainted He brought a coconut to her on His head, how He joked with girls of the same age on the banks of the Ganges, how He accepted worshipful paraphernalia from Srimati Laksmidevi, how He sat down in a garbage pit wherefrom He instructed transcendental knowledge, how He left the pit on the order of His mother, and how He dealt with His father with full affection."
kathancana--somehow or other; smrte--by remembering; yasmin--whom; duskaram--difficult things; sukaram--easy; bhavet--become; vismrte--by forgetting Him; viparitam--just the opposite; syat--become; sri-caitanyam--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; namami--I offer my respectful obeisances; tam--unto Him.
TRANSLATION
Things that are very difficult to do become easy to execute if one somehow or other simply remembers Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But if one does not remember Him, even easy things become very difficult. To this Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu I offer my respectful obeisances.
PURPORT
In his book Caitanya-candramrta Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati says: "One who receives a little favor from the Lord becomes so exalted that he does not care even for liberation, which is sought after by many great scholars and philosophers. Similarly, a devotee of Lord Caitanya considers residence in the heavenly planets a will-o'-the-wisp. He surpasses the perfection of mystic yoga power because for him the senses are like snakes with broken fangs." A snake is a very fearful and dangerous animal because of his poison fangs, but if these fangs are broken the appearance of a snake is no cause for fear. The yoga principles are meant to control the senses, but there is no scope for the senses of one engaged in the service of the Lord to be dangerous like snakes. These are the gifts of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
The Hari-bhakti-vilasa confirms that difficult things become easy to understand if one remembers Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and easy things become very difficult to understand if one forgets Him. We actually see that even those who are very great scientists in the eyes of the general public cannot understand the very simple idea that life comes from life because they do not have the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They defend the false understanding that life comes from matter, although they cannot prove that this is a fact. Modern civilization, therefore, progressing on the basis of this false scientific theory, is simply creating problems to be solved by the so-called scientists.
The author of Caitanya-caritamrta takes shelter of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to describe the pastimes of His appearance as a child because one cannot write such transcendental literature by mental speculation. One who writes about the Supreme Personality of Godhead must be especially favored by the Lord. Simply by academic qualifications it is not possible to write such literature.
jaya jaya--all glories; sri-caitanya--to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; jaya--all glories; nityananda--to Nityananda Prabhu; jaya advaita-candra--all glories to Advaita Acarya; jaya--all glories; gaura-bhakta-vrnda--to all the devotees of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
All glories to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu and all the devotees of Lord Caitanya!
TEXT 3
prabhura kahila ei janmalila-sutra
yasoda-nandana yaiche haila saci-putra
SYNONYMS
prabhura--of the Lord; kahila--I have spoken; ei--thus; janma-lila--pastimes of the birth; sutra--in summary; yasoda-nandana--the son of mother Yasoda; yaiche--as much as; haila--became; saci-putra--the son of mother Saci.
TRANSLATION
I have thus described in brief the advent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who appeared as the son of mother Saci, exactly as Krsna appeared as the son of mother Yasoda.
PURPORT
Srila Narottama dasa Thakura confirms this statement that now Lord Krsna, the son of mother Yasoda, has appeared again as Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, becoming the son of mother Saci:
"The son of Saci is none other than the son of mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja, and Nityananda Prabhu is the same Balarama."
TEXT 4
sanksepe kahila janmalila-anukrama
ebe kahi balyalila-sutrera ganana
SYNONYMS
sanksepe--in brief; kahila--I have spoken; janma-lila--the pastimes of birth; anukrama--chronological order; ebe--now; kahi--I shall speak; balya-lila--of the pastimes of childhood; sutrera--of the sutras; ganana--enumeration.
TRANSLATION
I have already briefly spoken about the pastimes of His birth in chronological order. Now I shall give a synopsis of His childhood pastimes.
TEXT 5
vande caitanya-krsnasya
balya-lilam mano-haram
laukikim api tam isa-
cestaya valitantaram
SYNONYMS
vande--I worship; caitanya-krsnasya--of Lord Caitanya, who is Krsna Himself; balya-lila--pastimes of childhood; manah-haram--which are so beautiful; laukikim--appearing ordinary; api--although; tam--those; isa-cestaya--by manifestation of supreme authority; valita-antaram--quite fit although appearing differently.
TRANSLATION
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the childhood pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Lord Krsna Himself. Although such pastimes appear exactly like those of an ordinary child, they should be understood as various pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gita (9.11) this statement is confirmed as follows:
avajananti mam mudha
manusim tanum asritam
param bhavam ajananto
mama bhuta-mahesvaram
"Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be." To execute His pastimes, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears on this planet or within this universe like an ordinary human being or human child, yet He maintains His superiority as the Supreme Lord. Lord Krsna appeared as a human child, but His uncommon activities, even in His childhood--like the killing of the demon Putana or lifting of Govardana Hill--were not the engagements of an ordinary child. Similarly, although the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, as they will be described in this chapter, appear like the activities of a small boy, they are uncommon pastimes impossible for an ordinary human child to execute.
TEXT 6
balya-lilaya age prabhura uttana sayana
pita-mataya dekhaila cihna carana
SYNONYMS
balya-lilaya--in His pastimes as a child; age--first of all; prabhura--of the Lord; uttana--turning the body; sayana--lying down; pita-mataya--unto the parents; dekhaila--showed; cihna--marks; carana--of the lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
In His first childhood pastimes the Lord turned upside down while lying on His bed, and thus He showed His parents the marks of His lotus feet.
PURPORT
The word uttana is also used to mean "lying down on the bed face upwards" or "lying down flat on the bed." In some readings the word is utthana, which means "standing up." In His childhood pastimes the Lord tried to catch the wall and stand up, but as an ordinary child falls down, so the Lord also fell down and again took to lying on His bed.
TEXT 7
grhe dui jana dekhi laghupada-cihna
tahe sobhe dhvaja, vajra, sankha, cakra, mina
SYNONYMS
grhe--at home; dui jana--the father and mother; dekhi--seeing; laghu-pada-cihna--the marks of the lotus feet, which were very small at that time; tahe--in those; sobhe--which were beautifully visible; dhvaja--flag; vajra--thunderbolts; sankha--conchshell; cakra--disc; mina--fish.
TRANSLATION
When the Lord tried to walk, in His small footprints the specific marks of Lord Visnu were visible, namely, the flag, thunderbolt, conchshell, disc and fish.
TEXT 8
dekhiya donhara citte janmila vismaya
kara pada-cihna ghare, na paya niscaya
SYNONYMS
dekhiya--seeing all these marks; donhara--of the parents, Sacimata and Jagannatha Misra; citte--in their hearts; janmila--there was; vismaya--wonder; kara--whose; pada-cihna--footprints; ghare--at home; na--does not; paya--get; niscaya--certainty.
TRANSLATION
Seeing all these marks, neither His father nor His mother could understand whose footprints they were. Thus struck with wonder, they could not understand how those marks could be possible in their home.
TEXT 9
misra kahe,----balagopala ache sila-sange
tenho murti hana ghare khele, jani, range
SYNONYMS
misra kahe--Jagannatha Misra said; bala-gopala--Lord Krsna as a child; ache--there is; sila-sange--along with the salagrama-sila; tenho--He; murti hana--taking His transcendental form; ghare--within the room; khele--plays; jani--I understand; range--in curiosity.
TRANSLATION
Jagannatha Misra said, "Certainly child Krsna is with the salagrama-sila. Taking His childhood form, He is playing within the room."
PURPORT
When the form of the Lord is carved from wood, stone or any other element, it is to be understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is there. Even logically we can understand that all material elements are expansions of the energy of the Lord. Since the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is nondifferent from His personal body, the Lord is always present in His energy, and He manifests Himself on account of the ardent desire of a devotee. Since the Lord is supremely powerful, it is logical that He can manifest Himself in His energy. Deity worship or worship of the salagrama-sila is not idol worship. The Deity of the Lord in the house of a pure devotee can act exactly as He can in His original transcendental personality.
TEXT 10
sei ksane jagi' nimai karaye krandana
anke lana saci tanre piyaila stana
SYNONYMS
sei ksane--immediately; jagi'--awakening; nimai--the Lord of the name Nimai; karaye--does; krandana--crying; anke--on the lap; lana--taking; saci--mother Saci; tanre--Him; piyaila--caused to suck; stana--breast.
TRANSLATION
While mother Saci and Jagannatha Misra were talking, the child Nimai woke up and began to cry, and mother Saci took Him on her lap and allowed Him to suck her breast.
stana--her breast; piyaite--while letting Him suck; putrera--of her son; carana--lotus feet; dekhila--observed; sei--those very; cihna--marks; paye--on the sole; dekhi'--seeing; misre--Jagannatha Misra; bolaila--called for.
TRANSLATION
While mother Saci was feeding the child from her breast, she saw on His lotus feet all the marks that were visible on the floor of the room, and she called for Jagannatha Misra.
TEXT 12
dekhiya misrera ha-ila anandita mati
gupte bolaila nilambara cakravarti
SYNONYMS
dekhiya--by seeing; misrera--of Jagannatha Misra; ha-ila--became; anandita--satisfied; mati--intelligence; gupte--privately; bolaila--called for; nilambara cakravarti--of the name Nilambara Cakravarti.
TRANSLATION
When Jagannatha Misra saw the wonderful marks on the sole of his son, he became very joyful and privately called for Nilambara Cakravarti.
panca-dirghah--five large; panca-suksmah--five fine; sapta-raktah--seven reddish; sat-unnatah--six raised; tri-hrasva--three small; prthu--three broad; gambhirah--three grave; dva-trimsat--in this way thirty-two; laksanah--symptoms; mahan--of a great personality.
TRANSLATION
" 'There are thirty-two bodily symptoms of a great personality: five of his bodily parts are large, five fine, seven reddish, six raised, three small, three broad and three grave.' "
PURPORT
The five large parts are the nose, arms, chin, eyes and knees. The five fine parts are the skin, fingertips, teeth, hair on the body and hair on the head. The seven reddish parts are the eyes, soles, palms, palate, nails, and upper and lower lips. The six raised parts are the chest, shoulders, nails, nose, waist and mouth. The three small parts are the neck, thighs and male organ. The three broad parts are the waist, forehead and chest. The three grave parts are the navel, voice and existence. Altogether these are the thirty-two symptoms of a great personality. This is a quotation from the Samudrika.
TEXT 16
narayanera cihna-yukta sri-hasta carana
ei sisu sarva loke karibe tarana
SYNONYMS
narayanera--of Lord Narayana; cihna-yukta--with positive marks; sri-hasta carana--the palm and the sole; ei--this; sisu--baby; sarva loke--all the three worlds; karibe--will; tarana--deliver.
TRANSLATION
"This baby has all the symptoms of Lord Narayana on His palms and soles. He will be able to deliver all the three worlds."
TEXT 17
ei ta' karibe vaisnava-dharmera pracara
iha haite habe dui kulera nistara
SYNONYMS
ei ta'--this child; karibe--will do; vaisnava--of Vaisnavism, or devotional service; dharmera--of the religion; pracara--preaching; iha haite--from this; habe--there will be; dui--two; kulera--dynasties; nistara--deliverance.
TRANSLATION
"This child will preach the Vaisnava cult and deliver both His maternal and paternal families."
PURPORT
Only Narayana Himself or His bona fide representative can preach the cult of Vaisnavism, or devotional service. When a Vaisnava is born, he delivers both his maternal and paternal families simultaneously.
TEXT 18
mahotsava kara, saba bolaha brahmana
aji dina bhala,----kariba nama-karana
"I propose to perform a name-giving ceremony. We should observe a festival and call for the brahmanas because today is very auspicious."
PURPORT
It is a Vedic principle to observe a festival in connection with Narayana and brahmanas. Giving a child a particular name is among the purificatory processes known as dasa-vidha-samskara, and on the day of such a ceremony one should observe a festival by worshiping Narayana and distributing prasada, chiefly among the brahmanas.
When Nilambara Cakravarti, Sacimata and Jagannatha Misra understood from the marks on the Lord's lotus feet that the child Nimai was not an ordinary child but an incarnation of Narayana, they decided that on that very same day, which was very auspicious, they should observe a festival for His name-giving ceremony. In this connection we can particularly see how an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is ascertained by His bodily symptoms, His activities and the prediction of the sastras. By factual evidence a person can be accepted as an incarnation of God, not whimsically or by the votes of rascals and fools. There have been many imitation incarnations in Bengal since the appearance of Lord Caitanya, but any impartial devotee or learned man can understand that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was accepted as an incarnation of Krsna not on the basis of popular votes but by evidence from the sastras and bona fide scholars. It was not ordinary men who accepted Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the beginning His identity was ascertained by learned scholars like Nilambara Cakravarti, and later all His activities were confirmed by the six Gosvamis, especially Srila Jiva Gosvami and Srila Rupa Gosvami, and many other learned scholars, with evidence from the sastra. An incarnation of God is such from the very beginning of His life. It is not that by performing meditation one can become an incarnation of God all of a sudden. Such false incarnations are meant for fools and rascals, not sane men.
TEXT 19
sarva-lokera karibe ihan dharana, posana
'visvambhara' nama ihara,----ei ta' karana
SYNONYMS
sarva-lokera--of all people; karibe--will do; ihan--this child; dharana--protection; posana--maintenance; visvambhara--the name Visvambhara; nama--name; ihara--His; ei--this; ta'--certainly; karana--the reason.
TRANSLATION
"In the future this child will protect and maintain all the world. For this reason He is to be called Visvambhara."
PURPORT
The Caitanya-bhagavata also confirms that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by His birth, has made the whole world peaceful, as in the past Narayana protected this earth in His incarnation as Varaha. Because of His protecting and maintaining this world in the present Kali-yuga, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Visvambhara, which refers to one who feeds the entire world. The movement inaugurated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu when He was present five hundred years ago is again being propagated all over the world, and factually we are seeing its practical results. People are being saved, protected and maintained by this Hare Krsna movement. Thousands of followers, especially Western youths, are taking part in this Hare Krsna movement, and how safe and happy they feel can be understood from the expressions of gratitude in their hundreds and thousands of letters. The name Visvambhara is also mentioned in the Atharva-veda-samhita (3.3.16.5): visvambhara visvena ma bharasa pahi svaha.
TEXT 20
suni' saci-misrera mane ananda badila
brahmana-brahmani ani' mahotsava kaila
SYNONYMS
suni'--hearing this; saci--of mother Saci; misrera--and of Jagannatha Misra; mane--within the minds; ananda--pleasure; badila--increased; brahmana--the brahmanas; brahmani--and their wives; ani'--inviting them; mahotsava--a festival; kaila--observed.
TRANSLATION
After hearing Nilambara Cakravarti's prediction, Sacimata and Jagannatha Misra observed the name-giving festival in great joy, inviting all the brahmanas and their wives.
PURPORT
It is the Vedic system to observe all kinds of festivals, including birthday festivals, marriage festivals, name-giving festivals and festivals marking the beginning of education, by especially inviting brahmanas. In every festival the brahmanas are to be fed first, and when the brahmanas are pleased they bless the festival by chanting Vedic mantras or the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.
TEXT 21
tabe kata dine prabhura janu-cankramana
nana camatkara tatha karaila darsana
After some days the Lord began to crawl on His knees, and He caused various wonderful things to be seen.
PURPORT
The Caitanya-bhagavata describes that one day while the Lord was crawling upon His knees, the bells on His waist ringing very sweetly, a snake came out to crawl in the yard of the Lord, who captured the snake like a curious child. Immediately the snake coiled over Him. The Lord as a child then rested on the snake, and after some time the snake went away, leaving aside the Lord.
TEXT 22
krandanera chale balaila hari-nama
nari saba 'hari' bale,----hase gaura-dhama
SYNONYMS
krandanera--of crying; chale--on the pretense of; balaila--caused to speak; hari-nama--the holy name of the Lord; nari--ladies; saba--all; 'hari' bale--chant the holy name of the Lord; hase--laughs; gaura-dhama--Lord Sri Caitanya as a child.
TRANSLATION
The Lord caused all the ladies to chant the holy names of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra on the plea of His crying, and while they chanted the Lord would smile.
PURPORT
In the Caitanya-bhagavata this pastime is described as follows: "The Lord, with His beautiful eyes, would cry, but He would stop immediately upon hearing the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. When the ladies, understanding the fun of the Lord, discovered that He would cry and then stop upon hearing the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, they all took it as a clue to chant Hare Krsna as soon as the Lord cried. Thus it became a regular function. The Lord would cry, and the ladies would begin chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, clapping their hands. In this way all the ladies of the neighboring houses would assemble in the home of Sacimata to join in the sankirtana movement twenty-four hours a day. As long as the ladies continued to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, the Lord would not cry but very pleasingly smile upon them."
TEXT 23
tabe kata dine kaila pada-cankramana
sisu-gane mili' kaila vividha khelana
SYNONYMS
tabe--thereafter; kata dine--in a few days; kaila--did; pada--legs; cankramana--movement; sisu-gane--all the children; mili'--mingling together; kaila--executed; vividha--varieties; khelana--sporting.
TRANSLATION
After some days the Lord began to move His legs and walk. He mixed with other children and exhibited various sports.
TEXT 24
ekadina saci kha-i-sandesa aniya
bata bhari' diya baila,----khao ta' basiya
One day while the Lord was enjoying His playful sports with the other little children, mother Saci brought a dish filled with fused rice and sweetmeats and asked the child to sit down and eat them.
TEXT 25
eta bali' gela saci grhe karma karite
lukana lagila sisu mrttika khaite
SYNONYMS
eta bali'--saying this; gela--returned; saci--mother Saci; grhe--in the house; karma--duties; karite--to execute; lukana--hiding; lagila--began; sisu--the child; mrttika--dirt; khaite--to eat.
TRANSLATION
But when she returned to her household duties, the child hid from His mother and began to eat dirt.
TEXT 26
dekhi' saci dhana aila kari' 'haya, haya'
mati kadi' lana kahe 'mati kene khaya'
SYNONYMS
dekhi'--seeing this; saci--mother Saci; dhana--rushing; aila--came back; kari'--making a noise; haya, haya--"What is this! What is this!"; mati--dirt; kadi'--snatching; lana--taking; kahe--she said; 'mati kene khaya'--why is the child eating dirt?
TRANSLATION
Seeing this, mother Saci hastily returned and exclaimed, "What is this! What is this!" She snatched the dirt from the hands of the Lord and inquired why He was eating it.
TEXT 27
kandiya balena sisu,----kene kara rosa
tumi mati khaite dile, mora kiba dosa
"Fused rice, sweetmeats and all other eatables are but transformations of dirt. This is dirt, that is dirt. Please consider. What is the difference between them?"
TEXT 29
mati----deha, mati----bhaksya, dekhaha vicari'
avicare deha dosa, ki balite pari
SYNONYMS
mati--dirt; deha--this body; mati--dirt; bhaksya--eatable; dekhaha--just try to see; vicari'--by consideration; avicare--without considering; deha--you put; dosa--fault upon Me; ki--what; balite--to say; pari--I am able.
TRANSLATION
"This body is a transformation of dirt, and the eatables are also a transformation of dirt. Please reflect upon this. You are blaming Me without consideration. What can I say?"
PURPORT
This is an explanation of the Mayavada philosophy, which takes everything to be one. The necessities of the body, namely, eating, sleeping, mating and defending, are all unnecessary in spiritual life. When one is elevated to the spiritual platform there are no more bodily necessities, and in activities pertaining to the bodily necessities there are no spiritual considerations. In other words, the more we eat, sleep, have sex and try to defend ourselves, the more we engage in material activities. Unfortunately, Mayavadi philosophers consider devotional activities to be bodily activities. They cannot understand the simple explanation in Bhagavad-gita (14.26):
mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate
"Anyone who engages in spiritual devotional service without motivation, rendering such service for the satisfaction of the Lord, is elevated immediately to the spiritual platform, and all his activities are spiritual." Brahma-bhuyaya refers to Brahman (spiritual) activities. Although Mayavadi philosophers are very eager to merge into the Brahman effulgence, they have no Brahman activities. To a certain extent they recommend Brahman activities, which for them means engagement in studying the Vedanta and Sankhya philosophies, but their interpretations are but dry speculation. Lacking the varieties of spiritual activity, they cannot stay for long on that platform of simply studying Vedanta or Sankhya philosophy.
Life is meant for varieties of enjoyment. The living entity is by nature full of an enjoying spirit, as stated in the Vedanta-sutra (1.1.12): ananda-mayo 'bhyasat. In devotional service the activities are variegated and full of enjoyment. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (9.2), all devotional activities are easy to perform (su-sukham kartum) and they are eternal and spiritual (avyayam). Since Mayavadi philosophers cannot understand this, they take it for granted that a devotee's activities (sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam, etc.) are all material and are therefore maya. They also consider Krsna's advent in this universe and His activities to be maya. Therefore, because they consider everything maya, they are known as Mayavadis.
Actually, any activities performed favorably for the satisfaction of the Lord, under the direction of the spiritual master, are spiritual. But for a person to disregard the order of the spiritual master and act by concoction, accepting his nonsensical activities to be spiritual, is maya. One must achieve the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the mercy of the spiritual master. Therefore one must first please the spiritual master, and if he is pleased, then we should understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also pleased. But if the spiritual master is displeased by our actions, they are not spiritual. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura confirms this: yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto 'pi. Activities that please the spiritual master must be considered spiritual, and they should be accepted as satisfying to the Lord.
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as the supreme spiritual master, instructed His mother about the Mayavada philosophy. By saying that the body is dirt and eatables are also dirt, He implied that everything is maya. This is Mayavada philosophy. The philosophy of the Mayavadis is defective because it maintains that everything is maya but the nonsense they speak. While saying that everything is maya, the Mayavadi philosopher loses the opportunity of devotional service, and therefore his life is doomed. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore advised, mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa (Cc. Madhya 6.169). If one accepts the Mayavada philosophy, his advancement is doomed forever.
Astonished that the child was speaking Mayavada philosophy, mother Saci replied, "Who has taught You this philosophical speculation that justifies eating dirt?"
PURPORT
In the philosophical discourse between the mother and the son, when the son said that everything is one, as impersonalists say, the mother replied, "If everything is one, why do people in general not eat dirt but eat the food grains produced from the dirt?"
TEXT 31
matira vikara anna khaile deha-pusti haya
mati khaile roga haya, deha yaya ksaya
Replying to the Mayavada idea of the child philosopher, mother Saci said, "My dear boy, if we eat earth transformed into grains, our body is nourished, and it becomes strong. But if we eat dirt in its crude state, the body becomes diseased instead of nourished, and thus it is destroyed."
TEXT 32
matira vikara ghate pani bhari' ani
mati-pinde dhari yabe, sosi' yaya pani"
SYNONYMS
matira--of the dirt; vikara--transformation; ghate--in the waterpot; pani--water; bhari'--filling; ani--I can bring; mati--of dirt; pinde--on the lump; dhari--I hold; yabe--when; sosi'--soaking; yaya--goes; pani--the water.
TRANSLATION
"In a waterpot, which is a transformation of dirt, I can bring water very easily. But if I poured water on a lump of dirt, the lump would soak up the water, and my labor would be useless."
PURPORT
This simple philosophy propounded by Sacimata, even though she is a woman, can defeat the Mayavadi philosophers who speculate on oneness. The defect of Mayavada philosophy is that it does not accept the variety that is useful for practical purposes. Sacimata gave the example that although both the lump of dirt and the earthen pot are basically one, for practical purposes the waterpot is useful whereas the lump of dirt is useless. Sometimes scientists argue that matter and spirit are one, with no difference between them. Factually, in a higher sense, there is no difference between matter and spirit, but one should have practical knowledge that matter, being an inferior state, is useless for our spiritual, blissful life, whereas spirit, being a finer state of existence, is full of bliss. In this connection the Bhagavatam gives the example that dirt and fire are practically one and the same. From the earth grow trees, and from their wood come fire and smoke. Nevertheless, for heat we can utilize the fire but not the earth, smoke or wood. Therefore, for the ultimate realization of the goal of life, we are concerned with the fire of the spirit, but not the dull wood or earth of matter.
TEXT 33
atma lukaite prabhu balila tanhare
"age kena iha, mata, na sikhale more
The Lord replied to His mother, "Why did you conceal self-realization by not teaching Me this practical philosophy in the beginning?
PURPORT
If one is taught from the beginning of life the Vaisnava philosophy of duality or variety, the monistic philosophy will not very much bother him. In reality, everything is an emanation from the supreme source (janmady asya yatah). The original energy is exhibited in varieties, exactly like the sunshine, the original energy emanating from the sun, which acts as light and heat in variety. One cannot say that light is heat and heat is light, yet one cannot separate one from the other. Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's philosophy is acintya-bhedabheda, inconceivable nonseparation and distinction. Although there is an affinity between the two physical manifestations light and heat, there is a difference between them. Similarly, although the whole cosmic manifestation is the Lord's energy, the energy is nevertheless exhibited in varieties of manifestations.
TEXT 34
ebe se janilan, ara mati na khaiba
ksudha lage yabe, tabe tomara stana piba"
"Now that I can understand this philosophy, no more shall I eat dirt. Whenever I am hungry I shall suck your breast and drink your breast's milk."
TEXT 35
eta bali' jananira kolete cadiya
stana pana kare prabhu isat hasiya
SYNONYMS
eta bali'--saying this; jananira--of the mother; kolete--on the lap; cadiya--rising; stana pana--sucking the nipple; kare--does; prabhu--the Lord; isat--slightly; hasiya--smiling.
TRANSLATION
After saying this, the Lord, smiling slightly, climbed on the lap of His mother and sucked her breast.
eimate--in this way; nana-chale--under different excuses; aisvarya--opulence; dekhaya--exhibits; balya-bhava--the status of a child; prakatiya--manifesting; pascat--thereafter; lukaya--hides Himself.
TRANSLATION
Thus under various excuses the Lord exhibited His opulences as much as possible in His childhood, and later, after exhibiting such opulences, He hid Himself.
TEXT 37
atithi-viprera anna khaila tina-bara
pache gupte sei vipre karila nistara
SYNONYMS
atithi--guest; viprera--of a brahmana; anna--food; khaila--ate; tina-bara--thrice; pache--afterwards; gupte--in privacy; sei--that; vipre--unto the brahmana; karila--made; nistara--deliverance.
TRANSLATION
On one occasion the Lord ate the food of a brahmana guest three times, and later, in confidence, the Lord delivered that brahmana from material engagement.
PURPORT
The story of the deliverance of this brahmana is as follows. One brahmana who was touring all over the country, traveling from one place of pilgrimage to another, reached Navadvipa and became a guest in the house of Jagannatha Misra. Jagannatha Misra gave him all ingredients for cooking, and the brahmana prepared his food. When the brahmana was offering the food to Lord Visnu in meditation, the child Nimai came before him and began to eat it, and because of this the brahmana thought the whole offering spoiled. Therefore by the request of Jagannatha Misra he cooked for a second time, but when he was meditating the child again came before him and began to eat the food, again spoiling the offering. By the request of Jagannatha Misra the brahmana cooked for a third time, but for a third time the Lord came before him and began to eat the food, although the child had been locked within a room and everyone was sleeping because it was late at night. Thus, thinking that on that day Lord Visnu was not willing to accept his food and that he was therefore ordained to fast, the brahmana became greatly agitated and cried aloud, haya haya: "What has been done! What has been done!". When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw the brahmana in that agitated state, He told him, "Formerly I was the son of mother Yasoda. At that time you also became a guest in the house of Nanda Maharaja, and I disturbed you in this way. I am very much pleased by your devotion. Therefore I am eating the food you have prepared." Understanding the favor offered to him by the Lord, the brahmana was greatly pleased, and he was overwhelmed with love of Krsna. He was thankful to the Lord, for he felt himself greatly fortunate. Then the Lord asked the brahmana not to disclose the incident to anyone else. This is very elaborately explained in the Caitanya-bhagavata, Adi-lila, Chapter Three.
TEXT 38
core lana gela prabhuke bahire paiya
tara skandhe cadi' aila tare bhulaiya
In His childhood the Lord was taken away by two thieves outside His home. The Lord, however, got up on the shoulders of the thieves, and while they were thinking they were safely carrying the child to rob His ornaments, the Lord misled them, and thus instead of going to their own home the thieves came back to the home of Jagannatha Misra.
PURPORT
In His childhood the Lord was profusely decorated with gold ornaments. Once upon a time He was playing outside His house, and two thieves passing on the street saw the opportunity to rob the Lord and therefore took Him on their shoulders, pleasing Him by offering Him some sweetmeats. The thieves thought they would carry the child to the forest and then kill Him and take away the ornaments. The Lord, however, expanded His illusory energy upon the thieves, so much so that instead of carrying Him to the forest they came right back in front of His house. When they came before His house they became afraid because everyone from the house of Jagannatha Misra and all the inhabitants of that quarter were busy searching for the child. Therefore the thieves, thinking it dangerous to remain, went away and left Him. The child was brought within the house and given to mother Saci, who was in great anxiety, and she became satisfied. This incident is also very elaborately explained in the Adi-lila of Caitanya-bhagavata, Third Chapter.
vyadhi-chale--on the plea of being diseased; jagadisa-hiranya--of the names Jagadisa and Hiranya; sadane--in the house of; visnu-naivedya--food offered to Lord Visnu; khaila--ate; ekadasi--of Ekadasi; dine--on the day.
TRANSLATION
Pretending to be sick, the Lord asked some food from the house of Hiranya and Jagadisa on the Ekadasi day.
PURPORT
The Caitanya-bhagavata, Adi-lila, Chapter Six, fully describes the Lord's accepting visnu-prasada on the Ekadasi day at the house of Jagadisa and Hiranya. Regular prasada is offered to Lord Visnu on Ekadasi because, while fasting is recommended for devotees on Ekadasi, it is not recommended for Lord Visnu. Once on Ekadasi in the house of Jagadisa and Hiranya Pandita there were arrangements for preparing special prasada for Lord Visnu, and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked His father to go there to ask for the visnu-prasada because He was feeling sick. The house of Jagadisa and Hiranya Pandita was situated about two miles from the house of Jagannatha Misra. Therefore when Jagannatha Misra, on the request of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, came to ask Jagadisa and Hiranya for the prasada, they were a little astonished. How could the boy understand that special prasada was being prepared for Lord Visnu? They immediately concluded that the boy Nimai must have supernatural mystic power. Otherwise how could He understand that they were preparing special prasada? Therefore they immediately sent the food to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu through His father, Jagannatha Misra. Nimai was feeling sick, but immediately after eating the visnu-prasada He was cured, and He also distributed the prasada among His playmates.
TEXT 40
sisu saba laye pada-padasira ghare
curi kari' dravya khaya mare balakere
SYNONYMS
sisu--children; saba--all; laye--taking with Him; pada-padasira--neighboring; ghare--in the houses; curi kari'--stealing; dravya--eatables; khaya--eats; mare--fights; balakere--with other children.
TRANSLATION
As usual for small children, He learned to play, and with His playmates He went to the houses of neighboring friends, stealing their eatables and eating them. Sometimes the children fought among themselves.
TEXT 41
sisu saba saci-sthane kaila nivedana
suni' saci putre kichu dila olahana
SYNONYMS
sisu saba--all the children; saci-sthane--in the presence of mother Saci; kaila--made; nivedana--petition; suni'--hearing that; saci--mother Saci; putre--unto her son; kichu--some; dila--gave; olahana--chastisement or rebuke.
TRANSLATION
All the children lodged complaints with Sacimata about the Lord's fighting with them and stealing from the neighbors' houses. Therefore sometimes she used to chastise or rebuke her son.
TEXT 42
"kene curi kara, kene maraha sisure
kene para-ghare yaha, kiba nahi ghare"
SYNONYMS
kene curi kara--why do You steal; kene maraha sisure--why do You beat other children; kene--why; para-ghare--in others' houses; yaha--You go; kiba--what; nahi--is not there; ghare--in Your own house.
TRANSLATION
Sacimata said, "Why do You steal others' things? Why do You beat the other children? And why do You go inside others' houses? What do You not have in Your own house?"
PURPORT
According to the Vedanta-sutra (janmady asya yatah), since creation, maintenance and annihilation exist in the Supreme Absolute, whatever we find within this material world is already in the spiritual world. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna Himself. How is He stealing, and how is He fighting? It is not as a thief or an enemy but as a friend in a loving condition. He steals as a child not because He is in want but out of a natural instinct. In this material world also, small children, without enmity or bad will, sometimes go to a neighboring house and steal, and sometimes they fight. Krsna also, like other children, did all these things in His childhood. Without the existence of the stealing propensity and fighting propensity in the spiritual world, they cannot exist here in this material world. The difference between the material and spiritual worlds is that stealing in the spiritual world is done in friendship and love, whereas fighting and stealing within this material world are executed on the basis of enmity and envy. Therefore we should understand that in the spiritual world all these activities exist, but there is no inebriety, whereas in the material world all activities are full of miserable conditions.
TEXT 43
suni' kruddha hana prabhu ghara-bhitara yana
ghare yata bhanda chila, phelila bhangiya
SYNONYMS
suni'--hearing; kruddha--angry; hana--becoming; prabhu--the Lord; ghara-bhitara--within the room; yana--going; ghare--in the room; yata--all; bhanda--pots; chila--there were; phelila--He threw them; bhangiya--breaking.
TRANSLATION
Thus rebuked by His mother, he Lord would go in anger to a room and break all the pots within it.
TEXT 44
tabe saci kole kari' karaila santosa
lajjita ha-ila prabhu jani' nija-dosa
SYNONYMS
tabe--at that time; saci--mother Sacidevi; kole--on the lap; kari'--taking; karaila--made; santosa--pacified; lajjita--ashamed; ha-ila--became; prabhu--the Lord; jani'--knowing; nija--His own; dosa--fault.
TRANSLATION
Then Sacimata would take her son on her lap and pacify Him, and the Lord would be very much ashamed, admitting His own faults.
PURPORT
There is a nice description of the faults of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His childhood in the Caitanya-bhagavata, Adi-lila, Chapter Three, where it is said that as a child the Lord used to steal all kinds of eatables from the houses of neighboring friends. In some houses He would steal milk and drink it, and in others He would steal and eat prepared rice. Sometimes He would break cooking pots. If there were nothing to eat but there were small babies, the Lord would tease the babies and make them cry. Sometimes a neighbor would complain to Sacimata, "My child is very small, but your child puts water in his ears and makes him cry."
kabhu--sometimes; sisu-sange--along with other children; snana--bathing; karila--did; gangate--in the Ganges; kanya-gana--the girls; aila--came there; tahan--on the bank of the Ganges; devata--demigods; pujite--to worship.
TRANSLATION
Sometimes the Lord would go with other children to bathe in the Ganges, and the neighboring girls would also come there to worship various demigods.
PURPORT
According to the Vedic system, when small girls ten or twelve years old would go to the bank of the Ganges to take their bath, they would especially worship Lord Siva with prayers to get good husbands in the future. They especially wanted to get a husband like Lord Siva because Lord Siva is very peaceful and at the same time most powerful. Formerly, therefore, small girls in Hindu families would worship Lord Siva, especially in the month of Vaisakha (April-May). To take a bath in the Ganges is a great pleasure for everyone, not only for adults but for children also.
TEXT 49
ganga-snana kari' puja karite lagila
kanyagana-madhye prabhu asiya basila
SYNONYMS
ganga-snana--bath in the Ganges; kari'--having taken; puja--worship; karite--to do; lagila--began; kanya-gana--the girls; madhye--in the midst of; prabhu--the Lord; asiya--coming there; basila--sat down.
TRANSLATION
When the girls engaged in worshiping the different demigods after bathing in the Ganges, the young Lord would come there and sit down among them.
TEXT 50
kanyare kahe,----ama puja, ami diba vara
ganga-durga----dasi mora, mahesa----kinkara
SYNONYMS
kanyare kahe--addressing the girls, the Lord would say; ama puja--"Worship Me"; ami--I; diba--shall give; vara--nice husband; ganga--the Ganges; durga--Goddess Durga; dasi--maidservants; mora--My; mahesa--Lord Siva; kinkara--servant.
TRANSLATION
Addressing the girls, the Lord would say, "Worship Me, and I shall give you good husbands or good benedictions. The Ganges and Goddess Durga are My maidservants. What to speak of other demigods, even Lord Siva is My servant."
PURPORT
There is a misconception about the Hindu religion among people who profess other religions, such as Christians and Muslims, who say that in the Hindu religion there are many Gods. Actually that is not a fact. God is one, but there are many other powerful living entities who are in charge of different departments of administration. They are called demigods. All the demigods are servants who carry out the orders of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu disclosed this fact in His childhood. Out of ignorance, sometimes people worship the demigods to receive some particular boon, but actually, one who becomes a devotee and worshiper of the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not need to go to the demigods for any benediction because he obtains everything by the grace of the Supreme Lord. The Bhagavad-gita (7.20, 28) therefore condemns such demigod worship:
kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah
prapadyante 'nya-devatah
tam tam niyamam asthaya
prakrtya niyatah svaya
"Only persons whose intelligence is lost and who are mad with lusty desires worship the demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures."
yesam tv anta-gatam papam
jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta
bhajante mam drdha-vratah
"But persons who are freed from all sinful activities and the duality of delusion engage themselves in the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with determination." Only the less intelligent worship the demigods for their various purposes. The most intelligent worship only the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna.
Sometimes we, the members of the Krsna consciousness movement, are accused of not approving of the worship of demigods. But how can we approve of this when it is condemned by Lord Caitanya and Lord Krsna? How can we allow people to become foolish and hrta-jnana, bereft of intelligence? Our propaganda is simply meant to enable intelligent people to understand the distinction between matter and spirit and understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the whole spiritual identity. That is our mission. How could we mislead people into worshiping so-called gods in material bodies within this material world?
Our position of not allowing worship of the many hundreds of demigods is confirmed by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu even in His childhood. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura has sung in this connection:
anya devasraya nai, tomare kahinu bhai,
ei bhakti parama karana
"To become a staunch, pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead without deviation [ananya-bhak], one should not divert his attention to the worship of the demigods. Such control is a symptom of pure devotional service."
TEXT 51
apani candana pari' parena phula-mala
naivedya kadiya kha'na----sandesa, cala, kala
SYNONYMS
apani--Himself; candana--pulp of sandalwood; pari'--smearing over the body; parena--takes; phula-mala--the flower garlands; naivedya--offering of food; kadiya--snatching; kha'na--begins to eat; sandesa--the sweetmeats; cala--rice; kala--bananas.
TRANSLATION
Without the permission of the girls, the Lord would take the sandalwood pulp and smear it on His own body, put the flower garlands on His neck, and snatch and eat all the offerings of sweetmeats, rice and bananas.
PURPORT
According to the system of worship, when something is offered to deities outside one's home, it is generally not cooked food but raw rice, bananas and sweetmeats. Out of His causeless mercy, the Lord would snatch the offerings from the girls and eat them, admonishing the girls not to worship the demigods but to worship Him. This worship of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is recommended in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.5.32):
krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam
sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair
yajanti hi su-medhasah
"One should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead who appears in this Age of Kali with His associates as the Panca-tattva: the Lord Himself and His associates Nityananda Prabhu, Sri Advaita Prabhu, Sri Gadadhara Prabhu and Srivasa Thakura. In this age an intelligent person worships the Panca-tattva by the method of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and, if possible, distributing prasada." Our Krsna consciousness movement is introducing this bona fide method of worship in the Western world. Its members are going from village to village and town to town with Deities of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, teaching people how to worship the Lord by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, offering prasada and distributing prasada to people in general.
TEXT 52
krodhe kanyagana kahe----suna, he nimani
grama-sambandhe hao tumi ama sabara bhai
SYNONYMS
krodhe--in anger; kanya-gana--all the girls; kahe--said; suna--hear; he--O; nimani--of the name Nimai; grama--village; sambandhe--in relationship; hao--are; tumi--You; ama--of us; sabara--everyone; bhai--the brother.
TRANSLATION
All the girls became very angry at the Lord for this behavior. "Dear Nimai," they told Him, "You are just like our brother in our village relationship.
TEXT 53
ama sabakara pakse iha karite na yuyaya
na laha devata sajja, na kara anyaya
SYNONYMS
ama sabakara--of all of us; pakse--on the behalf; iha--this; karite--to do; na--not; yuyaya--is suitable; na--don't; laha--take; devata--demigods; sajja--worshipable paraphernalia; na--don't; kara--do; anyaya--mischief.
TRANSLATION
"Therefore it does not behoove You to act like this. Don't take our paraphernalia for worship of the demigods. Don't create a disturbance in this way."
TEXT 54
prabhu kahe,----"toma sabake dila ei vara
toma sabara bharta habe parama sundara
SYNONYMS
prabhu kahe--the Lord replied; toma--you; sabake--to all; dila--I give; ei--this; vara--benediction; toma sabara--of all of you; bharta--the husbands; habe--will be; parama--very; sundara--beautiful.
TRANSLATION
The Lord replied, "My dear sisters, I give you the benediction that your husbands will be very handsome."
TEXT 55
pandita, vidagdha, yuva, dhana-dhanyavan
sata sata putra habe----cirayu, matiman"
SYNONYMS
pandita--learned; vidagdha--expert and humorous; yuva--young man; dhana-dhanyavan--very rich, possessing wealth and rice; sata sata--seven each; putra--sons; habe--you will have; cirayu--born with a long life; matiman--and intelligent.
TRANSLATION
"They will be learned, clever and young and possess abundant wealth and rice. Not only that, but you will each have seven sons, who will all live long lives and be very intelligent."
PURPORT
Generally it is the ambition of a young girl to have a very handsome husband who is learned, clever, young and rich. According to the Vedic culture, one is rich if he possesses a large stock of food grains and a very large number of animals. Dhanyena dhanavan gavaya dhanavan: one is rich if he possesses food grains, cows and bulls. A girl also desires to have many children, especially sons (putra) who are very intelligent and long-lived. Now because society has deteriorated there is propaganda to have one or two children and kill the rest by contraceptive methods. But the natural ambition of a girl is to possess not only more than one child but at least half a dozen.
In exchange for the paraphernalia of worship He usurped for Himself, Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to bless the girls to fulfill all their ambitions and desires. One can easily become happy and obtain the material benefits of a good husband, wealth, food grains and a number of nice children by worshiping Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted sannyasa at an early age, it is not necessary for His devotees to follow Him by also taking sannyasa. One can stay a householder, but one must be a devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Then one will be happy, with all the material opulences of a good home, good children, good mate, good wealth and everything he desires. Therefore the sastras advise, yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah (Bhag. 11.5.32). Every householder, therefore, who is actually intelligent should introduce the sankirtana movement home to home and live peacefully in this life and go back to Godhead in the next.
TEXT 56
vara suni' kanya-ganera antare santosa
bahire bhartsana kare kari' mithya rosa
SYNONYMS
vara suni'--hearing the benediction; kanya-ganera--of the girls; antare--within; santosa--very much satisfaction; bahire--externally; bhartsana--rebuking; kare--they do; kari'--making; mithya--false; rosa--anger.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this benediction from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all the girls were inwardly very happy, but externally, as is natural for girls, they rebuked the Lord under the pretense of anger.
PURPORT
This double-dealing is natural for girls. When they are satisfied within, they externally show dissatisfaction. Such feminine dealings are very palatable to boys who try to make friendships with them.
TEXT 57
kona kanya palaila naivedya la-iya
tare daki' kahe prabhu sakrodha ha-iya
SYNONYMS
kona kanya--some of the girls; palaila--fled; naivedya--the plate of worshipable things; la-iya--taking away; tare--unto them; daki'--calling; kahe--says; prabhu--the Lord; sakrodha--angry; ha-iya--becoming.
TRANSLATION
When some of the girls fled, the Lord called them in anger and advised them as follows:
TEXT 58
yadi naivedya na deha ha-iya krpani
buda bharta habe, ara cari cari satini
"If you are miserly and do not give Me the offerings, every one of you will have an old husband with at least four co-wives."
PURPORT
In India in those days and even until fifty years ago, polygamy was freely allowed. Any man, especially of the higher castes--the brahmanas, the vaisyas and particularly the ksatriyas--could marry more than one wife. In the Mahabharata, or the old history of India, we see that ksatriya kings especially used to marry many wives. According to Vedic civilization there was no restriction against this, and even a man more than fifty years old could marry. But to be married to a man who had many wives was not a very pleasing situation because the husband's love would be divided among his many wives. To punish the girls unwilling to offer Him the naivedya, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu apparently wanted to curse them to be married to men who had at least four wives.
The social structure allowing a man to marry more than one wife can be supported in this way. Generally in every society the female population is greater in number than the male population. Therefore if it is a principle in the society that all girls should be married, unless polygamy is allowed it will not be possible. If all the girls are not married there is a good chance of adultery, and a society in which adultery is allowed cannot be very peaceful or pure. In our Krsna consciousness society we have restricted illicit sex life. The practical difficulty is to find a husband for each and every girl. We are therefore in favor of polygamy, provided, of course, that the husband is able to maintain more than one wife.
TEXT 59
iha suni' ta-sabara mane ha-ila bhaya
kona kichu jane, kiba devavista haya
SYNONYMS
iha suni'--hearing this; ta-sabara--of all the girls; mane--in the minds; ha-ila--became; bhaya--fear; kona kichu--something uncommon; jane--He knows; kiba--what if; deva-avista--empowered by demigods; haya--He is.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this supposed curse by Lord Caitanya, the girls, considering that He might know something uncommon or be empowered by demigods, were afraid that His curse might be effective.
The girls then brought the offerings before the Lord, who ate them all and blessed the girls to their satisfaction.
TEXT 61
ei mata capalya saba lokere dekhaya
duhkha karo mane nahe, sabe sukha paya
SYNONYMS
ei mata--in this way; capalya--cunning behavior; saba lokere--unto the people in general; dekhaya--exhibits; duhkha--unhappiness; karo--distress; mane--in the mind; nahe--there is no such thing; sabe--everyone; sukha--happiness; paya--enjoys.
TRANSLATION
When this cunning behavior of the Lord with the girls became known to the people in general, it did not create misunderstandings among them. Rather, they enjoyed happiness in these dealings.
TEXT 62
eka-dina vallabhacarya-kanya 'laksmi' nama
devata pujite aila kari ganga-snana
SYNONYMS
eka-dina--one day; vallabhacarya-kanya--the daughter of Vallabhacarya; laksmi--Laksmi; nama--named; devata--demigods; pujite--to worship; aila--came; kari--taking; ganga-snana--bath in the Ganges.
TRANSLATION
One day a girl of the name Laksmi, the daughter of Vallabhacarya, came to the bank of the Ganges to take bath in the river and worship the demigods.
PURPORT
According to the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 45, Laksmi was formerly Janaki, the wife of Lord Ramacandra, and Rukmini, the wife of Lord Krsna in Dvaraka. The same goddess of fortune descended as Laksmi to become the wife of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
sahajika--natural; priti--affection; dunhara--both of them; karila--made; udaya--appearance; balya--childhood; bhava-acchanna--covered by emotion; tabhu--still; ha-ila--it so became; niscaya--fixed up.
TRANSLATION
Their natural love for one another awakened, and although it was covered by childhood emotions, it became apparent that they were mutually attracted.
PURPORT
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Laksmidevi are eternal husband and wife. Therefore it was quite natural for their dormant love to awaken when they saw each other. Their natural feelings were immediately awakened by their meeting.
dunha--both of them; dekhi'--seeing; dunhara--of both of them; citte--in the minds; ha-ila--there was; ullasa--pleasure; deva-puja--worshiping the demigods; chale--on the plea of; kaila--there was; dunhe--both of them; parakasa--manifestation.
TRANSLATION
They both enjoyed natural pleasure in seeing each nother, and under the pretext of demigod worship they manifested their feelings.
prabhu kahe--the Lord said; ama' puja--just worship Me; ami--I am; mahesvara--the Supreme Lord; amare--unto Me; pujile--if you worship; pabe--you will get; abhipsita--desired; vara--benediction.
TRANSLATION
The Lord told Laksmi, "Just worship Me, for I am the Supreme Lord. If you worship Me, certainly you will get the benediction you desire."
PURPORT
This is the same philosophy declared by Lord Krsna Himself:
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear." (Bg. 18.66) People do not understand this. They are accustomed to flatter or worship many demigods, human beings, or even cats and dogs, but when requested to worship the Supreme Lord, they refuse. This is called illusion. Factually, if one worships the Supreme Lord there is no need to worship anyone else. For example, in a village of a limited area one may use different wells for different purposes, but when one goes to a river where there is water constantly flowing in waves, that water can serve all his purposes. When there is a river, one can take drinking water, wash his clothes, bathe and so on, for that water will serve all purposes. Similarly, if one worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, all his goals will be achieved. Kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah prapadyante 'nya-devatah: only men who have lost their intelligence worship the various demigods to fulfill their desires (Bg. 7.20).
TEXT 67
laksmi tanra ange dila puspa-candana
mallikara mala diya karila vandana
SYNONYMS
laksmi--Laksmidevi; tanra--His; ange--on the body; dila--gave; puspa--flowers; candana--sandalwood pulp; mallikara--of the flower of the name mallika; mala--garland; diya--giving; karila--offered; vandana--prayers.
TRANSLATION
On hearing the order of the Supreme Lord, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Laksmi immediately worshiped Him, offering sandalwood pulp and flowers for His body, garlanding Him with mallika flowers, and offering prayers.
Being worshiped by Laksmi, the Lord began to smile. He recited a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam and thus accepted the emotion she expressed.
PURPORT
The verse quoted in this connection is the twenty-fifth verse of the Twenty-second Chapter, Tenth Canto, of Srimad-Bhagavatam. The gopis worshiped the goddess Durga, or Katyayani, but their inner desire was to get Lord Krsna as their husband. Krsna, as Paramatma, could realize the ardent desire of the gopis, and therefore He enjoyed the pastime of vastra-harana. When the gopis went to bathe in the river Yamuna, they left their garments on the land and dipped into the water completely naked. Taking this opportunity, Krsna stole all their garments and sat down in the top of a tree with them, desiring to see the girls naked just to become their husband. The gopis desired to have Krsna as their husband, and since it is only before her husband that a woman can be naked, to fulfill their desire Lord Krsna accepted their prayers by this pastime of stealing their garments. When the gopis received their garments back from Krsna, Krsna recited this verse.
sankalpah--desire; viditah--has been understood; sadhvyah--O all of you chaste ladies; bhavatinam--of all of you; mat-arcanam--for worshiping Me; maya--by Me; anumoditah--accepted; sah--that; asau--that determination or desire; satyah--successful; bhavitum--to become; arhati--deserves.
TRANSLATION
"My dear gopis, I accept your desire to have Me as your husband and thus worship Me. I wish your desire to be fulfilled because it deserves to be so."
PURPORT
The gopis, the girlfriends of Krsna, were almost of the same age as He. Within their minds they desired that Krsna be their husband, but because of feminine bashfulness they could not express their desire. Therefore later on, after stealing their garments, Krsna informed them, "I immediately understood your desire and approved of it. Because I have now stolen your garments, you have presented yourselves before Me completely naked, which means that I have accepted all of you as My wives." Sometimes foolish rascals, not knowing the purpose of the Lord or the purpose of the gopis, unnecessarily criticize from their own angle of vision, but the real purpose of vastra-harana is expressed by the Lord in this verse.
TEXT 70
ei-mata lila kari' dunhe gela ghare
gambhira caitanya-lila ke bujhite pare
SYNONYMS
ei-mata--in this way; lila--pastimes; kari'--executing; dunhe--both of them; gela--returned; ghare--home; gambhira--very grave; caitanya-lila--the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; ke--who; bujhite--to understand; pare--is able.
TRANSLATION
After thus expressing their feelings to each other, Lord Caitanya and Laksmi returned home. Who can understand the grave pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu?
TEXT 71
caitanya-capalya dekhi' preme sarva jana
saci-jagannathe dekhi' dena olahana
ucchista-garte--in the pit where the remnants of food were thrown; tyakta--rejected; handira--pots; upara--upon; basiyachena--sat down; sukhe--very pleasingly; prabhu--the Lord; deva--the Supreme God; visvambhara--the maintainer of the universe.
TRANSLATION
Although He is the maintainer of the entire universe, once the Lord sat upon some rejected pots in the pit where the remnants of food were thrown, after the pots had been used for cooking.
PURPORT
Formerly it was the custom of brahmanas to worship Lord Visnu daily at home and cook food in new pots. This system is still going on in Jagannatha Puri. The food would be cooked in earthen pots, all fresh and new, and after cooking, the pots would be thrown away. By the side of the house there was generally a big pit where such pots were thrown. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu sat down on the pots very pleasingly, just to give His mother a lesson.
TEXT 74
saci asi' kahe,----kene asuci chunila
ganga-snana kara yai'----apavitra ha-ila
SYNONYMS
saci asi'--mother Saci, coming there; kahe--said; kene--why; asuci--untouchable; chunila--You have touched; ganga-snana--bathing in the Ganges; kara--do; yai'--going there; apavitra ha-ila--You have become impure.
TRANSLATION
When mother Saci saw her boy sitting on the rejected pots, she protested, "Why have You touched these untouchable pots? You have now become impure. Go and bathe in the Ganges."
TEXT 75
iha suni' matake kahila brahma-jnana
vismita ha-iya mata karaila snana
Hearing this, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught His mother about absolute knowledge. Although amazed by this, His mother forced Him to take a bath.
PURPORT
The absolute knowledge explained by the Lord to His mother is described by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya as follows: "The Lord said, 'Mother, that this is pure and that is impure is surely a worldly sentiment with no basis in fact. You have cooked food for Lord Visnu within these pots and offered the food to Him. How then can these pots be untouchable? Everything in relationship with Visnu is to be considered an expansion of Visnu's energy. Visnu, the Supersoul, is eternal and uncontaminated. How then may these pots be considered pure or impure?' Hearing this discourse on absolute knowledge, His mother was very much astonished and forced Him to take a bath."
Sometimes, taking her son with her, mother Saci would lie down on her bed, and she would see that denizens of the celestial world had come there, filling the entire house.
saci bale--mother Saci said; yaha--go; putra--my dear son; bolaha--call; bapere--Your father; matr-ajna--the order of His mother; paiya--getting; prabhu--the Lord; calila--went; bahire--out.
TRANSLATION
Once mother Saci told the Lord, "Please go call Your father." Receiving this order from His mother, the Lord went out to call him.
TEXT 78
calite carane nupura baje jhanjhan
suni' camakita haila pita-matara mana
SYNONYMS
calite--while going; carane--on the lotus feet; nupura--ankle bells; baje--sounded; jhanjhan--tinkling; suni'--hearing; camakita--struck with wonder; haila--became; pita--of His father; matara--and mother; mana--the minds.
TRANSLATION
When the child was going out, there was a tinkling of ankle bells from His lotus feet. Hearing this, His father and mother were struck with wonder.
TEXT 79
misra kahe,----ei bada adbhuta kahini
sisura sunya-pade kene nupurera dhvani
SYNONYMS
misra kahe--Jagannatha Misra said; ei bada--this is very; adbhuta--wonderful; kahini--incident; sisura--of the child; sunya-pade--on the naked legs; kene--why; nupurera--of the ankle bells; dhvani--sound.
TRANSLATION
Jagannatha Misra said, "This is a very wonderful incident. Why is there a sound of ankle bells from the bare feet of my child?"
"My dear Misra, you do not know anything about your son. You think Him your son, and therefore you rebuke and chastise Him."
TEXT 86
misra kahe,----deva, siddha, muni kene naya
ye se bada ha-uk matra amara tanaya
SYNONYMS
misra kahe--Jagannatha Misra replied; deva--demigod; siddha--mystic yogi; muni--great saintly person; kene naya--may be so or not; ye se--whatever; bada--great; ha-uk--He may be; matra--only; amara--my; tanaya--son.
TRANSLATION
Jagannatha Misra replied, "This boy may be a demigod, a mystic yogi or a great saintly person. It doesn't matter what He is, for I think He is only my son.
TEXT 87
putrera lalana-siksa----pitara sva-dharma
ami na sikhale kaiche janibe dharma-marma
SYNONYMS
putrera--of the son; lalana--maintenance; siksa--education; pitara--of the father; sva-dharma--duty; ami--if I; na--do not; sikhale--give education; kaiche--how; janibe--He will know; dharma-marma--religion and morality.
TRANSLATION
"It is the duty of a father to educate his son in both religion and morality. If I do not give Him this education, how will He know of it?"
TEXT 88
vipra kahe,----putra yadi daiva-siddha haya
svatah-siddha-jnana, tabe siksa vyartha haya
The brahmana replied, "If your son is a transcendental mystic boy with self-effulgent perfect knowledge, what is the use of your education?"
PURPORT
The brahmana Jagannatha Misra saw in his dream told him that his son was not an ordinary human being. If He were a transcendental person, He would have self-effulgent knowledge, and thus there would be no need to educate Him.
TEXT 89
misra kahe,----"putra kene nahe narayana
tathapi pitara dharma----putrera siksana"
SYNONYMS
misra kahe--Jagannatha Misra replied; putra--my son; kene--may be; nahe--why not; narayana--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tathapi--still; pitara--of a father; dharma--the duty; putrera--of the son; siksana--instruction.
TRANSLATION
Jagannatha Misra replied, "Even if my son is not a common man but Narayana, still it is the duty of a father to instruct his son."
TEXT 90
ei-mate dunhe karena dharmera vicara
visuddha-vatsalya misrera, nahi jane ara
SYNONYMS
ei-mate--in this way; dunhe--both of them; karena--do; dharmera--of religion; vicara--consideration; visuddha--unalloyed; vatsalya--parental affection; misrera--of Jagannatha Misra; nahi--there is not; jane--he knew; ara--anything else.
TRANSLATION
In this way Jagannatha Misra and the brahmana discussed the principles of religion in the dream, yet Jagannatha Misra was absorbed in unalloyed parental mellow and did not want to know anything else.
PURPORT
In Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.8.45) it is said: "Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is worshiped with exalted hymns by all the Vedas and Upanisads and by great personalities through sankhya-yoga in the mode of goodness, was considered by mother Yasoda and Nanda to be their own little son." Similarly, Jagannatha Misra also considered Lord Caitanya Mahaprahhu his beloved little boy, although He is worshiped with all veneration by learned brahmanas and saintly persons.
TEXT 91
eta suni' dvija gela hana anandita
misra jagiya ha-ila parama vismita
SYNONYMS
eta suni'--after hearing so much; dvija--the brahmana; gela--returned; hana--becoming; anandita--very much pleased; misra--Jagannatha Misra; jagiya--being awakened; ha-ila--became; parama--highly; vismita--astonished.
TRANSLATION
Being very much pleased, the brahmana left after talking with Jagannatha Misra, and when Jagannatha Misra awakened from his dream, he was very much astonished.
TEXT 92
bandhu-bandhava-sthane svapna kahila
suniya sakala loka vismita ha-ila
SYNONYMS
bandhu-bandhava--of friends and relatives; sthane--in the presence; svapna--dream; kahila--explained; suniya--after hearing; sakala--all; loka--the people; vismita--astonished; ha-ila--became.
TRANSLATION
He related the dream to his friends and relatives, and every one of them was very much astonished to hear of it.
TEXT 93
ei mata sisu-lila kare gauracandra
dine dine pita-matara badaya ananda
SYNONYMS
ei--this; mata--like; sisu-lila--childhood pastimes; kare--does; gauracandra--Sri Gaurahari; dine dine--day after day; pita-matara--of His parents; badaya--He increases; ananda--the pleasure.
TRANSLATION
In this way Gaurahari performed His childhood pastimes and day after day increased the pleasure of His parents.
TEXT 94
kata dine misra putrera hate khadi dila
alpa dine dvadasa-phala aksara sikhila
SYNONYMS
kata dine--after some days; misra--Jagannatha Misra; putrera--of his son; hate--in the hand; khadi--chalk; dila--gave; alpa--within a very few; dine--days; dvadasa-phala--twelve combinations of letters; aksara--letters; sikhila--learned.
TRANSLATION
After some days Jagannatha Misra inaugurated the primary education of his son by performing the hate khadi ceremony. Within a very few days the Lord learned all the letters and combinations of letters.
PURPORT
The twelve phala, or combinations of letters, are called repha, murdhanya (cerebral), na, dantavya (dental), na, ma, ya, ra, la, va, r, r, l and l. Hate khadi is the primary educational beginning. At the age of four or five years, on an auspicious day called vidyarambha marking the beginning of primary education, there is a ceremony worshiping Lord Visnu, and after that the teacher gives the child a long chalk pencil. Then, guiding the hand of the student, he instructs him how to write the letters of the alphabet (a, a, i, etc.) by writing big letters on the floor. When the child is a little advanced in writing, he is given a slate for his primary education, which ends when he learns the two-letter combinations, which are called phala, as mentioned above.
TEXT 95
balyalila-sutra ei kaila anukrama
iha vistariyachena dasa-vrndavana
SYNONYMS
balya-lila-sutra--synopsis of the pastimes of childhood; ei--this; kaila--did; anukrama--in chronological order; iha--this; vistariyachena--has elaborately explained; dasa-vrndavana--Vrndavana dasa Thakura.
TRANSLATION
This is a synopsis of the childhood pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, placed herewith in chronological order. Vrndavana dasa Thakura has already elaborately explained these pastimes in his book Caitanya-bhagavata.
TEXT 96
ataeva ei-lila sanksepe sutra kaila
punarukti-bhaye vistarira na kahila
I have therefore made only a brief summary. Being afraid of repetition, I have not elaborated upon this subject matter.
TEXT 97
sri-rupa-raghunatha-pade yara asa
caitanya-caritamrta kahe krsnadasa
SYNONYMS
sri-rupa--Srila Rupa Gosvami; raghunatha--Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami; pade--at the lotus feet; yara--whose; asa--expectation; caitanya-caritamrta--the book named Caitanya-caritamrta; kahe--describes; krsna-dasa--Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami.
TRANSLATION
Praying at the lotus feet of Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunatha, always desiring their mercy, I, Krsnadasa, narrate Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, following in their footsteps.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Fourteenth Chapter, describing Lord Caitanya's childhood pastimes.