Adi17.88

TEXT 88

ei mata bara-masa kirtana-avasane

amra-mahotsava prabhu kare dine dine

SYNONYMS

ei mata—in this way; bara-masa—for twelve months; kirtana—chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra; avasane—at the end; amra-maha-utsava—festival of eating mangoes; prabhu—the Lord; kare—performs; dine dine—every day.

TRANSLATION

In this way the Lord Performed sankirtana every day, and at the end of sankirtana there was a mango-eating festival every day for twelve months.

PURPORT

On principle, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu would distribute prasada at the end of kirtana performances. Similarly, the members of the Krsna consciousness movement must distribute some prasada to the audience after performing kirtana.

Adi17.89

TEXT 89

kirtana karite prabhu aila megha-gana

apana-icchaya kaila megha nivarana

SYNONYMS

kirtana—sankirtana; karite—performing; prabhu—the Lord; aila—there was; megha-gana—bunches of clouds; apana-icchaya—by self-will; kaila—made; megha—of the clouds; nivarana—stopping.

TRANSLATION

Once while Caitanya Mahaprabhu was performing kirtana, clouds assembled in the sky, and the Lord, by His own will, immediately stopped them from pouring rain.

PURPORT

In this connection Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that once when Lord Caitanya was performing sankirtana a short way from the village, some clouds appeared overhead. By the supreme will of the Lord, the clouds were asked to disperse, and they did. Because of this incident, that place is still known as Meghera-cara. Since the course of the Ganges has now changed, the village of the name Belapukhuriya, which was formerly situated in a different place, called Taranavasa, has now become known as the Meghera-cara. The Madhya-khanda of the Caitanya-mangala also relates that once at the end of the day, when evening clouds assembled overhead and thundered threateningly, all the Vaisnavas were very much afraid. But the Lord took His karatalas in His hands and personally began chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, looking up towards the sky as if to direct the demigods in the higher planets. Thus all the assembled clouds dispersed, and as the sky became clear, with the moon rising, the Lord began dancing very happily with His jubilant and satisfied devotees.

Adi17.90

TEXT 90

eka-dina prabhu srivasere ajna dila

’brhat sahasra-nama’ pada, sunite mana haila

SYNONYMS

eka-dina—one day; prabhu—the Lord; srivasere—unto Srivasa Thakura; ajna—order; dila—gave; brhat—great; sahasra-nama—one thousand names; pada—read; sunite—to hear; mana—mind; haila—wanted.

TRANSLATION

One day the Lord ordered Srivasa Thakura to read the Brhat-sahasra-nama [the thousand names of Lord Visnu], for He wanted to hear them at that time.

Adi17.91

TEXT 91

padite aila stave nrsimhera nama

suniya avista haila prabhu gauradhama

SYNONYMS

padite—while reading; aila—came; stave—in the prayer; nrsimhera—of Lord Nrsimha; nama—the holy name; suniya—hearing; avista—absorbed; haila—became; prabhu—Lord; gaura-dhama—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TRANSLATION

As he read the thousand names of the Lord, in due course the holy name of Lord Nrsimha appeared. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard the holy name of Lord Nrsimha, He became fully absorbed in thought.

PURPORT

The Caitanya-mangala, Madhya-khanda, describes this incident as follows: Srivasa Pandita was performing the sraddha ceremony of his father, and as is customary, he was hearing the thousand names of Lord Visnu. At that time Gaurahari (Lord Caitanya) appeared on the scene, and He also began to hear the thousand names of Visnu with full satisfaction. When He thus heard the holy name of Lord Nrsimha, Lord Caitanya became absorbed in thought, and He became angry like Nrsimha Prabhu in His angry mood. His eyes became red, His hairs stood on end, all the parts of His body trembled, and He made a thundering sound. All of a sudden He took up a club, and people became greatly afraid, thinking, “We do not know what kind of offense we have now committed!” But then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu adjusted His thoughts and sat down on His seat.

Adi17.92

TEXT 92

nrsimha-avese prabhu hate gada lana

pasandi marite yaya nagare dhaiya

SYNONYMS

nrsimha-avese—in the ecstatic mood of Lord Nrsimha; prabhu—the Lord; hate—in His hand; gada—club; lana—taking; pasandi—the atheists; marite—to kill; yaya—goes; nagare—in the city; dhaiya—running.

TRANSLATION

In the mood of Lord Nrsimhadeva, Lord Caitanya ran through the city streets, club in hand, ready to kill all the atheists.

Adi17.93

TEXT 93

nrsimha-avesa dekhi’ maha-tejomaya

patha chadi’ bhage loka pana bada bhaya

SYNONYMS

nrsimha-avesa—the ecstasy of Lord Nrsimhadeva; dekhi’-seeing; maha-tejo-maya—very fierce; patha chadi’-giving up the road; bhage—run away; loka—all people; pana—getting; bada—very; bhaya—afraid.

TRANSLATION

Seeing Him appearing very fierce in the ecstasy of Lord Nrsimha, people ran from the street and fled here and there, afraid of His anger.

Adi17.94

TEXT 94

loka-bhaya dekhi’ prabhura bahya ha-ila

srivasa-grhete giya gada phelaila

SYNONYMS

loka-bhaya—the fearful people; dekhi’-seeing this; prabhura—of the Lord; bahya—external sense; ha-ila—appeared; srivasa-grhete—in the house of Srivasa Pandita; giya—going there; gada—the club; phelaila—threw away.

TRANSLATION

Seeing the people so afraid, the Lord came to His external senses and thus returned to the house of Srivasa Thakura and threw away the club.

Adi17.95

TEXT 95

srivase kahena prabhu kariya visada

loka bhaya paya,--mora haya aparadha

SYNONYMS

srivase—unto Srivasa Thakura; kahena—says; prabhu—the Lord; kariya—becoming; visada—morose; loka—people; bhaya paya—become afraid; mora—My; haya—there is; aparadha—offense.

TRANSLATION

The Lord became morose and said to Srivasa Thakura, “When I adopted the mood of Lord Nrsimhadeva, people were greatly afraid. Therefore I stopped, since causing fear among people is an offense.”

Adi17.96

TEXT 96

srivasa balena,--ye tomara nama laya

tara koti aparadha saba haya ksaya

SYNONYMS

srivasa balena—Srivasa Pandita said; ye—anyone who; tomara—Your; nama—holy name; laya—takes; tara—his; koti—ten million; aparadha—offenses; saba—all; haya—become; ksaya—vanquished.

TRANSLATION

Srivasa Thakura replied, "Anyone who takes Your holy name vanquishes ten million of his offenses immediately.

Adi17.97

TEXT 97

aparadha nahi, kaile lokera nistara

ye toma’ dekhila, tara chutila samsara

SYNONYMS

aparadha—offense; nahi—did not; kaile—committed; lokera—of the people; nistara—liberation; ye—anyone who; toma’-You; dekhila—saw; tara—his; chutila—became free; samsara—material bondage.

TRANSLATION

“There was no offense in Your appearing as Nrsimhadeva. Rather, any man who saw You in that mood was immediately liberated from the bondage of material existence.”

Adi17.98

TEXT 98

eta bali’ srivasa karila sevana

tusta hana prabhu aila apana-bhavana

SYNONYMS

eta bali’-saying this; srivasa—Srivasa Thakura; karila—did; sevana—worship; tusta—satisfied; hana—becoming; prabhu—the Lord; aila—came back; apana-bhavana—to His own home.

TRANSLATION

After saying this, Srivasa Thakura worshiped the Lord, who was then greatly satisfied and returned to His own home.

Adi17.99

TEXT 99

ara dina siva-bhakta siva-guna gaya

prabhura angane nace, damaru bajaya

SYNONYMS

ara dina—another day; siva-bhakta—a devotee of Lord Siva; siva-guna—the qualities of Lord Siva; gaya—chants; prabhura—of Lord Caitanya; angane—in the courtyard; nace—dances; damaru—a kind of musical instrument; bajaya—plays on it.

TRANSLATION

On another day a great devotee of Lord Siva, chanting of Lord Siva’s qualities, came to Lord Caitanya’s house, where he began dancing in the courtyard and playing his damaru [a musical instrument].

Adi17.100

TEXT 100

mahesa-avesa haila sacira nandana

tara skandhe cadi nrtya kaila bahu-ksana

SYNONYMS

mahesa-avesa—in the mood of Lord Siva; haila—became; sacira—of mother Saci; nandana—son; tara skandhe—on his shoulder; cadi—getting on; nrtya—dance; kaila—did; bahu-ksana—for a long time.

TRANSLATION

Then Lord Caitanya, adopting the mood of Lord Siva, got on the man’s shoulders, and thus they danced together for a long time.

PURPORT

Adi17.101

TEXT 101

ara dina eka bhiksuka aila magite

prabhura nrtya dekhi nrtya lagila karite

SYNONYMS

ara—another; dina—day; eka—one; bhiksuka—beggar; aila—came; magite—to beg; prabhura—of the Lord; nrtya—dancing; dekhi—seeing; nrtya—dancing; lagila—began; karite—to perform.

TRANSLATION

On another day a mendicant came to beg alms from the Lord’s house, but when he saw the Lord dancing, he also began to dance.

Adi17.102

TEXT 102

prabhu-sange nrtya kare parama ullase

prabhu tare prema dila, prema-rase bhase

SYNONYMS

prabhu-sange—along with the Lord; nrtya kare—was dancing; parama—very; ullase—in satisfaction; prabhu—the Lord; tare—him; prema—love of Godhead; dila—delivered; prema-rase—in the mellows of love of God; bhase—began to float.

TRANSLATION

He danced with the Lord because he was favored by love of Krsna. Thus he flowed in the mellows of love of Godhead.

Adi17.103

TEXT 103

ara dine jyotisa sarva-jna eka aila

tahare sammana kari’ prabhu prasna kaila

SYNONYMS

ara dine—some other day; jyotisa—an astrologer; sarva-jna—who knows everything; eka—one; aila—came there; tahare—unto him; sammana kari’-giving all honor; prabhu—the Lord; prasna—question; kaila—put.

TRANSLATION

On another day an astrologer came who was supposed to know everything-past, present and future. Thus Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu received him with all honor and put this question before him.

PURPORT

Brahmanas generally used to become astrologers, Ayur-vedic physicians, teachers and priests. Although highly learned and respectable, such brahmanas went from door to door to distribute their knowledge. A brahmana would first go to a householder’s home to give information about the functions to be performed on a particular tithi, or date, but if there were sickness in the family, the family members would consult the brahmana as a physician, and the brahmana would give instruction and some medicine. Often, since the brahmanas were expert in astrology, people would also be greatly inquisitive about their past, present and future.

Adi17.104

TEXT 104

ke achilun ami purva janme kaha gani’

ganite lagila sarva-jna prabhu-vakya suni’

SYNONYMS

ke achilun ami—who I was; purva janme—in My previous birth; kaha—please say; gani’-by your astrological calculation; ganite—to calculate; lagila—began; sarva-jna—a man who knows past, present and future; prabhu-vakya—the words of Lord Caitanya; suni’-hearing.

TRANSLATION

“Please tell Me who I was in My previous birth,” the Lord said. “Please tell Me by your astrological computations.” Hearing the words of the Lord, the astrologer immediately began to calculate.

PURPORT

Through astrology one can know past, present and future. Modern Western astrologers have no knowledge of the past or future, nor can they perfectly say anything about the present. Herein we find, however, that after hearing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s order, the astrologer immediately began his calculations. This was not a facade; he actually knew how to ascertain one’s past life through astrology. A still-existing treatise called the Bhrgu-samhita describes a system by which anyone can immediately get information about what he was in the past and what he is going to be in the future. The brahmanas who went door to door as if beggars had perfect command of such vast knowledge. Thus the highest knowledge was easily available even to the poorest man in society. The poorest man could inquire from an astrologer about his past, present and future, with no need for business agreements or exorbitant payments. The brahmana would give him all the benefit of his knowledge without asking remuneration, and the poor man, in return, would offer a handful of rice, or anything he had in his possession, to satisfy the brahmana. In a perfect human society, perfect knowledge in any science-medical, astrological, ecclesiastical and so on-is available even to the poorest man, with no anxiety over payment. In the present day, however, no one can get justice, medical treatment, astrological help or ecclesiastical enlightenment without money, and since people are generally poor, they are bereft of the benefits of all these great sciences.

Adi17.105

TEXT 105

gani’ dhyane dekhe sarva-jna,--maha-jyotirmaya

ananta vaikuntha-brahmanda--sabara asraya

SYNONYMS

gani’-by calculation; dhyane—by meditation; dekhe—sees; sarva-jna—knower of everything; maha-jyotir-maya—highly effulgent body; ananta—unlimited; vaikuntha—spiritual world; brahmanda—planets; sabara—of all of them; asraya—shelter.

TRANSLATION

Through calculation and meditation, the all-knowing astrologer saw the greatly effulgent body of the Lord, which is the resting place of all the unlimited Vaikuntha planets.

PURPORT

Adi17.106

TEXT 106

parama-tattva, para-brahma, parama-isvara

dekhi’ prabhura murti sarva-jna ha-ila phanphara

SYNONYMS

parama-tattva—the Supreme Truth; para-brahma—the Supreme Brahman; parama-isvara—the Supreme Lord; dekhi’-seeing; prabhura—of the Lord; murti—form; sarva-jna—the all-knowing astrologer; ha-ila—became; phanphara—confused.

TRANSLATION

Seeing Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be the same Absolute Truth, the Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead, the astrologer was confused.

PURPORT

Adi17.107

TEXT 107

balite na pare kichu, mauna ha-ila

prabhu punah prasna kaila, kahite lagila

SYNONYMS

balite—to say; na pare—is not able; kichu—anything; mauna—silent; ha-ila—became; prabhu—the Lord; punah—again; prasna—question; kaila—put; kahite—to speak; lagila—began.

Struck with wonder, the astrologer remained silent, unable to speak. But when the Lord again put the question before him, he replied as follows.

Adi17.108

TEXT 108

purva janme chila tumi jagat-asraya

paripurna bhagavan--sarvaisvaryamaya

SYNONYMS

purva janme—in the previous birth; chila—were; tumi—You; jagat—universe; asraya—shelter; paripurna—with full potencies; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sarva-aisvarya-maya—full of all opulences.

TRANSLATION

"My dear sir, in Your previous birth You were the shelter of all creation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full of all opulences.

Adi17.109

TEXT 109

purve yaiche chila tumi ebeha se-rupa

durvijneya nityananda--tomara svarupa

SYNONYMS

purve—in the past; yaiche—as much as; chila—You were; tumi—You; ebeha—now also; se-rupa—the same thing; durvijneya—inconceivable; nityananda—eternal happiness; tomara—Your; svarupa—identity.

TRANSLATION

“You are now the same Personality of Godhead that You were in Your previous birth. Your identity is inconceivable eternal happiness.”

PURPORT

By the power of astrological science one can even ascertain the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everything is to be identified by its symptoms. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is identified by the symptoms mentioned in the sastras. It is not that anyone and everyone can become God without proof from sastras.

Adi17.110

TEXT 110

prabhu hasi’ kaila,--tumi kichu na janila

purve ami achilan jatite goyala

SYNONYMS

prabhu—the Lord; hasi’-smiling; kaila—said; tumi—you; kichu—anything; na—not; janila—know; purve—in the past; ami—I; achilan—was; jatite—by caste; goyala—cowherd.

TRANSLATION

When the astrologer was speaking so highly of Him, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stopped him and began to smile. “My dear sir,” He said, "I think you do not know very clearly what I was, for I know that in My previous birth I was a cowherd boy.

Adi17.111

TEXT 111

gopa-grhe janma chila, gabhira rakhala

sei punye hailan ebe brahmana-chaoyala

SYNONYMS

gopa-grhe—in the house of a cowherd; janma—birth; chila—there was; gabhira—of the cows; rakhala—protector; sei punye—by those pious activities; hailan—became; ebe—now; brahmana—of a brahmana; chaoyala—son.

TRANSLATION

“In My last birth I was born in the family of cowherd men, and I gave protection to the calves and cows. Because of such pious activities, I have now become the son of a brahmana.”

PURPORT

The words of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the greatest authority, herein clearly indicate that one becomes pious simply by keeping cows and protecting them. Unfortunately, people have become such rascals that they do not even care about the words of an authority. People generally consider cowherd men lowly members of society, but herein Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms that they are so pious that in their next lives they are going to be brahmanas. The caste system has a specific purpose. If this scientific system is followed, human society will get the greatest benefit. Heeding this instruction by the Lord, people should serve cows and calves and in return get ample quantities of milk. There is no loss in serving the cows and calves, but modern human society has become so degraded that instead of giving protection to the cows and serving them, people are killing them. How can they expect peace and prosperity in human society while committing such sinful activities? It is impossible.

Adi17.112

TEXT 112

sarva-jna kahe ami taha dhyane dekhilan

tahate aisvarya dekhi’ phanphara ha-ilan

SYNONYMS

sarva-jna—the all-knowing astrologer; kahe—says; ami—I; taha—that; dhyane—in meditation; dekhilan—saw; tahate—there; aisvarya—opulence; dekhi’-by seeing; phanphara—confused; ha-ilan—became.

TRANSLATION

The astrologer said, "What I saw in meditation was full of opulence, and therefore I was confused.

PURPORT

It appears that the astrologer not only was a knower of past, present and future through astrological calculation, but was a great meditator as well. Therefore he was a great devotee and could see Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be the same personality as Krsna. He was puzzled, however, about whether Krsna and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu were actually the same person.

Adi17.113

TEXT 113

sei-rupe ei-rupe dekhi ekakara

kabhu bheda dekhi, ei mayaya tomara

SYNONYMS

sei-rupe—in that form; ei-rupe—in this form; dekhi—I see; eka-akara—one form; kabhu—sometimes; bheda—difference; dekhi—I see; ei—this; mayaya tomara—Your maya.

TRANSLATION

“I am certain that Your form and the form I saw in my meditation are one and the same. If I see any difference, this is an act of Your illusory energy.”

PURPORT

Sri-krsna-caitanya radha-krsna nahe anya: in the vision of a perfect devotee, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is a combination of Radha and Krsna. One who sees Lord Caitanya to be different from Krsna is under the illusory energy of the Lord. It appears that the astrologer was already an advanced devotee, and when he came into the presence of the Supreme Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he became perfectly self-realized and could see that the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are one and the same Supreme Person.

Adi17.114

TEXT 114

ye hao, se hao tumi, tomake namaskara

prabhu tare prema diya kaila puraskara

SYNONYMS

ye hao—whatever You are; se hao tumi—whatever You may be; tomake—unto You; namaskara—my obeisances; prabhu—the Lord; tare—unto him; prema—love of Godhead; diya—delivered; kaila—did; puraskara—honor.

TRANSLATION

The all-knowing astrologer concluded, “Whatever You may be or whoever You may be, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You!” By His causeless mercy, the Lord then gave him love of Godhead, thus rewarding him for his service.

PURPORT

The incident of Lord Caitanya’s meeting the all-knowing astrologer is not mentioned in the Caitanya-bhagavata, but we cannot therefore say that it did not take place. On the contrary, we must accept the statement of Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami that whatever the Caitanya-bhagavata did not mention he has especially mentioned in Caitanya-caritamrta.

Adi17.115

TEXT 115

eka dina prabhu visnu-mandape vasiya

’madhu ana’, ’madhu ana’ balena dakiya

SYNONYMS

eka dina-one day; prabhu-the Lord; visnu-mandape-in the corridor of a Visnu temple; vasiya-sitting; madhu ana-bring honey; madhu ana-bring honey; balena-says; dakiya-calling loudly.

TRANSLATION

One day the Lord sat down in the corridor of a Visnu temple and began calling very loudly, “Bring some honey! Bring some honey!”

Adi17.116

TEXT 116

nityananda-gosani prabhura avesa janila

ganga-jala-patra ani’ sammukhe dharila

SYNONYMS

nityananda-gosani—Lord Nityananda Prabhu; prabhura—of the Lord; avesa—ecstasy; janila—could understand; ganga-jala—Ganges water; patra—pot; ani’-bringing; sammukhe—in front; dharila—placed it.

TRANSLATION

Nityananda Prabhu Gosani, understanding the ecstatic mood of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, brought a pot of Ganges water as a token and put it before Him.

Adi17.117

TEXT 117

jala pana kariya nace hana vihvala

yamunakarsana-lila dekhaye sakala

SYNONYMS

jala—water; pana kariya—after drinking; nace—dances; hana—becoming; vihvala—ecstatic; yamuna-akarsana—attracting the river Yamuna; lila—pastimes; dekhaye—sees; sakala—everyone.

TRANSLATION

After drinking the water, Lord Caitanya became so ecstatic that He began to dance. Thus everyone saw the pastime of attracting the river Yamuna.

PURPORT

Yamunakarsana-lila is the pastime of attracting Yamuna. One day, Sri Baladeva wanted the Yamuna River to come before Him, and when the river Yamuna refused, He took His plow, wanting to dig a canal so that Yamuna would be obliged to come there. Since Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the original form of Baladeva, in His ecstasy He asked everyone to bring honey. In this way, all the devotees standing there saw the yamunakarsana-lila. In this lila, Baladeva was accompanied by His girlfriends. After drinking a honey beverage called Varuni, He wanted to jump into the Yamuna and swim with the girls. It is stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.65.25-30, 33) that Lord Baladeva asked Yamuna to come near, and when the river disobeyed the, order of the Lord, He became angry and thus wanted to snatch her near to Him with His plow. Yamuna, however, very much afraid of Lord Balarama’s anger, immediately came and surrendered unto Him, praying to the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and admitting her fault. She was then excused. This is the sum and substance of the yamunakarsana-lila. The incident is also described in the prayer of Jayadeva Gosvami concerning the ten incarnations:

vahasi vapusi visade vasanam jaladabham
halahati-bhiti-milita-yamunabham
kesava dhrta-haladhara-rupa jaya jagad-isa hare

Adi17.118

TEXT 118

mada-matta-gati baladeva-anukara

acarya sekhara tanre dekhe ramakara

SYNONYMS

mada-matta—being intoxicated by drinking Varuni; gati—movement; baladeva—Lord Baladeva; anukara—imitating; acarya—Advaita Acarya; sekhara—at the head; tanre—Him; dekhe—sees; rama-akara—in the form of Balarama.

TRANSLATION

When the Lord, in His ecstasy of Baladeva, was moving as if intoxicated by the beverage, Advaita Acarya, the chief of the acaryas [acarya sekhara], saw Him in the form of Balarama.

Adi17.119

TEXT 119

vanamali acarya dekhe sonara langala

sabe mili’ nrtya kare avese vihvala

SYNONYMS

vanamali acarya—of the name Vanamali Acarya; dekhe—sees; sonara—made of gold; langala—plow; sabe—all; mili’-meeting together; nrtya—dance; kare—perform; avese—in ecstasy; vihvala—overwhelmed.

TRANSLATION

Vanamali Acarya saw a golden plow in the hand of Balarama, and the devotees all assembled together and danced, overwhelmed by ecstasy.