20221215 Lord Nityānanda induces Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to come eat chipped rice

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on December 15th, 2022 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 the most exciting chapter entitled as:

Lord Nityānanda induces Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to come eat chipped rice
Under the section: The Meeting of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.71

prasādasaha rāghava paṇḍitera tathāya āgamana:—

hena-kāle āilā tathā rāghava paṇḍita
hāsite lāgilā dekhi’ hañā vismita

Translation: At that time, Rāghava Paṇḍita arrived there. Seeing the situation, he began to laugh in great surprise.

Jayapatākā Swami: Rāghava Paṇḍita was the cook for Nityānanda prabhu, he is famous for sending bags of preparations to Jagannātha Purī for Lord Caitanya, they are called rāghava-jhālī. (Some would last for one year, some for three months, like that.)

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.72

sarvāgre nityānandake, pare bhaktagaṇake prasāda-pradāna:—

ni-sakḍi nānā-mata prasāda ānila
prabhure āge diyā bhakta-gaṇe bāṅti dila

Translation: He brought many kinds of food cooked in ghee and offered to the Lord. This prasādam he first placed before Lord Nityānanda and then distributed among the devotees.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.73

bhojanārtha nityānanda prabhuke anurodha:—

prabhure kahe,—“tomā lāgi’ bhoga lāgāila
tumi ihāṅ utsava kara, ghare prasāda rahila”

Translation: Rāghava Paṇḍita said to Lord Nityānanda, “For You, Sir, I have already offered food to the Deity, but You are engaged in a festival here, and so the food is lying there untouched.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.74

nityānanda prabhura gopābhimāne vraja-līlāra uddīpana:—

prabhu kahe,—“e-dravya dine kariye bhojana
rātrye tomāra ghare prasāda karimu bhakṣaṇa

Translation: Lord Nityānanda replied, “Let Me eat all this food here during the day, and I shall eat at your home at night.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Nityānanda was enjoying His picnic in the open like in Vṛndāvana with the cowherd boys. He was taking the chipped rice with yoghurt and condensed milk. He told Rāghava Paṇḍita that I will eat at your home at night, and I will take the picnic prasāda here.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.75

sakhāgaṇasaṅge yamunātaṭe pulina-bhojanānanda:—

gopa-jāti āmi bahu gopa-gaṇa saṅge
āmi sukha pāi ei pulina-bhojana-raṅge”

Translation: “I belong to a community of cowherd boys, and therefore I generally have many cowherd associates with Me. I am happy when we eat together in a picnic like this by the sandy bank of the river.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Nityānanda He was enjoying the pastimes of Vṛndāvana eating with the cowherd boys and He considered all the people who were present as cowherd boys and thus He was in great spiritual bliss.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.76

rāghaverao tathāya bhojana-sampādana:—

rāghave vasāñā dui kuṇḍī deoyāilā
rāghava dvividha ciḍā tāte bhijāilā

Translation: Lord Nityānanda made Rāghava Paṇḍita sit down and had two pots delivered to him also. There were two kinds of chipped rice soaked in them.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Nityānanda He also had Rāghava Paṇḍita sit down and participate in the picnic feast.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.77

mahāprabhuke mahotsavera madhye dhyāne ānayana:—

sakala-lokera ciḍā pūrṇa yabe ha-ila
dhyāne tabe prabhu mahāprabhure ānila

Translation: When chipped rice had been served to everyone, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, in meditation, brought Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has been at that time was in South India, but Lord Nityānanda He brought Lord Caitanya by His power of meditation and Lord Caitanya was there to enjoy the pastime.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.78

mahāprabhu-saṅge nityānanda prabhura bhogasandarśana:—

mahāprabhu āilā dekhi’ nitāi uṭhilā
tāṅre lañā sabāra ciḍā dekhite lāgilā

Translation: When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu arrived, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu stood up. They then saw how the others were enjoying the chipped rice with yogurt and condensed milk.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, they were walking amongst the devotees watching them eating the chipped rice with yoghurt and condensed milk.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.79

mahāprabhura mukhe eka eka grāsa-pradāna:—

sakala kuṇḍīra, holnāra ciḍāra eka eka grāsa
mahāprabhura mukhe dena kari’ parihāsa

Translation: From each and every pot, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu took one morsel of chipped rice and pushed it into the mouth of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as a joke.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Nityānanda took a handful of chipped rice and put it up and pushed it in the mouth of Lord Caitanya. So people saw the chipped rice going up and disappearing in the air, as they couldn’t see Lord Caitanya.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.80

mahāprabhurao nitāira mukhe ekagrāsa pradāna

hāsi’ mahāprabhu āra eka grāsa lañā
tāṅra mukhe diyā khāoyāya hāsiyā hāsiyā

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, also smiling, took a morsel of food, pushed it into the mouth of Nityānanda and laughed as He made Lord Nityānanda eat it.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, people saw this morsel of food rising up in the air and disappearing in the mouth of Lord Nityānanda. So the two were enjoying as They did when They had picnic with all the cowherd boys in Vṛndāvana.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.81

bhaktagaṇera caturddike nitāira bhramaṇa raṅga-darśana:—

ei-mata nitāi bule sakala maṇḍale
dāṇḍāñā raṅga dekhe vaiṣṇava sakale

Translation: In this way Lord Nityānanda was walking through all the groups of eaters, and all the Vaiṣṇavas standing there were seeing the fun.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, they may not have understood what was happening but everyone was overwhelmed with spiritual bliss.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.82

ubhayera raṅga—kāhārao adṛśya, sukṛtisampanna kāhārao dṛśya vyāpāra:—

ki kariyā beḍāya,—ihā keha nāhi jāne
mahāprabhura darśana pāya kona bhāgyavāne

Translation: No one could understand what Nityānanda Prabhu was doing as He walked about. Some, however, who were very fortunate, could see that Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was also present.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, generally no one could see Lord Caitanya, but some were very fortunate they could see that Lord Caitanya was also there.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.83

mahāprabhura janya duipātre dugdha-ciḍā o duipātre dadhi-ciḍā —

tabe hāsi’ nityānanda vasilā āsane
cāri kuṇḍī āroyā ciḍā rākhilā ḍāhine

Translation: Then Nityānanda Prabhu smiled and sat down. On His right side He kept four pots of chipped rice that had not been made from boiled paddy.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda sat down Lord Caitanya sat by his side. They gave some pots of ciḍā to Lord Caitanya which were very special.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.84

mahāprabhu o nityānanda prabhura bhojana:—

āsana diyā mahāprabhure tāhāṅ vasāilā
dui bhāi tabe ciḍā khāite lāgilā

Translation: Lord Nityānanda offered Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu a place and had Him sit down. Then together the two brothers began eating chipped rice.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Nityānanda and Lord Caitanya were eating chipped rice together, They were experiencing great transcendental pleasure.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.85

nitāira bhāvābeśa:—

dekhi’ nityānanda-prabhu ānandita hailā
kata kata bhāvāveśa prakāśa karilā

Translation: Seeing Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu eating with Him, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu became very happy and exhibited varieties of ecstatic love.

Jayapatākā Swami: The special moods of Lord Nityānanda by seeing Lord Caitanya eating prasāda with Him is something very wonderful.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.86

haridhvanipūrvaka bhojane ādeśa:—

ājñā dilā,—‘hari bali’ karaha bhojana’
‘hari’ ‘hari’-dhvani uṭhi’ bharila bhuvana

Translation: Lord Nityānanda Prabhu ordered, “All of you eat, chanting the holy name of Hari.” Immediately the holy names “Hari, Hari” resounded, filling the entire universe.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, everyone in the field eating the ciḍā began to chant the holy names of Hari. In fact there were no other sounds that could be heard, if one wants more they said Hari Hari, if they had enough they said Hari Hari!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.87

vaiṣṇavagaṇera bhojana o vrajera pulina-bhojanoddīpana:—

‘hari’ ‘hari’ bali’ vaiṣṇava karaye bhojana
pulina-bhojana sabāra ha-ila smaraṇa

Translation: When all the Vaiṣṇavas were chanting the holy names “Hari, Hari” and eating, they remembered how Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma ate with Their companions the cowherd boys on the bank of the Yamunā

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is one of the seven purposes of ISKCON. We should relive the transcendental pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Here Nitāi Gaura were reliving the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.88

raghunāthera upara prabhudvayera kṛpā:—

nityānanda mahāprabhu—kṛpālu, udāra
raghunāthera bhāgye eta kailā aṅgīkāra

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Nityānanda Prabhu are extremely merciful and liberal. It was Raghunātha dāsa’s good fortune that They accepted all these dealings.

Jayapatākā Swami: Raghunatha dāsa wanted to go and join Caitanya Mahāprabhu to be part of His pastimes and by this offering of feast to the two brothers and all the devotees, Raghunatha dāsa was getting this special mercy.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.89

nityānanda premavaśa mahāprabhu:—

nityānanda-prabhāva-kṛpā jānibe kon jana?
mahāprabhu āni’ karāya pulina-bhojana

Translation: Who can understand the influence and mercy of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu? He is so powerful that He induced Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to come eat chipped rice on the bank of the Ganges.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, He has so much power that He could bring Lord Caitanya and this pastime we are holding in ISKCON in various places. So, we want to assist Raghunatha dāsa Gosvāmī in His offering to Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.90

abhirāma-ṭhākurādira gopabhāve yamunātaṭe pulina-bhojanoddīpana:—

śrī-rāmadāsādi gopa premāviṣṭa hailā
gaṅgā-tīre ‘yamunā-pulina’ jñāna kailā

Translation: All the confidential devotees who were cowherd boys, headed by Śrī Rāmadāsa, were absorbed in ecstatic love. They thought the bank of the Ganges to be the bank of the Yamunā.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrī Rāma dāsa is also known as Abhīrāma dāsa and he was one of the cowherd boys from Vṛndāvana and on the request of Lord Nityānanda he joined the pastimes, so, he was in special ecstasy.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.91

paṇyavikrayigaṇera paṇya-vikrayārtha āgamana, vikrayadvārā artha-lābha, punarāya prasādīkṛta vikrītavastu-bhojana —

mahotsava śuni’ pasāri nānā-grāma haite
ciḍā, dadhi, sandeśa, kalā ānila vecite

Translation: When the shopkeepers of many other villages heard about the festival, they arrived there to sell chipped rice, yogurt, sweetmeats and bananas.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.92

yata dravya lañā āise, saba mūlya kari’ laya
tāra dravya mūlya diyā tāhāre khāoyāya

Translation: As they came, bringing all kinds of food, Raghunātha dāsa purchased it all. He gave them the price for their goods and later fed them the very same food.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Raghunatha dāsa Gosvāmī not only gave these business men price for their goods, he also gave them māhā-prasāda .

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.93

āgantukagaṇera sakalerai bhojana:—

kautuka dekhite āila yata yata jana
sei ciḍā, dadhi, kalā karila bhakṣaṇa

Translation: Anyone who came to see how these funny things were going on was also fed chipped rice, yogurt and bananas.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, people if they just came out of curiosity to see what’s going on, by the mercy of Lord Nityānanda, Raghunatha dāsa also gave them prasāda. In this way, so many people took prasāda in the presence of Nitai-Gaura.

Haribol!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.94

ācamanānte nitāira raghunāthake bhuktāvaśeṣa-pradāna:—

bhojana kari’ nityānanda ācamana kailā
cāri kuṇḍīra avaśeṣa raghunāthe dilā

Translation: After Lord Nityānanda Prabhu finished eating, He washed His hands and mouth and gave Raghunātha dāsa the food remaining in the four pots.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is special mercy, these remnants of prasāda are Lord Nityānanda’s mahā-prasāda. Who would like that? So, Raghunatha dāsa Gosvāmī he got all this mercy.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.95

bhaktagaṇa-madhye prasāda baṇṭana:—

āra tina kuṇḍikāya avaśeṣa chila
grāse-grāse kari’ vipra saba bhakte dila

Translation: There was food remaining in the three other big pots of Lord Nityānanda, and a brāhmaṇa distributed it to all the devotees, giving a morsel to each.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the devotees present got the special remnants from Lord Nityānanda, and everyone could easily get Kṛṣṇa-prema.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.96

candana-tāmbaladvārā prabhura sevā:—

puṣpa-mālā vipra āni’ prabhu-gale dila
candana āniyā prabhura sarvāṅge lepila

Translation: Then a brāhmaṇa brought a flower garland, placed the garland on Nityānanda Prabhu’s neck and smeared sandalwood pulp all over His body.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this brāhmaṇa devotee, he took this opportunity to offer some personal service to Lord Nityānanda Prabhu.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.97

sevaka tāmbūla lañā kare samarpaṇa
hāsiyā hāsiyā prabhu karaye carvaṇa

Translation: When a servant brought betel nuts and offered them to Lord Nityānanda, the Lord smiled and chewed them.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is was the custom in Vṛndāvana and Lord Nityānanda He was in that mood.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.98

sakalabhaktera tadavaśeṣa-prāpti:—

mālā-candana-tāmbūla śeṣa ye āchila
śrī-haste prabhu tāhā sabākāre bāṅṭi’ dila

Translation: With His own hands Lord Nityānanda Prabhu distributed to all the devotees whatever flower garlands, sandalwood pulp and betel nuts remained.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda being in the mood of cowherd boy He distributed all the remnants and everyone was very blissful.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.99

prabhura avaśeṣa-prāptite raghunāthera ānanda:—

ānandita raghunātha prabhura ‘śeṣa’ pāñā
āpanāra gaṇa-saha khāilā bāṅtiyā

Translation: After receiving the remnants of food left by Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, Raghunātha dāsa, who was greatly happy, ate some and distributed the rest among his own associates.

Jayapatākā Swami: Raghunatha dāsa he also was grateful for the help that his associates were doing, so he gave all of them some of Lord Nityānanda’s remnants.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.100

eijanyai ciḍā-dadhi-mahotsava-sañjñā:—

ei ta’ kahiluṅ nityānandera vihara
‘ciḍā-dadhi-mahotsava’-nāme khyāti yāra

Translation: Thus I have described the pastimes of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu in relation to the celebrated festival of chipped rice and yogurt.

Jayapatākā Swami: ISKCON Atlanta USA Śrīla Prabhupāda gave the name New Pānihāṭi dhāma, they didn’t know what happened in Pānihāṭi. So I established the Pānihāṭi festival of ciḍā-dadhi there. We made 18 varieties, eighteen flavors - six sweet yoghurt, six condensed milk and six salads. So, in Eastern USA, all over from Canada and from various parts of the USA, devotees come to celebrate this ciḍā-dadhi festival

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Lord Nityānanda induces Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to come eat chipped rice
Under the section: The Meeting of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī