Sri Caitanya-caritamrta: Adi-lila
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter 11

Adi11.42

TEXT 42

acarya vaisnavananda bhakti-adhikari

purve nama chila yanra ’raghunatha puri’

SYNONYMS

acarya—teacher; vaisnavananda—of the name Vaisnavananda; bhakti—devotional service; adhikari—fit candidate; purve—previously; nama—name; chila—was; yanra—whose; raghunatha puri—of the name Raghunatha Puri.

TRANSLATION

The twenty-seventh prominent devotee of Nityananda Prabhu was Acarya Vaisnavananda, a great personality in devotional service. He was formerly known as Raghunatha Puri.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 97, it is said that Raghunatha Puri was previously very powerful in the eight mystic successes. He was an incarnation of one of the successes.

Adi11.43

TEXT 43

visnudasa, nandana, gangadasa--tina bhai

purve yanra ghare chila thakura nitai

SYNONYMS

visnudasa—of the name Visnudasa; nandana—of the name Nandana; gangadasa—of the name Gangadasa; tina bhai—three brothers; purve—previously; yanra—whose; ghare—in the house; chila—stayed; thakura nitai—Nityananda Prabhu.

TRANSLATION

Another important devotee of Lord Nityananda Prabhu was Visnudasa, who had two brothers, Nandana and Gangadasa. Lord Nityananda Prabhu sometimes stayed at their house.

PURPORT

The three brothers Visnudasa, Nandana and Gangadasa were residents of Navadvipa and belonged to the Bhattacarya brahmana family. Both Visnudasa and Gangadasa stayed for some time with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Jagannatha Puri, and the Caitanya-bhagavata states that formerly Nityananda Prabhu stayed at their house.

Adi11.44

TEXT 44

nityananda-bhrtya--paramananda upadhyaya

sri-jiva pandita nityananda-guna gaya

SYNONYMS

nityananda-bhrtya—servant of Nityananda Prabhu; paramananda upadhyaya—of the name Paramananda Upadhyaya; sri-jiva pandita—of the name Sri Jiva Pandita; nityananda—Lord Nityananda Prabhu; guna—qualities; gaya—glorified.

TRANSLATION

Paramananda Upadhyaya was Nityananda Prabhu’s great servitor. Sri Jiva Pandita glorified the qualities of Sri Nityananda Prabhu.

PURPORT

Sri Paramananda Upadhyaya was an advanced devotee. His name is mentioned in the Caitanya-bhagavata, where Sri Jiva Pandita is also mentioned as the second son of Ratnagarbha Acarya and a childhood friend of Hadai Ojha, the father of Nityananda Prabhu. In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 169, it is said that Sri Jiva Pandita was formerly the gopi named Indira.

Adi11.45

TEXT 45

paramananda gupta--krsna-bhakta mahamati

purve yanra ghare nityanandera vasati

SYNONYMS

paramananda gupta—of the name Paramananda Gupta; krsna-bhakta—a great devotee of Lord Krsna; maha-mati—advanced in spiritual consciousness; purve—formerly; yanra—whose; ghare—in the house; nityanandera—of Lord Nityananda Prabhu; vasati—residence.

TRANSLATION

The thirty-first devotee of Lord Nityananda Prabhu was Paramananda Gupta, who was greatly devoted to Lord Krsna and highly advanced in spiritual consciousness. Formerly Nityananda Prabhu also resided at his house for some time.

PURPORT

Paramananda Gupta composed a prayer to Lord Krsna known as Krsna-stavavali. In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verses 194 and 199, it is stated that he was formerly the gopi named Manjumedha.

Adi11.46

TEXT 46

narayana, krsnadasa ara manohara

devananda--cari bhai nitai-kinkara

SYNONYMS

narayana—of the name Narayana; krsnadasa—of the name Krsnadasa; ara—and; manohara—of the name Manohara; devananda—of the name Devananda; cari bhai—four brothers; nitai-kinkara—servants of Lord Nityananda Prabhu.

TRANSLATION

The thirty-second, thirty-third, thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth prominent devotees were Narayana, Krsnadasa, Manohara and Devananda, who always engaged in the service of Lord Nityananda.

Adi11.47

TEXT 47

hoda krsnadasa--nityananda-prabhu-prana

nityananda-pada vinu nahi jane ana

SYNONYMS

hoda krsnadasa—of the name Hoda Krsnadasa; nityananda-prabhu—of Lord Nityananda; prana—life and soul; nityananda-pada—the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda; vinu—except; nahi—does not; jane—know; ana—anything else.

TRANSLATION

The thirty-sixth devotee of Lord Nityananda was Hoda Krsnadasa, whose life and soul was Nityananda Prabhu. He was always dedicated to the lotus feet of Nityananda, and he knew no one else but Him.

PURPORT

The residence of Krsnadasa Hoda was Badagachi, which is now in Bangladesh.

Adi11.48

TEXT 48

nakadi, mukunda, surya, madhava, sridhara

ramananda vasu, jagannatha, mahidhara

SYNONYMS

nakadi—of the name Nakadi; mukunda—of the name Mukunda; surya—of the name Surya; madhava—of the name Madhava; sridhara—of the name Sridhara; ramananda vasu—of the name Ramananda Vasu; jagannatha—of the name Jagannatha; mahidhara—of the name Mahidhara.

TRANSLATION

Among Lord Nityananda’s devotees, Nakadi was the thirty-seventh, Mukunda the thirty-eighth, Surya the thirty-ninth, Madhava the fortieth, Sridhara the forty-first, Ramananda the forty-second, Jagannatha the forty-third and Mahidhara the forty-fourth.

PURPORT

Sridhara was the twelfth gopala.

Adi11.49

TEXT 49

srimanta, gokula-dasa hariharananda

sivai, nandai, avadhuta paramananda

SYNONYMS

sri-manta—of the name Srimanta; gokula-dasa—of the name Gokula dasa; hariharananda—of the name Hariharananda; sivai—of the name Sivai; nandai—of the name Nandai; avadhuta paramananda—of the name Avadhuta Paramananda.

TRANSLATION

Srimanta was the forty-fifth, Gokula dasa the forty-sixth, Hariharananda the forty-seventh, Sivai the forty-eighth, Nandai the forty-ninth and Paramananda the fiftieth.

Adi11.50

TEXT 50

vasanta, navani hoda, gopala, sanatana

visnai hajara, krsnananda, sulocana

SYNONYMS

vasanta—of the name Vasanta; navani hoda—of the name Navani Hoda; gopala—of the name Gopala; sanatana—of the name Sanatana; visnai hajara—of the name Visnai Hajara; krsnananda—of the name Krsnananda; sulocana—of the name Sulocana.

TRANSLATION

Vasanta was the fifty-first, Navani Hoda the fifty-second, Gopala the fifty-third, Sanatana the fifty-fourth, Visnai the fifty-fifth, Krsnananda the fifty-sixth and Sulocana the fifty-seventh.

PURPORT

Navani Hoda appears to have been the same person as Hoda Krsnadasa, the son of the King of Badagachi. His father’s name was Hari Hoda. One can visit Badagachi by taking the Lalagola-ghata railway line. Formerly the Ganges flowed by Badagachi, but now it has become a canal known as the Kalsira Khala. Near the Mudagacha station is a village known as Saligrama in which King Krsnadasa arranged for the marriage of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, as described in the Bhakti-ratnakara,(Twelfth Wave). It is sometimes said that Navani Hoda was the son of Raja Krsnadasa. His descendants still live in Rukunapura, a village near Bahiragachi. They belong to the daksina-radhiya-kayastha community, but, having been reformed as brahmanas, they still initiate all classes of men.

Adi11.51

TEXT 51

kamsari sena, ramasena, ramacandra kaviraja

govinda, sriranga, mukunda, tina kaviraja

SYNONYMS

kamsari sena—of the name Kamsari Sena; ramasena—of the name Ramasena; ramacandra kaviraja—of the name Ramacandra Kaviraja; govinda—of the name Govinda; sriranga—of the name Sriranga; mukunda—of the name Mukunda; tina kaviraja—all three are Kavirajas, or physicians.

TRANSLATION

The fifty-eighth great devotee of Lord Nityananda Prabhu was Kamsari Sena, the fifty-ninth was Ramasena, the sixtieth was Ramacandra Kaviraja, and the sixty-first, sixty-second and sixty-third were Govinda, Sriranga and Mukunda, who were all physicians.

PURPORT

Sri Ramacandra Kaviraja, the son of Khandavasi Ciranjiva and Sunanda, was a disciple of Srinivasa Acarya and the most intimate friend of Narottama dasa Thakura, who prayed several times for his association. His youngest brother was Govinda Kaviraja. Srila Jiva Gosvami very much appreciated Sri Ramacandra Kaviraja’s great devotion to Lord Krsna and therefore gave him the title Kaviraja. Sri Ramacandra Kaviraja, who was perpetually disinterested in family life, greatly assisted in the preaching work of Srinivasa Acarya and Narottama dasa Thakura. He resided at first in Srikhanda but later in the village of Kumara-nagara on the bank of the Ganges.

Govinda Kaviraja was the brother of Ramacandra Kaviraja and youngest son of Ciranjiva of Srikhanda. Although at first a sakta, or worshiper of Goddess Durga, he was later initiated by Srinivasa Acarya Prabhu. Govinda Kaviraja also resided first in Srikhanda and then in Kumara-nagara, but later he moved to the village known as Teliya Budhari, on the southern bank of the river Padma. Since Govinda Kaviraja, the author of two books, Sangita-madhava and Gitamrta, was a great Vaisnava kavi, or poet, Srila Jiva Gosvami gave him the title Kaviraja. He is described in the Bhakti-ratnakara (Ninth Wave).

Kamsari Sena was formerly Ratnavali in Vraja, as described in the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verses 194 and 200.

Adi11.52

TEXT 52

pitambara, madhavacarya, dasa damodara

sankara, mukunda, jnana-dasa, manohara

SYNONYMS

pitambara—of the name Pitambara; madhavacarya—of the name Madhavacarya; dasa damodara—of the name Damodara dasa; sankara—of the name Sankara; mukunda—of the name Mukunda; jnana-dasa—of the name Jnana dasa; manohara—of the name Manohara.

TRANSLATION

Among the devotees of Lord Nityananda Prabhu, Pitambara was the sixty-fourth, Madhavacarya the sixty-fifth, Damodara dasa the sixty-sixth, Sankara the sixty-seventh, Mukunda the sixty-eighth, Jnana dasa the sixty-ninth and Manohara the seventieth.

Adi11.53

TEXT 53

nartaka gopala, ramabhadra, gauranga-dasa

nrsimha-caitanya, minaketana ramadasa

SYNONYMS

nartaka gopala—the dancer Gopala; ramabhadra—of the name Ramabhadra; gauranga-dasa—of the name Gauranga dasa; nrsimha-caitanya—of the name Nrsimha-caitanya; minaketana rama-dasa—of the name Minaketana Ramadasa.

TRANSLATION

The dancer Gopala was the seventy-first, Ramabhadra the seventy-second, Gauranga dasa the seventy-third, Nrsimha-caitanya the seventy-fourth and Minaketana Ramadasa the seventy-fifth.

PURPORT

The Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 68, describes Minaketana Ramadasa as an incarnation of Sankarsana.

Adi11.54

TEXT 54

vrndavana-dasa--narayanira nandana

’caitanya-mangala’ yenho karila racana

SYNONYMS

vrndavana-dasa—Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura; narayanira nandana—son of Narayani; caitanya-mangala—the book of the name Caitanya-mangala; yenho—who; karila—did; racana—composition.

TRANSLATION

Vrndavana dasa Thakura, the son of Srimati Narayani, composed Sri Caitanya-mangala [later known as Sri Caitanya-bhagavata].

Adi11.55

TEXT 55

bhagavate krsna-lila varnila vedavyasa

caitanya-lilate vyasa--vrndavana dasa

SYNONYMS

bhagavate—in Srimad-Bhagavatam; krsna-lila—the pastimes of Lord Krsna; varnila—described; veda-vyasa—Dvaipayana Vyasadeva; caitanya-lilate—in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; vyasa—Vedavyasa; vrndavana dasa—Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura.

TRANSLATION

Srila Vyasadeva described the pastimes of Krsna in Srimad-Bhagavatam. The Vyasa of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was Vrndavana dasa.

PURPORT

Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura was an incarnation of Vedavyasa and also a friendly cowherd boy named Kusumapida in krsna-lila. In other words, the author of Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura, the son of Srivasa Thakura’s niece Narayani, was a combined incarnation of Vedavyasa and the cowherd boy Kusumapida. There is a descriptive statement by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura in his commentary on Sri Caitanya-bhagavata giving the biographical details of the life of Vrndavana dasa Thakura.

Adi11.56

TEXT 56

sarvasakha-srestha virabhadra gosani

tanra upasakha yata, tara anta nai

SYNONYMS

sarva-sakha-srestha—the best of all the branches; virabhadra gosani—of the name Virabhadra Gosani; tanra upasakha—His subbranches; yata—all; tara—of them; anta—limit; nai—there is not.

TRANSLATION

Among all the branches of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Virabhadra Gosani was the topmost. His subbranches were unlimited.

Adi11.57

TEXT 57

ananta nityananda-gana--ke karu ganana

atma-pavitrata-hetu likhilan kata jana

SYNONYMS

ananta—unlimited; nityananda-gana—followers of Sri Nityananda Prabhu; ke karu—who can; ganana—count; atma-pavitrata—of self-purification; hetu—for the reason; likhilan—I have written; kata jana—some of them.

TRANSLATION

No one can count the unlimited followers of Nityananda Prabhu. I have mentioned some of them just for my self-purification.

Adi11.58

TEXT 58

ei sarva-sakha purna--pakva prema-phale

yare dekhe, tare diya bhasaila sakale

SYNONYMS

ei—these; sarva-sakha—all branches; purna—complete; pakva prema-phale—with ripened fruits of love of Godhead; yare dekhe—whomever they see; tare diya—distributing to him; bhasaila—overflooded; sakale—all of them.

TRANSLATION

All these branches, the devotees of Lord Nityananda Prabhu, being full of ripened fruits of love of Krsna, distributed these fruits to all they met, flooding them with love of Krsna.

Adi11.59

TEXT 59

anargala prema sabara, cesta anargala

prema dite, krsna dite dhare mahabala

SYNONYMS

anargala—unchecked; prema—love of Krsna; sabara—of everyone of them; cesta—activity; anargala—unchecked; prema dite—to give love of Krsna; krsna dite—to deliver Krsna; dhare—they possess; mahabala—great strength.

TRANSLATION

All these devotees had unlimited strength to deliver unobstructed, unceasing love of Krsna. By their own strength they could offer anyone Krsna and love of Krsna.

PURPORT

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has sung, krsna se tomara, krsna dite para, tomara sakati ache. In this song, Bhaktivinoda Thakura describes that a pure Vaisnava, as the proprietor of Krsna and love of Krsna, can deliver both to anyone and everyone he likes. Therefore to get Krsna and love of Krsna one must seek the mercy of pure devotees. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura also says, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto ’pi: “By the mercy of the spiritual master one is blessed by the mercy of Krsna. Without the grace of the spiritual master one cannot make any advancement.” By the grace of a Vaisnava or bona fide spiritual master one can get both love of Godhead, Krsna, and Krsna Himself.

Adi11.60

TEXT 60

sanksepe kahilan ei nityananda-gana

yanhara avadhi na paya ’sahasra-vadana’

SYNONYMS

sanksepe—in brief; kahilan—described; ei—these; nityananda-gana—devotees of Lord Nityananda; yanhara—of whom; avadhi—limitation; na—does not; paya—get; sahasra-vadana—the thousand-mouthed Sesa Naga, on whom Lord Visnu lies.

TRANSLATION

I have briefly described only some of the followers and devotees of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. Even the thousand-mouthed Sesa Naga cannot describe all of these unlimited devotees.

Adi11.61

TEXT 61

sri-rupa-raghunatha-pade yara asa

caitanya-caritamrta kahe krsnadasa

SYNONYMS

sri-rupa—Srila Rupa Gosvami; raghunatha—Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami; pade—at the lotus feet; yara—whose; asa—expectation; caitanya-caritamrta—the book named Caitanya-caritamrta; kahe—describes; krsna-dasa—Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami.

TRANSLATION

With an ardent desire to serve the purpose of Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunatha, I, Krsnadasa, narrate Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, following in their footsteps.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Eleventh Chapter, in the matter of the expansions of Lord Nityananda.

Next chapter (Adi 12)