20210519 Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya Requests Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to Accept Lunch at His House

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on May 19th,2021 in Śrī Dhāma 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!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book. Today's chapter is entitled as:

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya Requests Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to Accept Lunch at His House
Under the Section: The Lord Accepts Prasādam at the House of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.186

sārvabhaumera prabhuke ekamāsa nimantraṇa

prabhu-pāśa āsi’ sārvabhauma eka dina
yoḍa-hāta kari’ kichu kaila nivedana

Translation: One day Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya came before Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu with folded hands and submitted a request.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.187

ebe saba vaiṣṇava gauḍa-deśe cali’ gela
ebe prabhura nimantraṇe avasara haila

Translation: Since all the Vaiṣṇavas had returned to Bengal, there was a good chance that the Lord would accept an invitation.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.188

‘māsavyāpi nimantraṇa’-śravaṇe prabhura āpatti; evaṁ yatidharma-viruddha baliyā bhikṣāra samaya-hrāsa

ebe mora ghare bhikṣā karaha ‘māsa’ bhari’
prabhu kahe,—dharma nahe, karite nā pāri

Translation: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said, “Please accept my invitation for lunch for one month.” The Lord replied, “That is not possible, because it is against the religious principles of a sannyāsī.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.189

bhaṭṭera bhikṣā-kāla varddhana o prabhura hrāsa-ceṣṭākrame ekadina mātra bhikṣāya prabhura sammati

sārvabhauma kahe,—bhikṣā karaha biśa dina
prabhu kahe,—eha nahe yati-dharma-cihna

Translation: Sārvabhauma then said, “Please accept the invitation for twenty days.” But Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “It is not a religious principle of the renounced order.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.190

sārvabhauma kahe punaḥ,—dina ‘pañca-daśa’
prabhu kahe,—tomāra bhikṣā ‘eka’ divasa

Translation: When Sārvabhauma requested Caitanya Mahāprabhu to accept lunch for fifteen days, the Lord said, “I shall accept lunch at your place for one day only.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was establishing the system for sannyāsi, that He could only take prasāda for one day at one gṛhastha's house.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.191

bahudainyavinaye bhaṭṭera 10 dina karite ceṣṭā:–

tabe sārvabhauma prabhura caraṇe dhariyā
’daśa-dina bhikṣā kara’ kahe vinati kariyā

Translation: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya then caught hold of the Lord’s lotus feet and submissively begged, “Please accept lunch for at least ten days.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.192

avaśeṣe 5 dina bhikṣā svīkāra

prabhu krame krame pāṅca-dina ghāṭāila
pāṅca-dina tāṅra bhikṣā niyama karila

Translation: In this way, by and by, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu reduced the duration to five days. Thus for five days He regularly accepted the Bhaṭṭācārya’s invitation to lunch.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.193

daśajana sannyāsīra nimantraṇa vyavasthā

tabe sārvabhauma kare āra nivedana
tomāra saṅge sannyāsī āche daśa-jana

Translation: After this, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said, “My Lord, there are ten sannyāsīs with You.”

Purport: A sannyāsī should not cook food for himself or accept an invitation to eat at a devotee’s house continuously for many days. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very kind and affectionate toward His devotees, yet He would not accept a long invitation at Sārvabhauma’s house. Out of affection, He accepted only five days in the month. The ten sannyāsīs living with the Lord were (1) Paramānanda Purī, (2) Svarūpa Dāmodara, (3) Brahmānanda Purī, (4) Brahmānanda Bhāratī, (5) Viṣṇu Purī, (6) Keśava Purī, (7) Kṛṣṇānanda Purī, (8) Nṛsiṁha Tīrtha, (9) Sukhānanda Purī and (10) Satyānanda Bhāratī.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we can see how Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was very expert. First he requested the Lord to take prasāda at his house for thirty days, then twenty days, then fifteen days, then ten days and finally the Lord accepted five days!

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.194

paramānanda-purīke 5 dina bhikṣā-dāna

purī-gosāñira bhikṣā pāṅca-dina mora ghare
pūrve āmi kahiyāchoṅ tomāra gocare

Translation: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya then submitted that Paramānanda Purī Gosvāmī would accept a five-day invitation at his place. This had already been settled before the Lord.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.195

svarūpake kakhanao prabhusaṅge, kakhanao ekākī 4 dina bhikṣā-dāna-svīkāra

dāmodara-svarūpa,—ei bāndhava āmāra
kabhu tomāra saṅge yābe, kabhu ekeśvara

Translation: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said, “Dāmodara Svarūpa is my intimate friend. He will come sometimes with You and sometimes alone.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.196

avaśiṣṭa 8 jana sannyāsīke 16 dina bhikṣā-dāna

āra aṣṭa sannyāsīra bhikṣā dui dui divase
eka eka-dina, eka eka jane pūrṇa ha-ila māse

Translation: “The other eight sannyāsīs will accept invitations for two days each. In this way there will be engagements for each and every day during the entire month.

Purport: During the entire month, consisting of thirty days, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would visit Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya for five days, Paramānanda Purī Gosvāmī would visit for five days, Svarūpa Dāmodara for four days, and the eight other sannyāsīs for two days each. In this way the thirty days of the month would be filled.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we can see how a Gṛhastha, he fills his whole month by serving the sannyāsīs. So, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was very expert to serve the sannyāsīs.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.197

daśajana sannyāsīra ekatra bhikṣāya yathāyogya maryādā-saṁrakṣaṇe asambhāvanā-hetu aparādhāśaṅkā

bahuta sannyāsī yadi āise eka ṭhāñi
sammāna karite nāri, aparādha pāi

Translation: “If all the sannyāsīs came together, it would not be possible for me to pay them proper respects. Therefore I would be an offender.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.198

kakhanao ekaka, kakhanao svarūpa-saṅge nimantraṇa

tumiha nija-chāye āsibe mora ghara
kabhu saṅge āsibena svarūpa-dāmodara

Translation: “Sometimes You will come alone to my place, and sometimes You will be accompanied by Svarūpa Dāmodara.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.199

prabhura anumodane prabhuke nimantraṇa

prabhura iṅgita pāñā ānandita mana
sei dina mahāprabhura kaila nimantraṇa

Translation: Having this arrangement confirmed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Bhaṭṭācārya became very glad and immediately invited the Lord to his house on that very day.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.200

bhaṭṭapatnī ṣāṭhīra mātā—prabhubhakta

‘ṣāṭhīra mātā’ nāma, bhaṭṭācāryera gṛhiṇī
prabhura mahā-bhakta teṅho, snehete jananī

Translation: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s wife was known as Ṣāṭhīra Mātā, the mother of Ṣāṭhī. She was a great devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and she was affectionate like a mother.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.201

ṣāṭhīra mātāra randhana

ghare āsi’ bhaṭṭācārya tāṅre ājñā dila
ānande ṣāṭhīra mātā pāka caḍāila

Translation: After returning to his home, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya gave orders to his wife, and his wife, Ṣāṭhīra Mātā, began cooking with great pleasure.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the wife of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Ṣāṭhīra Mātā, she was very enthusiastic to be able to cook for Lord Caitanya. So she became very happy to hear the news, and this is the sign of the pure devotee, that they are very eager to serve the Lord.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.202

śāka-phalādi nānā naivedya-saṁgraha

bhaṭṭācāryera gṛhe saba dravya āche bhari’
yebā śāka-phalādika, ānāila āhari’

Translation: At Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s house, there was always a full stock of food. Whatever spinach, vegetables, fruit and so on were required, he collected and brought back home.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.203

svayaṃ bhaṭṭera patnīke randhane sahāyatā

āpani bhaṭṭācārya kare pākera saba karma
ṣāṭhīra mātā—vicakṣaṇā, jāne pāka-marma

Translation: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya personally began to help Ṣāṭhīra Mātā cook. She was very experienced, and she knew how to cook nicely.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the Vaiṣṇavīs should also become experienced of how to cook for the Lord. This is one of the services that they should learn. So here we see that Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, he helped cook with his wife.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.204

randhana-bhogagṛha varṇana

pāka-śālāra dakṣiṇe—dui bhogālaya
eka-ghare śālagrāmera bhoga-sevā haya

Translation: On the southern side of the kitchen were two rooms for offering food, and in one of them the food was offered to Śālagrāma Nārāyaṇa.

Purport: Among the followers of the Vedic way, the śālagrāma-śilā, the vigraha of Nārāyaṇa, is worshiped in the form of a stone ball. In India, every brāhmaṇa still worships the śālagrāma-śilā in his home. The vaiśyas and kṣatriyas may also engage in this worship, but it is compulsory in the house of a brāhmaṇa.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.205

āra ghara mahāprabhura bhikṣāra lāgiyā
nibhṛte kariyāche bhaṭṭa nūtana kariyā

Translation: The other room was for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s lunch. The Lord’s lunchroom was very secluded, and it was newly constructed by the Bhaṭṭācārya.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in other words Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya had specifically constructed a room for Lord Kṛṣṇa Caitanya to take His prasāda.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.206

bāhye eka dvāra tāra, prabhu praveśite
pāka-śālāra eka dvāra anna pariveśite

Translation: The room was so constructed that there was only one door opening on the outside, which served as an entrance for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. There was another door attached to the kitchen, and it was through this door that the food was brought.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we can see how Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya,he made all the arrangements to be able to serve Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu as His guest to take His luch, the Kṛṣṇa-prasāda.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya Requests Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to Accept Lunch at His House.
Under the Section: The Lord Accepts Prasādam at the House of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya