20210526 For the Third Year, All the Devotees of Bengal Depart for Jagannātha Purī to See Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Part 2

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on May 26th, 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, the chapter entitled is:

For the Third Year, All the Devotees of Bengal Depart for Jagannātha Purī to See Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Part-2

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.14-15

prabhura niṣedha-sattveo prabhu-premika nitāira prabhu-darśanārtha purī-yātrā: 
yadyapi prabhura ājñā gauḍete rahite
nityānanda-prabhuke prema-bhakti prakāśite
tathāpi calilā mahāprabhure dekhite
nityānandera prema-ceṣṭā ke pāre bujhite

Translation: Although the Lord told Nityānanda Prabhu to stay in Bengal and spread ecstatic love of God, Nityānanda left to go see Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Who can understand Nityānanda Prabhu’s ecstatic love?

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.16-17

gauḍīyagaṇera yātrā: 
ācāryaratna, vidyānidhi, śrīvāsa, rāmāi
vāsudeva, murāri, govindādi tina bhāi

pāṇihāṭīra rāghava, kulīna-grāmera satyarājādira gamana:— 
rāghava paṇḍita nija-jhāli sājāñā
kulīna-grāma-vāsī cale paṭṭa-ḍorī lañā

Translation: All the devotees of Navadvīpa departed, including Ācāryaratna, Vidyānidhi, Śrīvāsa, Rāmāi, Vāsudeva, Murāri, Govinda and his two brothers and Rāghava Paṇḍita, who took bags of assorted foods. The inhabitants of Kulīna-grāma, carrying silken ropes, also departed.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.18

khaṇḍa haite narahari prabhṛtira yātrā:— 
khaṇḍa-vāsī narahari, śrī-raghunandana
sarva-bhakta cale, tāra ke kare gaṇana

Translation: Narahari and Śrī Raghunandana, who were from the village of Khaṇḍa, and many other devotees also departed. Who can count them?

Jayapatākā Swami: They were in such eagerness to see Lord Caitanya to serve Him, to chant with Him, that so many devotees came, they could not resist.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.19

sakalera tattvāvadhāyaka o paricālaka pathajña śivānanda:— 
śivānanda-sena kare ghāṭi samādhāna
sabāre pālana kari’ sukhe lañā yāna

Translation: Śivānanda Sena, who was in charge of the party, made arrangements to clear the tax collecting centers. He took care of all the devotees and happily traveled with them.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Śivānanda Sena he took care of all the devotees as his special service. He was leading a party and taking care of all the devotees.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.20

sabāra sarva-kārya karena, dena vāsā-sthāna
śivānanda jāne uḍiyā-pathera sandhāna

Translation: Śivānanda Sena took care of all the necessities the devotees required. In particular, he made arrangements for residential quarters, and he knew the roads of Orissa.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.21

prabhu-darśane vaiṣṇava-gṛhiṇīgaṇera gamana: 1) advaitapatnīra yātrā: 
se vatsara prabhu dekhite saba ṭhākurāṇī
calilā ācārya-saṅge acyuta-jananī

Translation: That year all the devotees’ wives [ṭhakurāṇīs] also went to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Sītādevī, the mother of Acyutānanda, went with Advaita Ācārya.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we can see how the wives of the devotees are also eager to serve Lord Caitanya, they were very advanced devotees, therefore they were being addressed as ṭhakurāṇīs.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.22

(2) śrīvāsa-patnī evaṁ (3) śivānanda-patnīra yātrā: 
śrīvāsa paṇḍita-saṅge calilā mālinī
śivānanda-saṅge cale tāṅhāra gṛhiṇī

Translation: Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita also took his wife, Mālinī, and the wife of Śivānanda Sena also went with her husband.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.23

śivānanda-putra caitanyadāsera yātrā:— 
śivānandera bālaka, nāma—caitanya-dāsa
teṅho caliyāche prabhure dekhite ullāsa

Translation: Caitanya dāsa, the son of Śivānanda Sena, also jubilantly accompanied them as they went to see the Lord.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.24

4) candraśekhara-patnīra yātrā: 
ācāryaratna-saṅge cale tāṅhāra gṛhiṇī
tāṅhāra premera kathā kahite nā jāni

Translation: The wife of Candraśekhara [Ācāryaratna] also went. I cannot describe the greatness of Candraśekhara’s love for the Lord.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.25

prabhu-sevārthe saṅge prabhupriya dravyādi-grahaṇa: 
saba ṭhākurāṇī mahāprabhuke bhikṣā dite
prabhura nānā priya dravya nila ghara haite

Translation: To offer Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu various types of food, all the wives of the great devotees brought from home various dishes that pleased Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: All the wives of the devotees were so eager to serve Lord Caitanya, they brought various items to prepare for the Lord.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.26

śivānandera sarvakārya-sampādana:— 
śivānanda-sena kare saba samādhāna
ghāṭiyāla prabodhi’ dena sabāre vāsā-sthāna

Translation: As stated, Śivānanda Sena made all arrangements for the party’s necessities. In particular, he pacified the men in charge of levying taxes and found resting places for everyone.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we remember how the tax-collectors has bothered Lord Caitanya’s associates. They would charge a toll in every city along the way, and Śivānanda Sena arranged to satisfy all these tax collectors, it was no small feat, He was arranging everything for the devotees, for the wives and for the children.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.27

bhakṣya diyā karena sabāra sarvatra pālane
parama ānande yāna prabhura daraśane

Translation: Śivānanda Sena also supplied food to all the devotees and took care of them along the way. In this way, feeling great happiness, he went to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Jagannātha Purī.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.28

remuṇāya sakalera gopīnātha-darśana, mādhavapurīra anusaraṇe advaitera nṛtya-kīrttana:— 
remuṇāya āsiyā kaila gopīnātha daraśana
ācārya karila tāhāṅ kīrtana, nartana

Translation: When they all arrived at Remuṇā, they went to see Lord Gopīnātha. In the temple there, Advaita Ācārya danced and chanted.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.29

pūrva-paricayahetu sevakagaṇera nityānandake abhinandana:— 
nityānandera paricaya saba sevaka sane
bahuta sammāna āsi’ kaila sevaka-gaṇe

Translation: All the priests of the temple had been previously acquainted with Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu; therefore they all came to offer great respects to the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in this Remuṇā temple there are many pastimes that happened here. Today is the appearance day of Mādhavendra Purī. When he went there, the deity of Gopīnātha stole a pot of kṣīra for him, so the deity is known as Kṣīracorā Gopīnātha. So, this pastime was known to Lord Nityānanda and He told that to Lord Caitanya and all the others. Now that He is going there again, the pujaris of the Gopīnātha temple remembered Him and they offered Him all respects.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.30

sakalera tathāya rātriyāpana o kṣīra-prasāda-sammāna: 
sei rātri saba mahānta tāhāñi rahilā
bāra kṣīra āni’ āge sevaka dharilā

Translation: That night, all the great devotees remained in the temple, and the priests brought twelve pots of condensed milk, which they placed before Lord Nityānanda Prabhu.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.31

kṣīra bāṅṭi’ sabāre dila prabhu-nityānanda
kṣīra-prasāda pāñā sabāra bāḍila ānanda

Translation: When the condensed milk was placed before Nityānanda Prabhu, He distributed the prasāda to everyone, and thus everyone’s transcendental bliss increased.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.32

nityānanda-karttṛka śrī-purīra, gopālera evaṃ gopīnāthera āgamana-vṛttānta-varṇana: 
mādhava-purīra kathā, gopāla-sthāpana
tāṅhāre gopāla yaiche māgila candana

Translation: They then all discussed the story of Śrī Mādhavendra Purī’s installation of the Gopāla Deity, and they discussed how Gopāla begged sandalwood from him.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.33

pūrva-yātrāya mahāprabhura mukhe śuniyā varṇana, bhaktagaṇera harṣa: 
tāṅra lāgi’ gopīnātha kṣīra curi kaila
mahāprabhura mukhe āge e kathā śunila

Translation: It was Gopīnātha who stole condensed milk for the sake of Mādhavendra Purī. This incident had been previously related by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.34

sei kathā sabāra madhye kahe nityānanda
śuniyā vaiṣṇava-mane bāḍila ānanda

Translation: This same narration was again related by Lord Nityānanda to all the devotees, and their transcendental bliss increased as they heard the story again.

Purport: The words mahāprabhura mukhe, “from the mouth of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu,” are significant because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu first heard the story of Mādhavendra Purī from His spiritual master, Śrīpāda Īśvara Purī. (See Madhya-līlā, chapter four, verse 18.) After staying at Śrī Advaita’s house in Śāntipura for some time, the Lord narrated the story of Mādhavendra Purī to Nityānanda Prabhu Jagadānanda Prabhu, Dāmodara Paṇḍita and Mukunda dāsa. When they went to Remuṇā, to the temple of Gopīnātha, He described Mādhavendra Purī’s installation of the Gopāla Deity as well as Gopīnātha’s stealing condensed milk. Due to this incident, Lord Gopīnātha became well known as Kṣīracorā, the thief who stole condensed milk.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya heard this story from Īśvara Purī Mahārāja and He related this story to Lord Nityānanda and others. Now Lord Nityānanda was telling this to the other devotees. So, we understand like this. We can go on telling the different pastimes of the Lord. its always fresh and ecstatic, and in this way one can be always thinking about Lord Kṛṣṇa, remembering His qualities and His pastimes.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.35

sakalera kaṭake āgamana, sākṣi-gopāla-darśana o nitāira sākṣi-gopāla kāhinī varṇana:— 
ei-mata cali’ cali’ kaṭaka āilā
sākṣi-gopāla dekhi’ sabe se dina rahilā

Translation: Walking and walking in this way, the devotees arrived at the city of Kaṭaka, where they remained for a day and saw the temple of Sākṣi-gopāla.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.36

sākṣi-gopālera kathā kahe nityānanda
śuniyā vaiṣṇava-mane bāḍila ānanda

Translation: When Nityānanda Prabhu described all the activities of Sākṣi-gopāla, transcendental bliss increased in the minds of all the Vaiṣṇavas.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the devotees were so happy to hear the pastimes of Sākṣi-Gopāla, and hearing this pastimes of the Lord, their spiritual bliss increased.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.37

prabhu-darśana- vyagra sakalerai drutagatite purīte āgamana:— 
prabhuke milite sabāra utkaṇṭhā antare
śīghra kari’ āilā sabe śrī-nīlācale

Translation: Everyone in the party was very anxious at heart to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu; therefore they hastily went on to Jagannātha Purī.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, all the residents of Bengal were very eager to see Lord Caitanya and thus they hastily went to Nīlācala and their love for the Lord is beyond any ability to express. So, that’s why we pray that we can have a little of dust from the lotus feet of these associates and naturally we also feel same kind of ecstatic love for the Lord, and wanting to serve Him.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, For the Third Year, All the Devotees of Bengal Depart for Jagannātha Purī to See Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.