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20201107 Govardhana-dhārī Gopāla is Bathed, Fed, offered Ārati and Put to Rest by Mādhavendra Purī

7 Nov 2020|Duration: 00:46:13|English|Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book|Transcription|Śrī Māyāpur, India

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 7th November 2020 in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, India.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram
Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Introduction: Today we are continuing with Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, today’s chapter entitled is:

Govardhana-dhārī Gopāla is Bathed, Fed, offered Ārati and Put to Rest by Mādhavendra Purī.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.46

giridhārī-prakaṭanera janya purīra yatna :—

kṣaṇeka rodana kari, mana kaila dhīra
ājñā-pālana lāgi’ ha-ilā susthira

Translation: Mādhavendra Purī cried for some time, but then he fixed his mind on executing the order of Gopāla. Thus he became tranquil.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.47

prātaḥ-snāna kari’ purī grāma-madhye gelā
saba loka ekatra kari’ kahite lāgilā

Translation: After taking his morning bath, Mādhavendra Purī entered the village and assembled all the people. Then he spoke as follows.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.48

grāmavāsigaṇake sahāyatāra janya praṇodana—

grāmera īśvara tomāra—govardhana-dhārī
kuñje āche, cala, tāṅre bāhira ye kari

Translation: “The proprietor of this village, Govardhana-dhārī, is lying in the bushes. Let us go there and rescue Him from that place.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.49

atyanta niviḍa kuñja,—nāri praveśite
kuṭhāri kodāli laha dvāra karite

Translation: The bushes are very dense, and we will not be able to enter the jungle. Therefore take choppers and spades to clear the way.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So Mādhavendra Purī requested the villagers to help him to rescue Giridhārī Gopāla from that bushes. He described Him as the Lord of Villages and requested to help him to get Him out.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.50

grāmavāsīra samaveta yatna :—

śuni’ loka tāṅra saṅge calilā hariṣe
kuñja kāṭi’ dvāra kari’ karilā praveśe

Translation: After hearing this, all the people accompanied Mādhavendra Purī with great pleasure. According to his directions, they cut down bushes, cleared a path and entered the jungle.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Mādhavendra Purī had received in his dream a message from Gopāla that He was in such and such place in the jungle. Mādhavendra Purī couldn’t go there in advance because of the thick bushes. But he directed all the villagers to cut the doorway to the bushes and go to exactly where he had seen the Gopāla Deity in the dream.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.51

sakalera lukkāyita giridhārī-darśana o ānanda :—

ṭhākura dekhila māṭī-tṛṇe ācchādita
dekhi’ saba loka haila ānande vismita

Translation: When they saw the Deity covered with dirt and grass, they were all struck with wonder and pleasure.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the Deity had been camouflaged with dirt and plants He had been there may be for thousands of years. The villagers were amazed to see the deity there and at the same time they were very happy.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.52

vigrahera atyadhika gurutva :—

āvaraṇa dūra kari’ karila vidite
mahā-bhārī ṭhākura—keha nāre cālāite

Translation: After they had cleansed the body of the Deity, some of them said, “The Deity is very heavy. No single person can move Him.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.53

mahā-mahā-baliṣṭha loka ekatra kariñā
parvata-upari gela purī ṭhākura lañā

Translation: Since the Deity was very heavy, some of the stronger men assembled to carry Him to the top of the hill. Mādhavendra Purī also went there.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.54

parvatopari vigrahera abhiṣekārambha :—

pātharera siṁhāsane ṭhākura vasāila
baḍa eka pāthara pṛṣṭhe avalamba dila

Translation: A big stone was made into a throne, and the Deity was installed upon it. Another big stone was placed behind the Deity for support.

Jayapatākā Swami: So in this way they made a makeshift temple for the Deity.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.55

naivedya o pūjopakaraṇa :—

grāmera brāhmaṇa saba nava ghaṭa lañā
govinda-kuṇḍera jala ānila chāniñā

Translation: All the brāhmaṇa priests of the village gathered together with new waterpots, and water from Govinda-kuṇḍa lake was brought there and filtered.

Jayapatākā Swami: Govinda-kuṇḍa is a famous kuṇḍa at the side of Govardhana hill.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.56

nava śata-ghaṭa jala kaila upanīta
nānā vādya-bherī bāje, strī-gaṇa gāya gīta

Translation: When the Deity was being installed, water was brought from Govinda-kuṇḍa in hundreds of new pots. There were musical sounds of bugles and drums and the singing of women.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.57

keha gāya, keha nāce, mahotsava haila
dadhi, dugdha, ghṛta āila grāme yata chila

Translation: During the festival at the installation ceremony, some people sang and some danced. All the milk, yogurt and clarified butter in the village were brought to the festival.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the villagers were able to have a spontaneously a festival bringing the various cow products from the village to perform the abhiṣeka (the bathing ceremony) and offering.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.58

bhoga-sāmagrī āila sandeśādi yata
nānā upahāra, tāhā kahite pāri kata

Translation: Various foods and sweetmeats, as well as other kinds of presentations, were brought there. I am unable to describe all these.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.59

tulasī ādi, puṣpa, vastra āila aneka
āpane mādhava-purī kaila abhiṣeka

Translation: The villagers brought a large quantity of tulasī leaves, flowers, and various kinds of garments. Then Śrī Mādhavendra Purī personally began the abhiṣeka [bathing ceremony].

Purport: In the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (6.30) it is stated that the Deity should be bathed in water mixed with yogurt and milk, accompanied by the sounds of conchshells, bells and other instruments and the chanting of the mantra 'oṁ bhagavate vāsudevāya namaḥ', as well as the chanting of the Brahma-saṁhitā verses beginning cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam [Bs. 5.29].

Jayapatākā Swami: So we see how the villagers by the Govardhan were spontaneously inspired to worship the Lord. They brought hundreds of waterpots from the Govinda-kuṇḍa they brought various milk, yoghurt and ghee sandeśa and many different sweet meats. Everyone was spontaneously inspired to worship the Deity, this is the special quality of Vṛndāvana, where people are very much inclined to worship Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.60

amaṅgalā dūra kari’ karāila snāna
bahu taila diyā kaila śrī-aṅga cikkaṇa

Translation: After all inauspicious things were driven away by the chanting of the mantra, the Deity’s bathing ceremony started. First the Deity was massaged with a large quantity of oil, so that His body became very glossy.

Jayapatākā Swami: The process of offering abhiṣeka is being explained here.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.61

pañca-gavya, pañcāmṛte snāna karāñā
mahā-snāna karāila śata ghaṭa diñā

Translation: After the first bathing, further bathings were conducted with pañca-gavya and then with pañcāmṛta. Then the mahā-snāna was performed with ghee and water, which had been brought in one hundred pots.

Purport: The ingredients of pañca-gavya are milk, yogurt, ghee (clarified butter), cow urine and cow dung. All these items come from the cow; therefore we can just imagine how important the cow is, since its urine and stool are required for bathing the Deity. The pañcāmṛta consists of five kinds of nectar — yogurt, milk, ghee, honey and sugar. The major portion of this preparation also comes from the cow. To make it more palatable, sugar and honey are added.

Jayapatākā Swami: So therefore, the offering of cow products is very important aspect in devotional service. The cows in the Vedic culture are protected and they are not sent to slaughter and they kept until they die naturally of old age. So, the milk from the protected cow is very much needed in the deity worship of the Lord. By taking this milk once finer tissues in the brain are developed then one gets the finer type of intelligence to understand spiritual truths.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.62

punaḥ taila diya kaila śrī-aṅga cikkaṇa
śaṅkha-gandhodake kaila snāna samādhāna

Translation: After the mahā-snāna was finished, the Deity was again massaged with scented oil and His body made glossy. Then the last bathing ceremony was performed with scented water kept within a conchshell.

Purport: In his commentary on this occasion, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura quotes from the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. Barley powder, wheat powder, vermilion powder, urad dāl powder and another powder preparation called āvāṭā (made by mixing banana powder and ground rice) are applied to the Deity’s body with a brush made from the hair at the end of a cow’s tail. This produces a nice finish. The oil smeared over the body of the Deity should be scented. To perform the mahā-snāna, at least two and a half mānas (about twenty-four gallons) of water are needed to pour over the body of the Deity.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Śrīla Prabhupāda had explained the process of offering a complete abhiṣeka to the Deity.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.63

śrī-aṅga mārjana kari’ vastra parāila
candana, tulasī, puṣpa-mālā aṅge dila

Translation: He was dressed very nicely with new garments. Then sandalwood pulp, tulasī garlands and other fragrant flower garlands were placed upon the body of the Deity. ds and other fragrant flower garlands were placed upon the body of the Deity.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.64

bhogārātrika :—

dhūpa, dīpa, kari’ nānā bhoga lāgāila
dadhi-dugdha-sandeśādi yata kichu āila

Translation: After the bathing ceremony was finished, incense and lamps were burned and all kinds of food offered before the Deity. These foods included yogurt, milk and as many sweetmeats as were received.

Jayapatākā Swami: So the ceremony completed with offering nice foodstuff to the deity. After the abhiṣeka was performed the deities were clothed and then offered ārati and various kinds of food offering were made to the deity.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.65

suvāsita jala nava-pātre samarpila
ācamana diyā se tāmbūla nivedila

Translation: The Deity was first offered many varieties of food, then scented drinking water in new pots, and then water for washing the mouth. Finally pan mixed with a variety of spices was offered.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.66

ārātrika kari’ kaila bahuta stavana
daṇḍavat kari’ kaila ātma-samarpaṇa

Translation: After the last offering of tāmbūla and pan, bhoga-ārātrika was performed. Finally, everyone offered various prayers and then obeisances, falling flat before the Deity in full surrender.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is the quality of the Vraja-vāsīs that they offer the prostrated obeisances and surrender to the deity. Even when Śrīla Prabhupāda would go to morning walk, rikshawala would get out of his rickshaw and offer prostrated obeisances on the road to Śrīla Prabhupāda. So Śrīla Prabhupāda said that this is the nature of the Vraja-vāsīs.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.67

pakkānna-bhoga samarpaṇa—annakūṭa :—

grāmera yateka taṇḍula, dāli godhūma-cūrṇa
sakala āniyā dila parvata haila pūrṇa

Translation: As soon as the people of the village had understood that the Deity was going to be installed, they had brought their entire stocks of rice, dāl and wheat flour. They brought such large quantities that the entire surface of the top of the hill was filled.

Jayapatākā Swami: So this ceremony has been described is the annakuṭa, hill made of rice on the day of Govardhana pūjā which comes on the month of Kartika called by the Vaiṣṇavas as Dāmodara month. They offer a mountain of rice for the deity and cover the rice with capātīs and pakoras and such things. Sometimes in western countries they make a mountain from the halavā. The culture is to celebrate the Lord coming back to Govardhana with a mountain of prasāda.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.68

kumbhakāra ghare chila ye mṛd-bhājana
saba ānāila prāte, caḍila randhana

Translation: When the villagers brought their stock of rice, dāl and flour, the potters of the village brought all kinds of cooking pots, and in the morning the cooking began.

Jayapatākā Swami: People would cook in terracotta pots, fire clay pots. Actually, after the pots were used for cooking were used for distribution and then the pot is thrown away. It is biodegradable and it has no need of washing.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.69

vividha randhanopacāra :—

daśa-vipra anna rāndhi’ kare eka stupa
janā-pāṅca rāndhe vyañjanādi nānā sūpa

Translation: Ten brāhmaṇas cooked the food grains, and five brāhmaṇas cooked both dry and liquid vegetables.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.70

vanya śāka-phala-mūle vividha vyañjana
keha baḍā-baḍi-kaḍi kare vipra-gaṇa

Translation: The vegetable preparations were made from various kinds of spinach, roots and fruits collected from the forest, and someone made baḍā and baḍi by mashing dāl. In this way the brāhmaṇas prepared all kinds of food.

Jayapatākā Swami: Baḍa and Baḍis are made by grinding the dāl to liquid and putting them into water and having it putting it like a (smaller ones in the west) the baḍis are like two cm or three fourth of an inch and they are dried and then used in the cooking. So baḍas are bigger and the baḍis are smaller.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.71

janā pāṅca-sāta ruṭi kare rāśi-rāśi
anna-vyañjana saba rahe ghṛte bhāsi’

Translation: Five to seven men prepared a huge quantity of capatis, which were completely covered with ghee [clarified butter], as were all the vegetables, rice and dāl.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.72

nava-vastra pāti’ tāhe palāśera pāta
rāndhi’ rāndhi’ tāra upara rāśi kaila bhāta

Translation: All the cooked rice was stacked on palāśa leaves, which were on new cloths spread over the ground.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.73

tāra pāśe ruṭi-rāśira parvata ha-ila
sūpa-ādi-vyañjana-bhāṇḍa caudike dharila

Translation: Around the stack of cooked rice were stacks of capatis, and all the vegetables and liquid vegetable preparations were placed in different pots and put around them.

Jayapatākā Swami: we can see how the mountains of rice were beautiful decorated with pots of cooked vegetables, stacks of ghee smeared capati and then tulasī leaves and it is very beautiful to see.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.74

tāra pāśe dadhi, dugdha, māṭhā, śikhariṇī
pāyasa, mathanī, sara pāśe dhari āni’

Translation: Pots of yogurt, milk, buttermilk and śikhariṇī, sweet rice, cream and solid cream were placed alongside the vegetables.

Purport: In this kind of ceremony, which is called Annakūṭa, cooked rice is stacked like a small mountain for prasādam distribution.

Jayapatākā Swami: Sometimes they place on the mountain, otherwise such pots and cooked vegetables and something are put around, like pots of yoghurt and everything and various preparations.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.75

purīgoṅsāira svayaṃ bhoga-nivedana –

hena-mate anna-kūṭa karila sājana
purī-gosāñi gopālere kaila samarpaṇa

Translation: In this way the Annakūṭa ceremony was performed, and Mādhavendra Purī Gosvāmī personally offered everything to Gopāla.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, there are specific mantras to offer these edible to the Lord and Mādhavendra Purī was a great ācārya and pure devotee and He personally offered the bhoga to the Deity.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.76

aneka ghaṭa bhari’ dila suvāsita jala
bahu-dinera kṣudhāya gopāla khāila sakala

Translation: Many waterpots were filled with scented water for drinking, and Lord Śrī Gopāla, who had been hungry for many days, ate everything offered to Him.

Jayapatākā Swami: All the devotees in the village were eager to satisfy the Lord and He haven’t eaten for a long time and had not been worshipped therefore when they offered the feast to Him, He was very satisfied and He accepted all the offering because it was offered with love and devotion.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.77

gopālera saba naivedya bhojaneo hastasparśe punaḥpūraṇa :—

yadyapi gopāla saba anna-vyañjana khāila
tāṅra hasta-sparśe punaḥ temani ha-ila

Translation: Although Śrī Gopāla ate everything offered, still, by the touch of His transcendental hand, everything remained as before.

Purport: The atheists cannot understand how the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appearing in the form of the Deity, can eat all the food offered by His devotees.  In the Bhagavad-Gītā (9.26) Kṛṣṇa says: 

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ
toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it.” 

The Lord is pūrṇa, complete, and therefore He eats everything offered by His devotees. However, by the touch of His transcendental hand, all the food remains exactly as before. It is the quality that is changed. Before the food was offered, it was something else, but after it is offered the food acquires a transcendental quality. Because the Lord is pūrṇa, He remains the same even after eating. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate [Īśo Invocation]. The food offered to Kṛṣṇa is qualitatively as good as Kṛṣṇa; just as Kṛṣṇa is avyaya, indestructible, the food eaten by Kṛṣṇa, being identical with Him, remains as before. Apart from this, Kṛṣṇa can eat the food with any one of His transcendental senses. He can eat by seeing the food or by touching it. Nor should one think that it is necessary for Kṛṣṇa to eat. He does not become hungry like an ordinary human being; nonetheless, He presents Himself as being hungry, and as such, He can eat everything and anything, regardless of quantity.  The philosophy underlying Kṛṣṇa’s eating is understandable by our transcendental senses. When our senses are purified by constantly being engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, we can understand Kṛṣṇa’s activities, names, forms, qualities, pastimes and entourage. 

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ


—[Cc. Madhya 17.136]

“No one can understand Kṛṣṇa by the blunt material senses. But He reveals Himself to the devotees, being pleased with them for their transcendental loving service unto Him.” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234) The devotees understand Kṛṣṇa through revelation. It is not possible for a mundane scholar to understand Kṛṣṇa and His pastimes through research work on the nondevotional platform. 

Jayapatākā Swami: So Kṛṣṇa is transcendental and He is in the absolute truth, in the material estimation one plus one plus is two and one minus one is zero but in absolute platform one plus one plus is equal to one and one minus one is one. Absolute truth always remains the complete whole.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.78

bhagaballīlā bhakterai gocara :—

ihā anubhava kaila mādhava gosāñi
tāṅra ṭhāñi gopālera lukāna kichu nāi

Translation: How Gopāla ate everything while the food remained the same was transcendentally perceived by Mādhavendra Purī Gosvāmī; nothing remains a secret to the devotees of the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: So how the Lord ate all the bhoga and then left it all there as prasāda was seen by Mādhavendra Purī so this transcendental transformation of ordinary food to Kṛṣṇa prasāda was perceived by great devotee like Mādhavendra Purī.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.79

eka-dinera udyoge aiche mahotsava kaila
gopāla-prabhāve haya, anye nā jānila

Translation: The wonderful festival and installation of Śrī Gopālajī was arranged in one day. Certainly, all this was accomplished by the potency of Gopāla. No one but a devotee can understand this.

Purport: The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has spread all over the world within a very short time (within five years), and mundane people are very much astonished at this. However, by the grace of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we understand that everything is possible by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. Why does Kṛṣṇa have to take five years? In five days, He can spread His name and fame all over the world like wildfire. Those who have faith in and devotion to Kṛṣṇa can understand that these things happen so wonderfully by the grace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. We are simply the instruments. In the fierce Battle of Kurukṣetra, Arjuna was victorious within eighteen days simply because Kṛṣṇa’s grace was on his side. yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo yatra pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ tatra śrīr vijayo bhūtir dhruvā nītir matir mama “Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power and morality. That is my opinion.” (Bg. 18.78) If the preachers in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are sincere devotees of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will always be with them because He is very kind and favorable to all His devotees. Just as Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa were victorious in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will surely emerge victorious if we but remain (sincere devotees of the Lord and serve the Lord) according to the advice of the predecessors (the Six Gosvāmīs and other devotees of the Lord). As Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has stated: tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta-sane vāsa, janame janame haya ei abhilāṣa. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness devotees must always desire to remain in the society of devotees. Bhakta-sane vāsa: they cannot go outside the Kṛṣṇa consciousness society or movement. Within the society we must try to serve the predecessors by preaching Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s cult and spreading His name and fame all over the world. If we attempt this seriously within the society, it will be successfully done. There is no question of estimating how this will happen in the mundane sense . But without a doubt, it happens by the grace of Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So taking this instruction of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda, we should desire to always remain in the society of devotees bhakta sane vāsa, Śrīla Prabhupāda said they cannot go outside the Kṛṣṇa consciousness society or movement. Within the society one must try to serve the predecessor by preaching the Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s movement and spreading His name and fame all over the world. So this is very clear instruction by His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda, in His books in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. We should all stay within the Kṛṣṇa consciousness society and preach the name and fame of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s message.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.80

gopālera ārātrika :—

ācamana diyā dila viḍaka-sañcaya
ārati karila loke, kare jaya jaya

Translation: Mādhavendra Purī offered water to Gopāla for washing His mouth, and he gave Him betel nuts to chew. Then, while ārati was performed, all the people chanted, “Jaya, Jaya!” [“All glories to Gopāla!”].

Jayapatākā Swami: Gopāla kī jaya! Gopāla kī jaya! Haribol!

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.81

ṭhākurera śayyā o śayana bandovasta :—

śayyā karāila, nūtana khāṭa ānāñā
nava vastra āni’ tāra upare pātiyā

Translation: Arranging for the Lord’s rest, Śrī Mādhavendra Purī brought a new cot, and over this he spread a new bedspread and thus made the bed ready.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.82

tṛṇa-ṭāṭi diyā cāri-dik āvarila
uparete eka ṭāṭi diyā ācchādila

Translation: A temporary temple was constructed by covering the bed all around with a straw mattress. Thus there was a bed and a straw mattress to cover it.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the deity was laid to rest, after the abhiṣeka, prasāda, bhoga offering and the ārati and then the deity was put to rest. So, this is the process of deity worship. We treat the deity exactly as we treat Kṛṣṇa because we consider the Deity as the arcā-avatāra or the worshipable incarnation of the Lord.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Govardhana-dhārī Gopāla is Bathed, Fed, offered Ārati and Put to Rest by Mādhavendra Purī

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Transcribed by Jayarāseśvarī devī dāsī
Verifyed by JPS Archives
Reviewed by JPS Archives

Lecture Suggetions