20210321 Gopīnātha Ācārya Describes Bengal Devotees to Pratāparudra (Part 1)

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 21th March 2021 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!

Compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya book, today’s chapter entitled:

Gopīnātha Ācārya Describes Bengal Devotees to Pratāparudra

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.120

(The doorkeeper enters) Doorkeeper: Lord, a messenger has just come in great haste from the capitol.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.121

King: He may enter.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.122

Doorkeeper: (hastily exits and then returns with the messenger). My Lord, this is he.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.123

King: Messenger, tell the reason you have come in such haste.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.124

Messenger: Lord, thousands of men have come to the far shore of the Citrotpala River. Whether they are pilgrims of the enemy soldiers I do not know. I heard the tumultuous sounds they are making and I immediately ran here.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.125

Sarvabhauma: They are pilgrims. If not, then we would have heard about them. I can guess they are the Bengalis who are dear associates of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. They will meet the Lord and speak sweet words with Him.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, devotees from Bengal have arrived in Jagannātha Purī, since Lord Caitanya was away for some time many devotees came to meet the Lord.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.126

(a tumultuous sound comes from behind the scenes).

Sarvabhauma: O king, they must have come at the shore of the Narendra-sarovara lake. I hear the tumultuous sounds of their happiness.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.127

King: It is true.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.128

Sarvabhauma: O king, if you like, climb to the topmost parapet and look at the wonderful scene.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.129

King: As you please. (They climb to the parapet and look at the path). Sārvabhauma, who is this carrying Lord Jagannātha's prasāda-garlands and hurrying to meet the pilgrims?

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.130

Sārvabhauma: It is Lord Caitanya's dear associate Dāmodara. When the Lord heard that Advaita Ācārya and His other dear friends had come, He sent Dāmodara to meet them, offer them Lord Jagannātha's prasāda garlands, and bring them to Himself.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we can see how Lord Caitanya is greeting all the devotees with great affection. So we should also greet all the devotees in the same way.

King: So it is. He must have received Lord Caitanya's mercy.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.132

Sārvabhauma: Yes. Otherwise how could this be. Order that Gopīnātha Ācārya be called. He knows all these devotees.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.66

gauḍa haite sarvāgre gopīnāthera āgamana:—

hena-kāle āilā tathā gopīnāthācārya
rājāke āśīrvāda kari’ kahe,—śuna bhaṭṭācārya

Translation: At this time, Gopīnātha Ācārya came there while Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was with King Pratāparudra. Being a brāhmaṇa, he offered his benediction to the King and addressed Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya as follows.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka

Jayapatākā Swami: So, a brāhmaṇa naturally offers benediction to the kṣatriyas. Since the king is a kṣatriya, so Gopīnātha Ācārya is offering him his blessings.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.133

(Tossing the curtain aside, Gopīnātha hastily enters).

Ācārya: I am he. The king may order me. What is to be done?

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.134

King: Sārvabhauma, tell him.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.135

Sārvabhauma: You know all these devotees. Please identify them one by one.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.136

Gopīnātha Ācārya: Certainly. (He sits down).

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.67

200 gauḍīya gaurabhaktera āgamanasaṁvāda-dāna o vāsa-sthānādi vyavasthāra janya anurodha:—

gauḍa haite vaiṣṇava āsitechena dui-śata
mahāprabhura bhakta saba—mahā-bhāgavata

Translation: “About two hundred devotees are coming from Bengal. All of them are greatly advanced and specifically devoted to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.68

narendre āsiyā sabe haila vidyamāna
tāṅ-sabāre cāhi vāsā prasāda-samādhāna

Translation: “All of them have already arrived on the bank of Lake Narendra and are waiting there. I desire residential quarters and prasādam arrangements for them.”

Purport: Narendra is a small lake still existing in Jagannātha Purī, where the Candana-yātrā festival takes place. Up to the present date, all the Bengali devotees who visit the Jagannātha temple first take their bath in this lake. There they wash their hands and feet before entering the temple.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this shows the proper etiquette, before going into the temple we should be clean. So these devotees from Bengal are bathing in the Narendra Sarovar.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.69

rājakarttṛka tannirvāhārthe paḍichāke ādeśa:—

rājā kahe,—paḍichāke āmi ājñā diba 
vāsā ādi ye cāhiye,—paḍichā saba diba

Translation: The King replied, “I shall give orders to the attendant in the temple. He will arrange for everyone’s residential quarters and prasāda, as you desire.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.70

gauḍīya bhaktagaṇera paricaya-pradāna janya bhaṭṭake rājāra anurodha:—

mahāprabhura gaṇa yata āila gauḍa haite
bhaṭṭācārya, eke eke dekhāha āmāte

Translation: “Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, please show me, one after another, all of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s devotees who are coming from Bengal.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.71

bhaṭṭera svīya asāmarthya-jñāpana, gopīnāthake tajjanya anurodha, tinera aṭṭālikopari ārohaṇa:—

bhaṭṭa kahe,—aṭṭālikāya kara ārohaṇa
gopīnātha cine sabāre, karābe daraśana

Translation: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya requested the King, “Go up on the roof of the palace. Gopīnātha Ācārya knows every one of the devotees. He will identify them for you.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, all the devotees who came from Bengal were identified by Gopīnātha Ācārya.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.72

āmi kāho nāhi cini, cinite mana haya
gopīnāthācārya sabāre karā’be paricaya

Translation: “Actually I do not know any of them, although I have a desire to know them. Since Gopīnātha Ācārya knows them all, he will give you their names.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, he wanted to know all the devotees from Bengal, since he knew that they are very advanced associates of Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.73

eta bali’ tina jana aṭṭālikāya caḍila
hena-kāle vaiṣṇava saba nikaṭe āila

Translation: After Sārvabhauma said this, he went up to the top of the palace with the King and Gopīnātha Ācārya. At this time all the Vaiṣṇava devotees from Bengal drew closer to the palace.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.137

(A tumultuous sound of hari-sankīrtana from behind the scenes)

Sārvabhauma: (listens) This saṅkīrtana delights the ear, but it is difficult to understand the words. First, they seem to be one group of words, and then again another, and then again another.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, they are hearing different groups of devotees chanting the holy names, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.138

King: (looking) I have never seen a kīrtana wonderful as this.

Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭaka 8.139

Sārvabhauma: Lord Caitanya is the cause of this kīrtana.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya had started the devotees to do the kīrtana in Navadvīpa, and they were continuing that kīrtana.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.74

prabhura preraṇāya dāmodara-svarūpa o govindakarttṛka mālā prasādasaha bhaktagaṇera abhyarthanā:—

dāmodara-svarūpa, govinda,—dui jana
mālā-prasāda lañā yāya, yāhāṅ vaiṣṇava-gaṇa

Translation: Svarūpa Dāmodara and Govinda, taking the flower garlands and prasādam of Lord Jagannātha, proceeded to where all the Vaiṣṇavas were standing.

Jayapatākā Swami: This shows how very senior devotees were giving the prasāda garlands of Jagannātha to the visiting devotees.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.75

prathamete mahāprabhu pāṭhāilā duṅhāre
rājā kahe, ei dui kon cināha āmāre

Translation: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu first sent those two persons in advance. The King inquired, “Who are these two? Please let me know their identities.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.76

rājāke bhaṭṭakarttṛka (1) dāmodara-svarūpera paricaya-dāna:—

bhaṭṭācārya kahe,—ei svarūpa-dāmodara
mahāprabhura haya iṅha dvitīya kalevara

Translation: Śrī Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya replied, “Here is Svarūpa Dāmodara, who is practically the second expansion of the body of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.77

(2) govindera paricaya dāna:—

dvitīya, govinda—bhṛtya, ihāṅ doṅhā diyā
mālā pāṭhāñāchena prabhu gaurava kariyā

Translation: “The second person is Govinda, Lord Caitanya’s personal servant. The Lord has sent garlands and remnants of Lord Jagannātha’s food with these two persons simply to honor the devotees from Bengal.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.78

advaitera mālā-paridhāna:—

ādau mālā advaitere svarūpa parāila
pāche govinda dvitīya mālā āni’ tāṅre dila

Translation: At the beginning, Svarūpa Dāmodara came forward and garlanded Advaita Ācārya. Govinda next came and offered a second garland to Advaita Ācārya.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.79

govinda praṇāma karāya advaitera praśnottare govindera paricaya dāna:—

tabe govinda daṇḍavat kaila ācāryere
tāṅre nāhi cine ācārya, puchila dāmodare

Translation: When Govinda offered his obeisances by falling down flat before Advaita Ācārya, Advaita Ācārya asked Svarūpa Dāmodara about his identity, for He did not know Govinda at that time.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.80

dāmodara kahe,—ihāra ’govinda’ nāma
īśvara-purīra sevaka ati guṇavān

Translation: Svarūpa Dāmodara informed Him, “Govinda was the servant of Īśvara Purī. He is very highly qualified.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.81

prabhura sevā karite purī ājñā dila
ataeva prabhu iṅhāke nikaṭe rākhila

Translation: “Īśvara Purī ordered Govinda to serve Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Thus the Lord keeps him by His side.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Since the guru had ordered him to serve Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, so Lord Caitanya accepted him since he had the order of His Guru.