20210531 Lord Caitanya Falls in a Well and Gadādhara Paṇḍita Again Receives Mantra from Premanidhi Part 2

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation

By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 31^st May 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

Introduction: Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya book, the chapter entitled:

Lord Caitanya Falls in a Well and Gadādhara Paṇḍita Again Receives Mantra from Premanidhi Part 2

Under the Section: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.58

prabhura premāveśe kūpamadhye patana—

eka-dina mahāprabhu āviṣṭa haiyā
paḍilā kūpera mājhe āchāḍa khāiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: One day Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became completely absorbed in ecstatic love and He fell into a well.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.59

dekhiyā advaita-ādi sammoha pāiyā
krandana karena sabe śire hāta diyā

Jayapatākā Swami: Seeing this, Advaita Ācārya and all the other devotees became bewildered, and they began crying as they held their heads in their hands.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.60

kichu nā jānena prabhu prema-bhakti-rase
bālakera prāya yena kūpe paḍi’ bhāse

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya, He was enjoying ecstatic love, so He didn’t understand anything, what had happened. Like a child He simply floated in the well, that He had fallen in.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.61

prabhu-sparśe kūpa navanītamaya—

sei kṣaṇe kūpa haila navanīta-maya
prabhura śrī-aṅge kichu kṣata nāhi haya

Jayapatākā Swami: At that time, the well became like butter, so Lord Caitanya’s divine body was not scratched or hurt in any way.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.62

e kon adbhuta, yāṅra bhaktira prabhāve
vaiṣṇava nācite aṅge kanṭaka nā lāge

Jayapatākā Swami: It is not very wonderful for one who has the influence of devotional service, If a Vaiṣṇava is dancing, and he steps on a thorn, he doesn’t perceive any pain.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.63

advaitādi-bhaktagaṇera prabhuke kūpa haite uttolana—

tabe advaitādi mili’ sarva-bhakta-gaṇe
tulilena prabhure dhariyā kata-kṣaṇe

Jayapatākā Swami: Then Advaita Prabhu and all the other devotees quickly pulled Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu out of the well.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.64

paḍilā kūpete prabhu tāhā nāhi jāne
“ki bala, ki kathā” prabhu jijñāse āpane

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya didn’t know that He had fallen into the well. So, He asked the devotees, “What’s going on? Tell Me, what is the matter?” He was asking everyone.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.65

ardhavāhyadaśāya prabhura asarvajñera nyāya bhaktagaṇake nānā kathā jijñāsā—

bāhya nā jānena prabhu prema-bhakti-rase
asarvajña-prāya prabhu sabāre jijñāse

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was unaware of external events because of relishing the mellows of ecstatic love. Lord Caitanya asked the others as if He didn’t know, what happenned.

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: Lord Gaurasundara was so absorbed in the mellows of ecstatic devotional service that no memory of the external world obstructed His cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Moreover, after regaining His external consciousness, He would sometimes act as if He did not understand anything. In this way He would cover His omniscience and His position as the Supreme Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, although Lord Caitanya knew everything, He even knew that Puṇḍarīka Premaniddhi was coming within ten days but sometimes He would hide His omniscience, in this way he would be in ecstasy.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.66

śrī-mukhera śuni’ ati-amṛta-vacana
ānande bhāsena advaitādi bhakta-gaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: Hearing the most nectarean words from the lotus mouth of the Lord, the devotees headed by Advaita Ācārya floated in ecstasy.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.67

vidyānidhira āgamana—

ei mate bhakti-rase īśvara vihara
vidyānidhi āilena jāniñā antare

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way the Lord was enjoying the mellows of pure devotional service. In this way, He internally understood that Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi had arrived.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.68

citte mātra karite īśvara sei kṣaṇe
vidyānidhi āsiyā dilena daraśane

Jayapatākā Swami: As soon as Lord Caitanya remembered Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi at that time Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhī arrived there to meet Him.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.69

vidyānidhi-darśane ‘bāpa’, ‘bāpa’ baliyā sambodhana—

vidyānidhi dekhi’ prabhu hāsite lāgilā
“bāpa āilā, bāpa āilā” balite lāgilā

Jayapatākā Swami: When Lord Caitanya saw Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, He smiled and said, “My father has come. My father has come.” So, we can either take it that Lord Caitanya had assumed the mood of Rādhārāṇī, and Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi was the incarnation of Vṛṣabhānu Mahārāja and in that way he was His father or we can take it as Kṛṣṇa, the Father of Rādhārāṇī is His father-in-law, so that’s also a kind of father. So, either way he always saw Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi as His father.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.70

vidānidhii premavihvala premanidhi—

premanidhi premānande hailā vihvala
pūrṇa haila hṛdayera sakala maṅgala

Jayapatākā Swami: So Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi is also known as Premanidhi and he became overwhelmed in ecstatic love and his heart became filled with all auspiciousness.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.71

bhakta-vatsala gaurāṅgera premanidhike vakṣe dhariyā krandana—

śrī-bhakta-vatsala gauracandra nārāyaṇa
premanidhi vakṣe kari’ karena krandana

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrī Gauracandra, who is the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa, and who is always affectionate to His devotees, embraced Puṇḍarīka Premanidhi to His chest and began crying.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.72

vaiṣṇava-vṛndera krandana––vaikuṇṭha-krandane sukhodaya—

sakala vaiṣṇava-vṛnda kānde cāri-bhite
vaikuṇṭha-svarūpa sukha mililā sākṣāte

Jayapatākā Swami: All the assembled Vaiṣṇavas on all sides began to cry in ecstasy and thus they were experiencing the complete bliss of Vaikuṇṭha, the spiritual world.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.73

īśvara-sahita yata āche bhakta-gaṇa
premanidhi-prīte prema bāḍe anukṣaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all the assembled devotees’ felt or experienced great affection for Premanidhi and their love for Kṛṣṇa increased more and more.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.74

vidyānidhira pūrva-sakhā dāmodara-svarūpa-paraspara milana o paraspara vaiṣṇavocita sambhāṣaṇa—

dāmodara-svarūpa tāhāna pūrva-sakhā
caitanyera agre dui-jane haila dekhā

Jayapatākā Swami: Svarūpa Dāmodara was his old friend, and now the two met each other in the presence of Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.75

dui-jane cāhena duṅhāra pada-dhūli
duṅhe dharādhari, ṭhelāṭheli, phelāpheli

Jayapatākā Swami: The two desired the dust from the other's lotus ’s feet, so they pulled and pushed each other and finally fell to the ground. So, we see amongst the Vaiṣṇavas they would have this spiritual competition to take the dust of the other. This is not an Olympic sport but this is a Vaiṣṇava special ecstatic behavior.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.76

keho kāre nā pārena, duṅhe mahābalī
karāyena, hāsena, gaurāṅga kutūhalī

Jayapatākā Swami: They were both strong and powerful, and therefore neither was defeated. Lord Gaurāṅga, who inspired them in this way, smiled as He eagerly watched.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.77

vāhyadaśā-prāptira para prabhura vidyānidhike nīlācale avasthānārtha anurodha—

tabe bāhya pāi’ prabhu vidyānidhi-prati
“katodina nīlācale tumi kara sthiti”

Jayapatākā Swami: And thus Lord Caitanya obtained His external consciousness, due to the presence of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi. So, he asked him, “Please stay in Nīlācala for some time.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.78

mahāprabhura nikaṭa vidyānidhira avasthāna—

śuni’ premanidhi mahā-santoṣa hailā
bhāgya hena māni’ prabhu-nikaṭe rahilā

Jayapatākā Swami: So, when Puṇḍarīka Premanidhi heard Lord Caitanya’s request, he became very satisfied. He considered himself most fortunate and he set up his residence near Lord Caitanya’s.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.79

gadādharera vidyānidhira nikaṭa punar-mantra-grahara—

gadādhara-devo iṣṭa-mantra punar-bāra
premanidhi-sthāne preme kailena svīkāra

Jayapatākā Swami: Gadādhara Paṇḍita took his Gāyatrī mantra, initiation again from Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi with great love.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.80

vidyānidhira mahimā—

āra ki kahiba premanidhira mahimāyāṅ
ra śiṣya gadādhara ei prema-sīmā

Jayapatākā Swami: What can I say about the glories of Puṇḍarīka Premanidhi? The extent of his glories, of his love is understood by the fact that Gadādhara Paṇḍita is his disciple.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.81

yāṅra kīrti vākhāne advaita, śrīnivāsa
yāṅra kīrti balena murāri, haridāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: Indeed, Premanidhi’s glories were narrated by Advaita Prabhu, Śrīvāsa, Murāri, and Haridāsa Thakura.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.82

hena nāhi vaiṣṇava ye tāne nā vākhāne
puṇḍarīko sarva-bhakta kāya-vākya-mane

Jayapatākā Swami: There was no Vaiṣṇava who did not glorify him. Similarly, Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi would serve the devotees with his body, word and mind.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.83

‘amānī’ ‘mānadera' ādarśa vidyānidhi—

ahaṅkāra tāna dehe nāhi tilamātra
nā bujhi ki adbhuta caitanya-kṛpā-pātra

Jayapatākā Swami: There was not a speck of false ego in his body. I am unable to understand what wonderful mercy he received from Lord Caitanya. and how Lord Caitanya is His Sīkṣāstaka described that one should be offering all respect to others and not desiring any respect for one's self. This quality was personally displayed by Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi  Premaniddhi.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.84

ye-rūpa kṛṣṇera priya-pātra vidyānidhi
gadādhara-śrī-mukhera kathā kichu likhi

Jayapatākā Swami: Now I will write something regarding Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi’s position as a dear servant of Kṛṣṇa according to whatever I heard from the lotus mouth of Gadādhara Paṇḍita.

So, ISKCON Bangaldesh is very fortunate that we have the birth place of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi in Bangladesh. There we have the deities of Vṛṣabhānavī Murāri and Gaurāṅga Mahaprabh. So, like this Vasudeva Datta, Murāri Datta, Mukunda Datta went to live near Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi. So, simply by remembering His transcendental qualities the conditioned soul gets purified.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Lord Caitanya Falls in a Well and Gadādhara Paṇḍita Again Receives Mantra from Premanidhi.

Under the Section: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana.