Antya14.1

TEXT 1

krsna-viccheda-vibhrantya

manasa vapusa dhiya

yad yad vyadhatta gaurangas

tal-lesah kathyate ’dhuna

SYNONYMS

krsna-viccheda—of separation from Krsna; vibhrantya—by the bewilderment; manasa—by the mind; vapusa—by the body; dhiya—by the intelligence; yat yat—whatever; vyadhatta—performed; gaurangah—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tat—of that; lesah—a very small fragment; kathyate—is being described; adhuna—now.

TRANSLATION

I shall now describe a very small portion of the activities performed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu with His mind, intelligence and body when He was bewildered by strong feelings of separation from Krsna.

Antya14.2

TEXT 2

jaya jaya sri-caitanya svayam bhagavan

jaya jaya gauracandra bhakta-gana-prana

SYNONYMS

jaya jaya—all glories; sri-caitanya—to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; svayam bhagavan—the Personality of Godhead Himself; jaya jaya—all glories; gaura-candra—to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; bhakta-gana-prana—the life and soul of the devotees.

TRANSLATION

All glories to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead! All glories to Lord Gauracandra, the life and soul of His devotees.

Antya14.3

TEXT 3

jaya jaya nityananda caitanya-jivana

jayadvaitacarya jaya gaura-priyatama

SYNONYMS

jaya jaya—all glories; nityananda—to Lord Nityananda; caitanya-jivana—the life of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; jaya—all glories; advaita-acarya—to Advaita Acarya; jaya—all glories; gaura-priya-tama—very, very dear to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TRANSLATION

All glories to Lord Nityananda, who is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s very life. And all glories to Advaita Acarya, who is extremely dear to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Antya14.4

TEXT 4

jaya svarupa, srivasadi prabhu-bhakta-gana

sakti deha’,--kari yena caitanya-varnana

SYNONYMS

jaya—all glories; svarupa—to Svarupa Damodara; srivasa-adi—headed by Srivasa Thakura; prabhu-bhakta-gana—to the devotees of the Lord; sakti deha’-please give strength; kari—I can make; yena—so that; caitanya-varnana—description of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TRANSLATION

All glories to Svarupa Damodara and the devotees, headed by Srivasa Thakura. Please give me the strength to describe the character of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Antya14.5

TEXT 5

prabhura virahonmada-bhava gambhira

bujhite na pare keha, yadyapi haya ’dhira’

SYNONYMS

prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; viraha-unmada—of the transcendental madness of separation from Krsna; bhava—emotion; gambhira—very deep and mysterious; bujhite—to understand; na pare keha—no one is able; yadyapi—although; haya—is; dhira—a very learned and gentle scholar.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s emotion of transcendental madness in separation from Krsna is very deep and mysterious. Even though one is very advanced and learned, he cannot understand it.

Antya14.6

TEXT 6

bujhite na pari yaha, varnite ke pare?

sei bujhe, varne, caitanya sakti dena yanre

SYNONYMS

bujhite—to understand; na pari—not being able; yaha—subject which; varnite ke pare—who can describe; sei bujhe—he can understand; varne—can describe; caitanya—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sakti—capacity; dena—gives; yanre—to whom.

TRANSLATION

How can one describe unfathomable subject matters? It is possible only if Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gives him the capability.

Antya14.7

TEXT 7

svarupa-gosani ara raghunatha-dasa

ei duira kadacate e-lila prakasa

SYNONYMS

svarupa-gosani—Svarupa Damodara Gosvami; ara—and; raghunatha-dasa—Raghunatha dasa Gosvami; ei duira—of these two; kadacate—in the notebooks; e-lila—these pastimes; prakasa—described.

TRANSLATION

Svarupa Damodara Gosvami and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami recorded all these transcendental activities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in their notebooks.

PURPORT

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s transcendental feelings of separation from Krsna and His consequent madness are not at all understandable by a person on the material platform. Nonetheless, a so-called party of devotees named nadiya-nagari has sprung up and introduced the worship of Visnupriya. This certainly indicates their ignorance concerning Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes. In the opinion of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, such worship is a product of the imagination. Many other methods of worshiping Caitanya Mahaprabhu have also been introduced, but they have all been rejected by stalwart devotees like Bhaktivinoda Thakura. The groups practicing such unauthorized worship have been listed by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura:

aula, baula, kartabhaja, neda, daravesa, sani
sahajiya, sakhibheki, smarta, jata-gosani
ativadi, cudadhari, gauranga-nagari

Svarupa Damodara Gosvami and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami witnessed Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s activities firsthand, and they recorded them in two notebooks. Therefore, without reference to these notebooks, one cannot understand the activities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Anyone inventing some new method for worshiping Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is certainly unable to understand the Lord’s pastimes, for he is bereft of the real process of approaching the Lord.

Antya14.8

TEXT 8

se-kale e-dui rahena mahaprabhura pase

ara saba kadaca-karta rahena dura-dese

SYNONYMS

se-kale—in those days; e-dui—these two; rahena—stayed; mahaprabhura pase—with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; ara—other; saba—all; kadaca-karta—commentators; rahena—remained; dura-dese—far away.

TRANSLATION

In those days, Svarupa Damodara and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami lived with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, whereas all other commentators lived far away from Him.

PURPORT

Besides Svarupa Damodara and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, there were many others who also recorded Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s activities. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura believes that the people of the world would benefit greatly if such notes were available. It is a most unfortunate situation for human society that none of these notebooks are still extant.

Antya14.9

TEXT 9

ksane ksane anubhavi’ ei dui-jana

sanksepe bahulye karena kadaca-granthana

SYNONYMS

ksane ksane—moment by moment; anubhavi’-understanding; ei dui-jana—these two persons; sanksepe—in brief; bahulye—elaborately; karena—do; kadaca-granthana—compiling the notebooks.

TRANSLATION

These two great personalities [Svarupa Damodara and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami] recorded the activities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu moment by moment. They described these activities briefly as well as elaborately in their notebooks.

PURPORT

For future reference, we should remember that Svarupa Damodara Gosvami recorded the pastimes briefly, whereas Raghunatha dasa Gosvami recorded them elaborately. These two great personalities simply recorded the facts; they did not create any descriptive literary embellishments.

Antya14.10

TEXT 10

svarupa--’sutra-karta’, raghunatha--’vrttikara’

tara bahulya varni--panji-tika-vyavahara

SYNONYMS

svarupa—Svarupa Damodara Gosvami; sutra-karta—maker of short codes; raghunatha—Raghunatha dasa Gosvami; vrttikara—maker of elaborate explanations; tara—of those; bahulya—more elaborately; varni—I shall describe; panji—fluffing out (as of cotton); tika—explanation; vyavahara—behavior.

TRANSLATION

Svarupa Damodara wrote short codes, whereas Raghunatha dasa Gosvami wrote elaborate descriptions. I shall now describe Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s activities more elaborately, as if fluffing out compressed cotton.

PURPORT

Panji-tika means further explanations of a subject. Writing such explanations is likened to the process of fluffing out cotton.

Antya14.11

TEXT 11

tate visvasa kari’ suna bhavera varnana

ha-ibe bhavera jnana, paiba prema-dhana

SYNONYMS

tate—therefore; visvasa kari’-having faith; suna—please hear; bhavera varnana—description of ecstatic emotions; ha-ibe—there will be; bhavera—of ecstatic emotions; jnana—knowledge; paiba—you will get; prema-dhana—love of Krsna.

TRANSLATION

Please hear faithfully this description of Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s ecstatic emotions. Thus you will come to know of His ecstatic love, and ultimately you will achieve love of Godhead.

Antya14.12

TEXT 12

krsna mathuraya gele, gopira ye dasa haila

krsna-vicchede prabhura se dasa upajila

SYNONYMS

krsna mathuraya gele—when Lord Krsna departed for Mathura; gopira—of the gopis; ye dasa—which condition; haila—was; krsna-vicchede—by separation from Krsna; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; se dasa—that situation; upajila—happened.

TRANSLATION

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu felt separation from Krsna, His condition exactly corresponded to the condition of the gopis in Vrndavana after Krsna’s departure for Mathura.

Antya14.13

TEXT 13

uddhava-darsane yaiche radhara vilapa

krame krame haila prabhura se unmada-vilapa

SYNONYMS

uddhava-darsane—by seeing Uddhava; yaiche—as; radhara—of Srimati Radharani; vilapa—lamentation; krame krame—gradually; haila—became; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; se—that; unmada-vilapa—lamentation in madness.

TRANSLATION

The lamentation of Srimati Radharani when Uddhava visited Vrndavana gradually became a feature of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s transcendental madness.

Antya14.14

TEXT 14

radhikara bhave prabhura sada ’abhimana’

sei bhave apanake haya ’radha’-jnana

SYNONYMS

radhikara bhave—in the emotion of Srimati Radharani; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sada—always; abhimana—conception; sei bhave—under such a conception; apanake—upon Himself; haya—becomes; radha-jnana -consideration as Srimati Radharani.

TRANSLATION

Srimati Radharani’s emotions after seeing Uddhava exactly correspond to those of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He always conceived of Himself in Her position and sometimes thought that He was Srimati Radharani Herself.

PURPORT

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura explains that the purport of the word abhimana, or “self-conception,” is that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu thought Himself to be in the position of Srimati Radharani and was always ready to render service in that way. Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself, He assumed the complexion and emotions of Srimati Radharani and remained in that status. He never assumed the complexion or status of Lord Krsna. Of course, Krsna wanted to experience the role of Srimati Radharani; that is the original cause of His assuming the body of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Therefore pure Vaisnavas never disturb Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s conception of being Srimati Radharani.

Unfortunately, at the present time a group of so-called devotees maintain that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the enjoyer and that they are enjoyers as well. They have actually deviated from devotional service to the Lord. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu manifested Himself to show that cultivation of love for Krsna in separation is the easiest way of success for all living entities. Despite this fact, there are some theosophists who declare that because Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, such cultivation is easy for Him but difficult for the living entity and that one can therefore approach Krsna in any way he likes. To nullify this idea, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu demonstrated practically how one can achieve love of Krsna by adopting Srimati Radharani’s mood in separation from Krsna.

Antya14.15

TEXT 15

divyonmade aiche haya, ki iha vismaya?

adhirudha-bhave divyonmada-pralapa haya

SYNONYMS

divya-unmade—in transcendental madness; aiche—such; haya—is; ki iha vismaya—what is the wonder; adhirudha-bhave—in highly elevated love of Krsna; divya-unmada—in transcendental madness; pralapa—talking; haya—there is.

TRANSLATION

Such is the state of transcendental madness. Why is it difficult to understand? When one is highly elevated in love of Krsna, he becomes transcendentally mad and talks like a madman.

Antya14.16

TEXT 16

etasya mohanakhyasya

gatim kamapy upeyusah

bhramabha kapi vaicitri

divyonmada itiryate

udghurna-citra-jalpadyas

tad-bheda bahavo matah

SYNONYMS

etasya—of this; mohana-akhyasya—mood known as mohana, or enchanting; gatim—progress; kamapi—inexplicable; upeyusah—having obtained; bhrama-abha—resembling bewilderment; kapi—some; vaicitri—condition bringing about astonishment; divya-unmada—transcendental madness; iti—thus; iryate—it is called; udghurna—of the name udghurna; citra-jalpa—of the name citra-jalpa; adyah—and so on; tat-bhedah—different features of that; bahavah—many; matah—described.

TRANSLATION

“When the ecstatic emotion of enchantment gradually progresses, it becomes similar to bewilderment. Then one reaches the stage of astonishment [vaicitri], which awakens transcendental madness. Udghurna and citra-jalpa are two among the many divisions of transcendental madness.”

PURPORT

This is a quotation from the Ujjvala-nilamani (Sthayibhava-prakarana 190).

Antya14.17

TEXT 17

eka-dina mahaprabhu kariyachena sayana

krsna rasa-lila kare,--dekhila svapana

SYNONYMS

eka-dina—one day; mahaprabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kariyachena sayana—was taking rest; krsna—Lord Krsna; rasa-lila kare—performs rasa-lila dance; dekhila—He saw; svapana—a dream.

TRANSLATION

One day while He was resting, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu dreamed He saw Krsna performing His rasa dance.

Antya14.18

TEXT 18

tribhanga-sundara-deha, murali-vadana

pitambara, vana-mala, madana-mohana

SYNONYMS

tri-bhanga—curved in three places; sundara—beautiful; deha—body; murali-vadana—with a flute to the mouth; pita-ambara—with yellow garments; vana-mala—forest flower garlands; madana-mohana—enchanting Cupid.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw Lord Krsna standing with His beautiful body curved in three places, holding His flute to His lips. Wearing yellow garments and garlands of forest flowers, He was enchanting even to Cupid.

Antya14.19

TEXT 19

mandali-bandhe gopi-gana karena nartana

madhye radha-saha nace vrajendra-nandana

SYNONYMS

mandali-bandhe—in a circle; gopi-gana—the gopis; karena nartana—engaged in dancing; madhye—in the middle; radha-saha—with Srimati Radharani; nace—dances; vrajendra-nandana—Krsna, the son of Maharaja Nanda.

TRANSLATION

The gopis were dancing in a circle, and in the middle of that circle, Krsna, the son of Maharaja Nanda, danced with Radharani.

Antya14.20

TEXT 20

dekhi’ prabhu sei rase avista haila

’vrndavane krsna painu’--ei jnana kaila

SYNONYMS

dekhi’-seeing; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sei—that; rase—in the transcendental mellow; avista haila—became overwhelmed; vrndavane—in Vrndavana; krsna painu—I have gotten Krsna; ei—this; jnana kaila—He thought.

TRANSLATION

Seeing this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was overwhelmed with the transcendental mellow of the rasa dance, and He thought, “Now I am with Krsna in Vrndavana.”

Antya14.21

TEXT 21

prabhura vilamba dekhi’ govinda jagaila

jagile ’svapna’-jnana haila, prabhu duhkhi haila

SYNONYMS

prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; vilamba—delay; dekhi’-seeing; govinda jagaila—caused to awaken; jagile—when He awoke; svapna-jnana haila—could understand that it was a dream; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; duhkhi haila—became unhappy.

TRANSLATION

When Govinda saw that the Lord had not yet risen, he awakened Him. Understanding that He had only been dreaming, the Lord was somewhat unhappy.

Antya14.22

TEXT 22

dehabhyase nitya-krtya kari’ samapana

kale yai’ kaila jagannatha darasana

SYNONYMS

deha-abhyase—as a habit; nitya-krtya—the daily duties; kari’ samapana—finishing; kale—at the proper time; yai’-going; kaila—performed; jagannatha darasana—seeing Lord Jagannatha.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu performed His customary daily duties, and at the usual time He went to see Lord Jagannatha in the temple.

Antya14.23

TEXT 23

yavat kala darsana karena garudera pache

prabhura age darsana kare loka lakhe lakhe

SYNONYMS

yavat kala—as long as; darsana—seeing; karena—performs; garudera pache—from the back of the Garuda column; prabhura age—in front of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; darsana kare—see; loka—people; lakhe lakhe—in hundreds of thousands.

TRANSLATION

As He viewed Lord Jagannatha from behind the Garuda column, hundreds and thousands of people in front of Him were seeing the Deity.

Antya14.24

TEXT 24

udiya eka stri bhide darsana na pana

garude cadi’ dekhe prabhura skandhe pada diya

SYNONYMS

udiya—a native of Orissa; eka—one; stri—woman; bhide—in the crowd; darsana na pana—being unable to see; garude cadi’-climbing up the column of Garuda; dekhe—sees; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; skandhe—on the shoulder; pada—her foot; diya—placing.

TRANSLATION

Suddenly, a woman from Orissa, unable to see Lord Jagannatha because of the crowd, climbed the column of Garuda, placing her foot on Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s shoulder.

Antya14.25

TEXT 25

dekhiya govinda aste-vyaste strike varjila

tare namaite prabhu govinde nisedhila

SYNONYMS

dekhiya—seeing; govinda—the personal servant of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; aste-vyaste—with great haste; strike—the woman; varjila—got down; tare—her; namaite—to get down; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; govinde—Govinda; nisedhila—forbade.

TRANSLATION

When he saw this, Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s personal secretary, Govinda, hastily got her down from her position. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, however, chastised him for this.

PURPORT

Because Garuda is the carrier of Lord Visnu, he is the supreme Vaisnava. Therefore to touch his body with one’s feet or to climb the column of Garuda is certainly a vaisnava-aparadha, an offense to a Vaisnava. The woman was also offensive to Krsna by putting her foot on the shoulder of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Seeing all these offenses, Govinda very hastily made her get down.

Antya14.26

TEXT 26

’adi-vasya’ ei strire na kara varjana

karuka yathesta jagannatha darasana

SYNONYMS

adi-vasya—uncivilized; ei—this; strire—woman; na kara varjana—do not forbid; karuka—let her do; yatha-ista—as desired; jagannatha darasana—seeing Lord Jagannatha.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said to Govinda, “O adi-vasya [uncivilized man], do not forbid this woman to climb the Garuda-stambha. Let her see Lord Jagannatha to her satisfaction.”

PURPORT

For an explanation of the word adi-vasya, refer to Antya-lila, Chapter Ten, verse 116.

Antya14.27

TEXT 27

aste-vyaste sei nari bhumete namila

mahaprabhure dekhi’ tanra carana vandila

SYNONYMS

aste-vyaste—in great haste; sei nari—that woman; bhumete—on the ground; namila—got down; mahaprabhure dekhi’-seeing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tanra—His; carana vandila—begged pardon at the lotus feet.

TRANSLATION

When the woman came to her senses, however, she quickly climbed back down to the ground and, seeing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, immediately begged at His lotus feet for forgiveness.

Antya14.28

TEXT 28

tara arti dekhi’ prabhu kahite lagila

"eta arti jagannatha more nahi dila!

SYNONYMS

tara—her; arti—eagerness; dekhi’-seeing; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kahite lagila—began to speak; eta arti—so much eagerness; jagannatha—Lord Jagannatha; more—unto Me; nahi dila—did not bestow.

TRANSLATION

Seeing the woman’s eagerness, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "Lord Jagannatha has not bestowed so much eagerness upon Me.

PURPORT

The woman was so eager to see Lord Jagannatha that she forgot she was offending the feet of a Vaisnava by climbing the column of Garuda. She also neglected to consider that by putting her foot on the shoulder of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, she offended the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These are both grievous offenses that displease the Supreme Lord and Vaisnavas. She was so eager to see Lord Jagannatha, however, that she committed all these offenses obliviously. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu praised her eagerness; He regretted that Lord Jagannatha had not bestowed such great eagerness upon Him.

Antya14.29

TEXT 29

jagannathe avista ihara tanu-mana-prane

mora skandhe pada diyache, taho nahi jane

SYNONYMS

jagannathe—in Lord Jagannatha; avista—fully absorbed; ihara—of this woman; tanu—body; mana—mind; prane—life; mora skandhe—upon My shoulder; pada—foot; diyache—has put; taho—she; nahi jane—did not understand.

TRANSLATION

"She has fully absorbed her body, mind and life in Lord Jagannatha. Therefore she was unaware that she was putting her foot on My shoulder.

Antya14.30

TEXT 30

aho bhagyavati ei, vandi ihara paya

ihara prasade aiche arti amara va haya"

SYNONYMS

aho—alas; bhagyavati—very, very fortunate; ei—she; vandi—let Me offer prayers; ihara paya—at her feet; ihara prasade—by her favor; aiche—such; arti—eagerness; amara va haya—may be Mine.

TRANSLATION

“Alas! How fortunate this woman is! I pray at her feet that she favor Me with her great eagerness to see Lord Jagannatha.”

Antya14.31

TEXT 31

purve asi’ yabe kaila jagannatha darasana

jagannathe dekhe--saksat vrajendra-nandana

SYNONYMS

purve—before this; asi’-coming; yabe—when; kaila—executed; jagannatha darasana—seeing Lord Jagannatha; jagannathe dekhe—sees Lord Jagannatha; saksat vrajendra-nandana—personally the son of Maharaja Nanda.

TRANSLATION

Just previously, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had been seeing Lord Jagannatha as the son of Maharaja Nanda, Krsna, in person.

Antya14.32

TEXT 32

svapnera darsanavese tad-rupa haila mana

yahan tahan dekhe sarvatra murali-vadana

SYNONYMS

svapnera—of the dream; darsana-avese—by being fully absorbed in the vision; tat-rupa—like that; haila mana—the mind became; yahan tahan—anywhere and everywhere; dekhe—sees; sarvatra—all around; murali-vadana—Krsna with His flute to His mouth.

TRANSLATION

Becoming fully absorbed in that vision, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had assumed the mood of the gopis, so much so that everywhere He looked He saw Krsna standing with His flute to His lips.

Antya14.33

TEXT 33

ebe yadi strire dekhi’ prabhura bahya haila

jagannatha-subhadra-balaramera svarupa dekhila

SYNONYMS

ebe—now; yadi—when; strire—the woman; dekhi’-seeing; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; bahya haila—there was external consciousness; jagannatha—Lord Jagannatha; subhadra—His sister, Subhadra; balaramera—and of His elder brother, Balarama; sva-rupa—forms; dekhila—saw.

TRANSLATION

After seeing the woman, the Lord’s external consciousness returned, and He saw the original Deity forms of Lord Jagannatha, Subhadra and Lord Balarama.

Antya14.34

TEXT 34

kuruksetre dekhi’ krsne aiche haila mana

’kahan kuruksetre ailana, kahan vrndavana’

SYNONYMS

kuruksetre—in Kuruksetra; dekhi’-seeing; krsne—Lord Krsna; aiche—in that way; haila mana—became His mind; kahan—where; kuruksetre ailana—I have come to Kuruksetra; kahan—where; vrndavana—Vrndavana.

TRANSLATION

When He saw the Deities, Lord Caitanya thought He was seeing Krsna in Kuruksetra. He wondered, “Have I come to Kuruksetra? Where is Vrndavana?”

Antya14.35

TEXT 35

prapta-ratna harana aiche vyagra ha-ila

visanna hana prabhu nija-vasa aila

SYNONYMS

prapta-ratna—the achieved jewel; harana—having lost; aiche—in that way; vyagra ha-ila—became very agitated; visanna hana—being morose; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nija—own; vasa—to His residential place; aila—returned.

TRANSLATION

Lord Caitanya grew very agitated, like a person who has just lost a recently acquired jewel. Then He became very morose and returned home.

Antya14.36

TEXT 36

bhumira upara vasi’ nija-nakhe bhumi likhe

asru-ganga netre vahe, kichui na dekhe

SYNONYMS

bhumira upara—on the ground; vasi’-sitting down; nija-nakhe—with His nails; bhumi likhe—marked the ground; asru-ganga—a flow of tears like the Ganges; netre—in the eyes; vahe—flows; kichui—anything; na dekhe—could not see.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu sat down on the ground and began to mark it with His nails. He was blinded by tears, which flowed from His eyes like the Ganges.

Antya14.37

TEXT 37

’pailun vrndavana-natha, punah harailun

ke mora nileka krsna? kahan mui ainu’?

SYNONYMS

pailun—I got; vrndavana-natha—the Supreme Lord of Vrndavana; punah—again; harailun—I have lost; ke—who; mora—My; nileka—took away; krsna—Lord Krsna; kahan—where; mui ainu—have I come.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “I found Krsna, the Lord of Vrndavana, but I have lost Him again. Who has taken My Krsna? Where have I come?”

PURPORT

These are the feelings of Srimati Radharani. First Lord Caitanya felt that He had been taken to Vrndavana, where He saw Krsna’s rasa dance with the gopis. Then He was brought to Kuruksetra to see Lord Jagannatha, His sister (Subhadra) and Lord Balarama. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu lost Vrndavana and Krsna, the master of Vrndavana. At this time, Caitanya Mahaprabhu experienced divyonmada, transcendental madness in separation from Krsna. At Kuruksetra, Krsna displays His opulence, whereas in Vrndavana He is in His original position. Krsna never goes even a step away from Vrndavana; therefore Kuruksetra is less important for the gopis than Vrndavana.

Although devotees who worship Krsna in opulence (His Vaikuntha aspect) may prefer to see Lord Krsna at Kuruksetra along with Subhadra and Balarama, the gopis want to see Krsna in Vrndavana, performing the rasa dance with Srimati Radharani. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu showed by practical example how one can cultivate the mood of Radharani and the other gopis in separation from Krsna. Devotees absorbed in this mood do not like to see Krsna anywhere else but Vrndavana. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu lamented, “I found Krsna in Vrndavana, and now I have again lost Him and come to Kuruksetra.” Unless one is a very highly advanced devotee, he cannot understand these intricate feelings. The author of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, however, has tried to explain this divyonmada as far as possible, and it is our duty simply to appreciate it as far as possible. Therefore the author has made the following request in verse 11:

tate visvasa kari’ suna bhavera varnana
ha-ibe bhavera jnana, paiba prema-dhana

“My dear readers, simply try to hear this description with faith and love. That will help you to understand transcendental ecstasy, and at last you will achieve love of Godhead very easily.”