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

Chapter 1

Madhya1.238

TEXT 238

balabhadra bhattacarya rahe matra sange

jharikhanda-pathe kasi aila maha-range

SYNONYMS

balabhadra bhattacarya—of the name Balabhadra Bhattacarya; rahe—remains; matra—only; sange—with Him; jhari-khanda-pathe—on the way through Jharikhanda (Madhya Pradesh); kasi—in Benares; aila—arrived; maha-range—with great delight.

TRANSLATION

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu left Jagannatha Puri for Vrndavana, only Balabhadra Bhattacarya was with Him. Thus He traveled on the path through Jharikhanda and arrived in Benares with great delight.

Madhya1.239

TEXT 239

dina cara kasite rahi’ gela vrndavana

mathura dekhiya dekhe dvadasa kanana

SYNONYMS

dina cara—only four days; kasite—at Benares; rahi’-remaining; gela—started for; vrndavana—the holy place Vrndavana; mathura—the holy place Mathura; dekhiya—after seeing; dekhe—visits; dvadasa—twelve; kanana—forests.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stayed at Benares only four days and then left for Vrndavana. After seeing the town of Mathura, He visited the twelve forests.

PURPORT

Those who visit the Vrndavana area today also generally visit twelve places, known as the twelve forests. They start at Mathura, where there is Kamya-vana. From there they go to Tala-vana, Tamala-vana, Madhu-vana, Kusuma-vana, Bhandira-vana, Bilva-vana, Bhadra-vana, Khadira-vana, Loha-vana, Kumuda-vana and Gokula-mahavana.

Madhya1.240

TEXT 240

lila-sthala dekhi’ preme ha-ila asthira

balabhadra kaila tanre mathurara bahira

SYNONYMS

lila-sthala—all the holy places of Lord Krsna’s pastimes; dekhi’-visiting; preme—in great ecstasy; ha-ila—became; asthira—agitated; balabhadra—of the name Balabhadra; kaila—assisted; tanre—Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; mathurara—of the town of Mathura; bahira—outside.

TRANSLATION

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited all twelve places of Sri Krsna’s pastimes, He became very agitated because of ecstasy. Balabhadra Bhattacarya somehow or other got Him out of Mathura.

Madhya1.241

TEXT 241

ganga-tira-pathe lana prayage aila

sri-rupa asi’ prabhuke tathai milila

SYNONYMS

ganga-tira-pathe—the path on the bank of the Ganges; lana—taking; prayage—in Allahabad; aila—arrived; sri-rupa—of the name Sri Rupa; asi’-coming there; prabhuke—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tathai—there; milila—met.

TRANSLATION

After leaving Mathura, the Lord began to walk along a path on the bank of the Ganges, and finally He reached the holy place named Prayaga [Allahabad]. It was there that Srila Rupa Gosvami came and met the Lord.

Madhya1.242

TEXT 242

dandavat kari’ rupa bhumite padila

parama anande prabhu alingana dila

SYNONYMS

dandavat kari’-offering obeisances; rupa—Srila Rupa Gosvami; bhumite—on the ground; padila—fell; parama—great; anande—in delight; prabhu—the Lord; alingana—embracing; dila—gave.

TRANSLATION

At Prayaga, Rupa Gosvami fell down on the ground to offer obeisances to the Lord, and the Lord embraced him with great delight.

Madhya1.243

TEXT 243

sri-rupe siksa karai’ pathaila vrndavana

apane karila varanasi agamana

SYNONYMS

sri-rupe siksa karai’-teaching Srila Rupa Gosvami; pathaila—sent; vrndavana—toward Vrndavana; apane—Himself; karila—did; varanasi—to Benares; agamana—coming.

TRANSLATION

After instructing Srila Rupa Gosvami at Prayaga at the Dasasvamedha-ghata, Caitanya Mahaprabhu ordered him to go to Vrndavana. The Lord then returned to Varanasi.

Madhya1.244

TEXT 244

kasite prabhuke asi’ milila sanatana

dui masa rahi’ tanre karaila siksana

SYNONYMS

kasite—at Varanasi; prabhuke—the Lord; asi’-arriving; milila—met; sanatana—of the name Sanatana Gosvami; dui—two; masa—months; rahi’-remaining; tanre—unto him; karaila—did; siksana—instruction.

TRANSLATION

When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu arrived at Varanasi, Sanatana Gosvami met Him there. The Lord remained there for two months and instructed Sanatana Gosvami perfectly.

Madhya1.245

TEXT 245

mathura pathaila tanre diya bhakti-bala

sannyasire krpa kari’ gela nilacala

SYNONYMS

mathura—to Mathura; pathaila—sent; tanre—him; diya—giving; bhakti-bala—the strength of devotion; sannyasire—unto the Mayavadi sannyasis; krpa—mercy; kari’-giving; gela—went back; nilacala—to Jagannatha Puri.

TRANSLATION

After fully instructing Sanatana Gosvami, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu sent him to Mathura with empowered devotional service. In Benares He also bestowed His mercy upon the Mayavadi sannyasis. He then returned to Nilacala [Jagannatha Puri].

Madhya1.246

TEXT 246

chaya vatsara aiche prabhu karila vilasa

kabhu iti-uti, kabhu ksetra-vasa

SYNONYMS

chaya vatsara—six years; aiche—in that way; prabhu—the Lord; karila—did; vilasa—pastimes; kabhu—sometimes; iti-uti—here and there; kabhu—sometimes; ksetra-vasa—residing at Jagannatha Puri.

TRANSLATION

The Lord traveled all over India for six years. He was sometimes here and sometimes there performing His transcendental pastimes, and sometimes He remained at Jagannatha Puri.

Madhya1.247

TEXT 247

anande bhakta-sange sada kirtana-vilasa

jagannatha-darasana, premera vilasa

SYNONYMS

anande—in great delight; bhakta-sange—with devotees; sada—always; kirtana—of chanting; vilasa—enjoyment; jagannatha—Lord Jagannatha; darasana—visiting; premera—of ecstasy; vilasa—pastimes.

TRANSLATION

While at Jagannatha Puri, the Lord passed His time in great joy by performing sankirtana and visiting the temple of Jagannatha in great ecstasy.

Madhya1.248

TEXT 248

madhya-lilara kailun ei sutra-vivarana

antya-lilara sutra ebe suna, bhakta-gana

SYNONYMS

madhya-lilara—of the madhya-lila, the middle portion of His pastimes; kailun—I have made; ei—this; sutra—synopsis; vivarana—description; antya-lilara—of the pastimes at the end, known as antya-lila; sutra—synopsis; ebe—now; suna—hear; bhakta-gana—all devotees.

TRANSLATION

Thus I have given a synopsis of the madhya-lila, the middle pastimes of the Lord. Now, O devotees, kindly hear the synopsis of the final pastimes of the Lord, known as antya-lila.

Madhya1.249

TEXT 249

vrndavana haite yadi nilacale aila

athara varsa tahan vasa, kahan nahi gela

SYNONYMS

vrndavana haite—from Vrndavana; yadi—though; nilacale—to Jagannatha Puri; aila—came back; athara—eighteen; varsa—years; tahan—at Jagannatha Puri; vasa—residence; kahan—anywhere; nahi—not; gela—went.

TRANSLATION

When the Lord returned to Jagannatha Puri from Vrndavana, He remained there and did not go anywhere else for eighteen years.

Madhya1.250

TEXT 250

prativarsa aisena tahan gaudera bhakta-gana

cari masa rahe prabhura sange sammilana

SYNONYMS

prativarsa—each year; aisena—visit; tahan—there; gaudera—of Bengal; bhakta-gana—all the devotees; cari—four; masa—months; rahe—remain; prabhura—Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sange—with; sammilana—meeting.

TRANSLATION

During those eighteen years, all the devotees of Bengal used to visit Him at Jagannatha Puri every year. They would remain there for four continuous months and enjoy the company of the Lord.

Madhya1.251

TEXT 251

nirantara nrtya-gita kirtana-vilasa

acandale prema-bhakti karila prakasa

SYNONYMS

nirantara—without stopping; nrtya-gita—chanting and dancing; kirtana—of sankirtana; vilasa—enjoyment; a-candale—to everyone, even to the lowest person; prema-bhakti—love of Godhead; karila—did; prakasa—manifestation.

TRANSLATION

At Jagannatha Puri, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu performed chanting and dancing unceasingly. Thus He enjoyed the pastime of sankirtana. He manifested His causeless mercy, pure love of God, to everyone, including the lowest man.

Madhya1.252

TEXT 252

pandita-gosani kaila nilacale vasa

vakresvara, damodara, sankara, haridasa

SYNONYMS

pandita-gosani—Gadadhara Pandita; kaila—did; nilacale—at Jagannatha Puri; vasa—living; vakresvara—of the name Vakresvara; damodara—Damodara Pandita; sankara—of the name Sankara; haridasa—Haridasa Thakura.

TRANSLATION

Residing with the Lord at Jagannatha Puri were Pandita Gosani and other devotees, such as Vakresvara, Damodara, Sankara and Haridasa Thakura.

Madhya1.253

TEXT 253

jagadananda, bhagavan, govinda, kasisvara

paramananda-puri, ara svarupa-damodara

SYNONYMS

jagadananda—of the name Jagadananda; bhagavan—of the name Bhagavan; govinda—of the name Govinda; kasisvara—of the name Kasisvara; paramananda-puri—of the name Paramananda Puri; ara svarupa-damodara—and Svarupa Damodara, His secretary.

TRANSLATION

Jagadananda, Bhagavan, Govinda, Kasisvara, Paramananda Puri and Svarupa Damodara were other devotees who also lived with the Lord.

Madhya1.254

TEXT 254

ksetra-vasi ramananda raya prabhrti

prabhu-sange ei saba kaila nitya-sthiti

SYNONYMS

ksetra-vasi—residents of Jagannatha Puri; ramananda raya—of the name Ramananda Raya; prabhrti—and others; prabhu-sange—with the Lord; ei saba—all of them; kaila—did; nitya-sthiti—permanently living.

TRANSLATION

Srila Ramananda Raya and other devotees who were residents of Jagannatha Puri also remained permanently with the Lord.

Madhya1.255-256

TEXTS 255-256

advaita, nityananda, mukunda, srivasa

vidyanidhi, vasudeva, murari,--yata dasa

prativarse aise sange rahe cari-masa

tan-saba lana prabhura vividha vilasa

SYNONYMS

advaita—of the name Advaita; nityananda—of the name Nityananda; mukunda—of the name Mukunda; srivasa—of the name Srivasa; vidyanidhi—of the name Vidyanidhi; vasudeva—of the name Vasudeva; murari—of the name Murari; yata dasa—all servitors of the Lord; prativarse—each year; aise—go there; sange—in association; rahe—remain; cari-masa—four months; tan-saba—all of them; lana—taking; prabhura—of the Lord; vividha—various; vilasa—pastimes.

TRANSLATION

Other devotees of the Lord-headed by Advaita Acarya, Nityananda Prabhu, Mukunda, Srivasa, Vidyanidhi, Vasudeva and Murari-used to visit Jagannatha Puri and remain with the Lord for four continuous months. The Lord enjoyed various pastimes in their company.

Madhya1.257

TEXT 257

haridasera siddhi-prapti,--adbhuta se saba

apani mahaprabhu yanra kaila mahotsava

SYNONYMS

haridasera—of Thakura Haridasa; siddhi-prapti—passing away; adbhuta—wonderful; se—those; saba—all incidents; apani—personally; mahaprabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; yanra—whose; kaila—performed; maha-utsava—festival.

TRANSLATION

At Jagannatha Puri, Haridasa Thakura passed away. The incident was very wonderful because the Lord Himself performed the festival of Thakura Haridasa’s departure.

Madhya1.258

TEXT 258

tabe rupa-gosanira punar-agamana

tanhara hrdaye kaila prabhu sakti-sancarana

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; rupa-gosanira—of Srila Rupa Gosvami; punah-agamana—again coming there; tanhara—of him; hrdaye—in the heart; kaila—did; prabhu—the Lord; sakti-sancarana—invoking of transcendental power.

TRANSLATION

At Jagannatha Puri Srila Rupa Gosvami met the Lord again, and the Lord invested his heart with all transcendental power.

Madhya1.259

TEXT 259

tabe chota haridase prabhu kaila danda

damodara-pandita kaila prabhuke vakya-danda

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; chota haridase—unto Junior Haridasa; prabhu—the Lord; kaila—did; danda—punishment; damodara-pandita—of the name Damodara Pandita; kaila—did; prabhuke—unto the Lord; vakya-danda—chastisement as a warning.

TRANSLATION

After this, the Lord punished Junior Haridasa, and Damodara Pandita gave some warning to the Lord.

PURPORT

Actually Damodara Pandita was the eternal servant of the Lord. He could not punish the Lord at any time, nor had he any desire to, but He did give some warning to the Lord so that others would not blaspheme Him. Of course, He should have known that the Lord is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is free to act in any way. There is no need to warn Him, and such an action is not very much appreciated by advanced devotees.

Madhya1.260

TEXT 260

tabe sanatana-gosanira punar-agamana

jyaistha-mase prabhu tanre kaila pariksana

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; sanatana-gosanira—of Sanatana Gosvami; punah-agamana—again coming; jyaistha-mase—in the month of Jyaistha (May-June); prabhu—the Lord; tanre—him; kaila—did; pariksana—examination.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter Sanatana Gosvami met the Lord again, and the Lord tested him in scorching heat during the month of Jyaistha.

Madhya1.261

TEXT 261

tusta hana prabhu tanre pathaila vrndavana

advaitera haste prabhura adbhuta bhojana

SYNONYMS

tusta hana—being very much pleased; prabhu—the Lord; tanre—him; pathaila—sent back; vrndavana—to Vrndavana; advaitera—of Advaita Acarya; haste—in the hands; prabhura—of the Lord; adbhuta—wonderful; bhojana—feasting.

TRANSLATION

Being pleased, the Lord sent Sanatana Gosvami back to Vrndavana. After that, He was fed wonderfully by the hands of Sri Advaita Acarya.

Madhya1.262

TEXT 262

nityananda-sange yukti kariya nibhrte

tanre pathaila gaude prema pracarite

SYNONYMS

nityananda-sange—with Nityananda Prabhu; yukti—discussion; kariya—making; nibhrte—in privacy; tanre—Him; pathaila—sent; gaude—to Bengal; prema—love of Godhead; pracarite—to preach.

TRANSLATION

After sending Sanatana Gosvami back to Vrndavana, the Lord privately consulted with Sri Nityananda Prabhu. He then sent Him to Bengal to preach love of Godhead.

Madhya1.263

TEXT 263

tabe ta’ vallabha bhatta prabhure milila

krsna-namera artha prabhu tanhare kahila

SYNONYMS

tabe ta’-thereafter; vallabha bhatta—of the name Vallabha Bhatta; prabhure—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; milila—met; krsna-namera—of the holy name of Krsna; artha—import; prabhu—the Lord; tanhare—unto him; kahila—explained.

TRANSLATION

Soon afterward, Vallabha Bhatta met the Lord at Jagannatha Puri, and the Lord explained to him the import of the holy name of Krsna.

PURPORT

This Vallabha Bhatta is the head of the Vaisnava sampradaya known as the Vallabhacarya-sampradaya in western India. There is a long story about Vallabha Acarya narrated in the Caitanya-caritamrta, specifically in the Seventh Chapter of Antya-lila and the Nineteenth Chapter of Madhya-lila. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited the house of Vallabha Acarya on the other side of Prayaga, in a place known as Adaila-grama. Later, Vallabha Bhatta saw Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Jagannatha Puri to explain his commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam. He was very proud of his writings, but Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu corrected him, telling him that a Vaisnava should be humble and follow in the footsteps of his predecessors. The Lord told him that his pride in being superior to Sridhara Svami was not at all befitting a Vaisnava.

Madhya1.264

TEXT 264

pradyumna misrere prabhu ramananda-sthane

krsna-katha sunaila kahi’ tanra gune

SYNONYMS

pradyumna misrere—of the name Pradyumna Misra; prabhu—Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; ramananda-sthane—at the place of Ramananda Raya; krsna-katha—topics of Lord Sri Krsna; sunaila—caused to hear; kahi’-explaining; tanra—of Ramananda Raya; gune—the transcendental qualities.

TRANSLATION

After explaining the transcendental qualities of Ramananda Raya, the Lord sent Pradyumna Misra to the residence of Ramananda Raya, and Pradyumna Misra learned krsna-katha from him.

Madhya1.265

TEXT 265

gopinatha pattanayaka--ramananda-bhrata

raja maritechila, prabhu haila trata

SYNONYMS

gopinatha pattanayaka—of the name Gopinatha Pattanayaka; ramananda-bhrata—the brother of Sri Ramananda Raya; raja—the King; maritechila—condemned to death; prabhu—Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; haila—became; trata—the deliverer.

TRANSLATION

After this, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu saved Gopinatha Pattanayaka, the younger brother of Ramananda Raya, from being condemned to death by the King.

Madhya1.266

TEXT 266

ramacandra-puri-bhaye bhiksa ghataila

vaisnavera duhkha dekhi’ ardheka rakhila

SYNONYMS

ramacandra-puri-bhaye—due to fear of Ramacandra Puri; bhiksa—the proportion of eating; ghataila—decreased; vaisnavera—of all the Vaisnavas; duhkha—unhappiness; dekhi’-understanding; ardheka—half of the portion; rakhila—kept.

TRANSLATION

Ramacandra Puri criticized Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s eating; therefore the Lord reduced His eating to a minimum. However, when all the Vaisnavas became very sorry, the Lord increased His portion to half as much as usual.

Madhya1.267

TEXT 267

brahmanda-bhitare haya caudda bhuvana

caudda-bhuvane vaise yata jiva-gana

SYNONYMS

brahmanda-bhitare—within the universe; haya—there are; caudda bhuvana—fourteen planetary systems; caudda-bhuvane—in those fourteen planetary systems; vaise—reside; yata—as many as there are; jiva-gana—living entities.

TRANSLATION

There are fourteen planetary systems within the universe, and all living entities reside in those planetary systems.

Madhya1.268

TEXT 268

manusyera vesa dhari’ yatrikera chale

prabhura darsana kare asi’ nilacale

SYNONYMS

manusyera—of human beings; vesa dhari’-dressing themselves; yatrikera chale—as if pilgrims; prabhura—of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; darsana kare—visit; asi’-coming; nilacale—to Jagannatha Puri.

TRANSLATION

Dressing like human beings on pilgrimage, they all used to come to Jagannatha Puri to visit Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Madhya1.269

TEXT 269

eka-dina srivasadi yata bhakta-gana

mahaprabhura guna gana karena kirtana

SYNONYMS

eka-dina—one day; srivasa-adi—Srivasa Thakura and others; yata—all; bhakta-gana—devotees; mahaprabhura—of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; guna—qualities; gana—describing; karena—perform; kirtana—chanting.

TRANSLATION

One day all the devotees, headed by Srivasa Thakura, were chanting the transcendental qualities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Madhya1.270

TEXT 270

suni’ bhakta-gane kahe sa-krodha vacane

krsna-nama-guna chadi, ki kara kirtane

SYNONYMS

suni’-hearing this; bhakta-gane—to all the devotees; kahe—the Lord says; sa-krodha vacane—talking in an angry mood; krsna-nama-guna chadi—leaving aside the transcendental qualities and the name of the Lord; ki kara kirtane—what kind of chanting are you performing.

TRANSLATION

Not liking the chanting of His transcendental qualities, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu chastised them as if He were angry. “What kind of chanting is this?” He asked. “Are you leaving aside the chanting of the holy name of the Lord?”

Madhya1.271

TEXT 271

auddhatya karite haila sabakara mana

svatantra ha-iya sabe nasa ’be bhuvana

SYNONYMS

auddhatya—impudence; karite—to do; haila—was; sabakara—of all of you; mana—the mind; svatantra—independent; ha-iya—becoming; sabe—all of you; nasa ’be—will spoil; bhuvana—the whole world.

TRANSLATION

Thus Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu chastised all the devotees, telling them not to show impudence and spoil the entire world by becoming independent.

PURPORT

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu warned all His followers not to become independent or impudent. Unfortunately, after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, many apa-sampradayas (so-called followers) invented many ways not approved by the acaryas. Bhaktivinoda Thakura has described them as the aula, baula, kartabhaja, neda, daravesa, sani sahajiya, sakhibheki, smarta, jata-gosani, ativadi, cudadhari and gauranga-nagari.

The aula-sampradaya, baula-sampradaya and others invented their own ways of understanding Lord Caitanya’s philosophy, without following in the footsteps of the acaryas. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself indicates herein that all such attempts would simply spoil the spirit of His cult.

Madhya1.272

TEXT 272

dasa-dike koti koti loka hena kale

jaya krsna-caitanya’ bali’ kare kolahale

SYNONYMS

dasa-dike—in the ten directions; koti koti—many thousands of men; loka—people; hena kale—at this time; jaya krsna-caitanya—all glories to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; bali’-loudly crying; kare—make; kolahale—a tumultuous sound.

TRANSLATION

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was apparently in a angry mood and chastising His devotees, many thousands of people outside loudly cried in a tumultuous voice, “All glories to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!”

Madhya1.273

TEXT 273

jaya jaya mahaprabhu--vrajendra-kumara

jagat tarite prabhu, tomara avatara

SYNONYMS

jaya jaya mahaprabhu—all glories to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; vrajendra-kumara—originally Lord Krsna, the son of Maharaja Nanda; jagat—the whole world; tarite—to deliver; prabhu—the Lord; tomara—Your; avatara—incarnation.

TRANSLATION

All the people began to call very loudly, "All glories to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is the son of Maharaja Nanda! Now You have appeared in order to deliver the whole world!

Madhya1.274

TEXT 274

bahu-dura haite ainu hana bada arta

darasana diya prabhu karaha krtartha

SYNONYMS

bahu-dura—a long distance; haite—from; ainu—we have come; hana—becoming; bada—very much; arta—aggrieved; darasana—audience; diya—giving; prabhu—O Lord; karaha—kindly show; krta-artha—favor.

TRANSLATION

“O Lord, we are very unhappy. We have come a long distance to see You. Please be merciful and show us Your favor.”

Madhya1.275

TEXT 275

suniya lokera dainya dravila hrdaya

bahire asi’ darasana dila daya-maya

SYNONYMS

suniya—hearing; lokera—of the people; dainya—humility; dravila—became softened; hrdaya—the heart; bahire—outside; asi’-coming; darasana—audience; dila—gave; daya-maya—the merciful.

TRANSLATION

When the Lord heard the humble petition made by the people, his heart softened. Being very merciful, He immediately came out and gave audience to all of them.

Madhya1.276

TEXT 276

bahu tuli’ bale prabhu bala’ ’hari’ ’hari’

uthila--sri-hari-dhvani catur-dik bhari’

SYNONYMS

bahu tuli’-raising the arms; bale—says; prabhu—the Lord; bala’-speak; hari hari—the holy name of the Lord, Hari; uthila—arose; sri-hari-dhvani—vibration of the sound Hari; catuh-dik—the four directions; bhari’-filling.

TRANSLATION

Raising His arms, the Lord asked everyone to chant loudly the vibration of the holy name of Lord Hari. There immediately arose a great stir, and the vibration of “Hari!” filled all directions.

Madhya1.277

TEXT 277

prabhu dekhi’ preme loka anandita mana

prabhuke isvara bali’ karaye stavana

SYNONYMS

prabhu dekhi’-seeing the Lord; preme—in ecstasy; loka—all people; anandita—joyous; mana—the mind; prabhuke—the Lord; isvara—as the Supreme Lord; bali’-accepting; karaye—did; stavana—prayer.

TRANSLATION

Seeing the Lord, everyone became joyful out of love. Everyone accepted the Lord as the Supreme, and thus they offered their prayers.

Madhya1.278

TEXT 278

stava suni’ prabhuke kahena srinivasa

ghare gupta hao, kene bahire prakasa

SYNONYMS

stava—prayers; suni’-hearing; prabhuke—unto the Lord; kahena—says; srinivasa—Srivasa Thakura; ghare—at home; gupta—covered; hao—You are; kene—why; bahire—outside; prakasa—manifested.

TRANSLATION

While the people were offering their prayers unto the Lord, Srivasa Thakura sarcastically said to the Lord, “At home, You wanted to be covered. Why have You exposed Yourself outside?”

Madhya1.279

TEXT 279

ke sikhala ei loke, kahe kon bata

iha-sabara mukha dhaka diya nija hata

SYNONYMS

ke—who; sikhala—taught; ei—these; loke—people; kahe—they say; kon—what; bata—topics; iha—of them; sabara—of all; mukha—the mouths; dhaka—just cover; diya—with; nija-Your own; hata—hand.

TRANSLATION

Srivasa Thakura continued, "Who has taught these people? What are they saying? Now You can cover their mouths with Your own hand.

Madhya1.280

TEXT 280

surya yaiche udaya kari’ cahe lukaite

bujhite na pari taiche tomara carite

SYNONYMS

surya—the sun; yaiche—just like; udaya—appearance; kari’-making; cahe—wants; lukaite—to hide; bujhite—to understand; na—not; pari—able; taiche—similarly; tomara—Your; carite—in the character.

TRANSLATION

“It is as if the sun, after rising, wanted to hide itself. We cannot understand such characteristics in Your behavior.”

Madhya1.281

TEXT 281

prabhu kahena,--srinivasa, chada vidambana

sabe meli’ kara mora kateka lancana

SYNONYMS

prabhu—the Lord; kahena—says; srinivasa—My dear Srinivasa; chada—give up; vidambana—all these jokes; sabe—all of you; meli’-together; kara—do; mora—of Me; kateka—so much; lancana—humiliation.

TRANSLATION

The Lord replied, “My dear Srinivasa, please stop joking. You have all combined together to humiliate Me in this way.”

Madhya1.282

TEXT 282

eta bali’ loke kari’ subha-drsti dana

abhyantare gela, lokera purna haila kama

SYNONYMS

eta bali’-thus saying; loke—unto the people; kari’-doing; subha-drsti—auspicious glance; dana—charity; abhyantare—within the room; gela—went; lokera—of all the people; purna—fulfilled; haila—was; kama—the desire.

TRANSLATION

Thus speaking, the Lord entered His room after glancing auspiciously upon the people out of charity. In this way the desires of the people were completely fulfilled.

Madhya1.283

TEXT 283

raghunatha-dasa nityananda-pase gela

cida-dadhi-mahotsava tahani karila

SYNONYMS

raghunatha-dasa—of the name Raghunatha dasa; nityananda—Lord Nityananda; pase—near; gela—went; cida—chipped rice; dadhi—curd; mahotsava—festival; tahani—there; karila—performed.

TRANSLATION

At this time, Raghunatha dasa approached Sri Nityananda Prabhu and, according to His order, prepared a feast and distributed prasada composed of chipped rice and curd.

PURPORT

There is a special preparation in Bengal wherein chipped rice is mixed with curd and sometimes with sandesa and mango. It is a very palatable food offered to the Deity and then distributed to the public. Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, who was a householder at this time, met Nityananda Prabhu. According to His advice, he executed this festival of dadhi-cida-prasada.

Madhya1.284

TEXT 284

tanra ajna lana gela prabhura carane

tanra prabhu tanre samarpila svarupera sthane

SYNONYMS

tanra—His; ajna—order; lana—taking; gela—approached; prabhura—of Caitanya Mahaprabhu; carane—the lotus feet; prabhu—the Lord; tanre—him; samarpila—handed over; svarupera—of Svarupa Damodara; sthane—to the place.

TRANSLATION

Later, Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami left home and took shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Jagannatha Puri. At that time, the Lord received him and placed him under the care of Svarupa Damodara for spiritual enlightenment.

PURPORT

In this regard, Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami writes in Vilapa-kusumanjali (5):

yo mam dustara-geha-nirjala-maha-kupad apara-klamat
sadyah sandra-dayambudhih prakrtitah svairikrpa-rajjubhih
uddhrtyatma-saroja-nindi-carana-prantam prapadya svayam
sri-damodara-sac cakara tam aham caitanya-candram bhaje

“Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who, by His unreserved mercy, kindly saved me from household life, which is exactly like a blind well without water, and placed me in the ocean of transcendental joy under the care of Svarupa Damodara Gosvami.”

Madhya1.285

TEXT 285

brahmananda-bharatira ghucaila carmambara

ei mata lila kaila chaya vatsara

SYNONYMS

brahmananda-bharatira—of Brahmananda Bharati; ghucaila—vanquished; carma-ambara—dress of skin; ei mata—in this way; lila—pastimes; kaila—performed; chaya vatsara—six years.

TRANSLATION

Later, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stopped Brahmananda Bharati’s habit of wearing deerskin. The Lord thus enjoyed His pastimes continuously for six years, experiencing varieties of transcendental bliss.

Madhya1.286

TEXT 286

ei ta’ kahila madhya-lilara sutra-gana

sesa dvadasa vatsarera suna vivarana

SYNONYMS

ei ta’-thus; kahila—explained; madhya-lilara—of the middle pastimes; sutra-gana—a synopsis; sesa—last; dvadasa—twelve; vatsarera—of the years; suna—hear; vivarana—the description.

TRANSLATION

I have thus given a synopsis of the madhya-lila. Now please hear the pastimes the Lord performed during the last twelve years.

PURPORT

Thus Srila Kaviraja Gosvami, strictly following in the footsteps of Sri Vyasadeva, gives a synopsis of the lilas of Caitanya-caritamrta. He has given such a description at the end of each canto. In the Adi-lila he outlined the pastimes of the Lord in the five stages of boyhood, leaving the details of the description to Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura. Now in this chapter the pastimes that took place at the end of the Lord’s life are summarized. These are described in the Madhya-lila and Antya-lila. The rest of the pastimes have been described in a synopsis in the Second Chapter of the Madhya-lila. In this way the author has gradually described both the madhya-lila and the antya-lila.

Madhya1.287

TEXT 287

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; krsnadasa—Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami.

TRANSLATION

Praying at the lotus feet of Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunatha, always desiring their mercy, I, Krsnadasa, narrate Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, following in their footsteps.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, First Chapter, summarizing the later pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Next chapter (Madhya 2)