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

Chapter 14

Performance of the Vrndavana Pastimes

Dressing himself as a Vaisnava, Maharaja Prataparudra entered a garden alone and began reciting verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam. He then took the opportunity to massage the lotus feet of the Lord. The Lord, in His ecstatic love for Krsna, immediately embraced the King and thus bestowed mercy upon him. When there was an offering of prasada in the garden, Lord Caitanya also partook of it. After this, when Lord Jagannatha’s Ratha car stopped moving, King Prataparudra called for many elephants to pull it, but they were unsuccessful. Seeing this, Lord Caitanya began to push the car from behind with His head, and the chariot began moving. Then the devotees began pulling the chariot with ropes. Near the Gundica temple is a place known as Aitota. This place was fixed up for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to rest in. When Lord Jagannatha was seated at Sundaracala, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw it as Vrndavana. He performed sporting pastimes in the water of the lake known as Indradyumna. For nine continuous days during Ratha-yatra, the Lord remained at Jagannatha Puri, and on the fifth day He and Svarupa Damodara observed the pastimes of Laksmi, the goddess of fortune. During that time, there was much talk about the pastimes of the gopis. When the ratha was again being drawn and the chanting resumed, Ramananda Vasu of Kulina-grama and Satyaraja Khan were requested to bring silk ropes every year for the Ratha-yatra ceremony.

Madhya14.1

TEXT 1

gaurah pasyann atma-vrndaih

sri-laksmi-vijayotsavam

srutva gopi-rasollasam

hrstah premna nanarta sah

SYNONYMS

gaurah—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; pasyan—by seeing; atma-vrndaih—with His personal associates; sri-laksmi—of the goddess of fortune; vijaya utsavam—the grand festival; srutva—by hearing; gopi—of the gopis; rasa-ullasam—the superexcellence of the mellows; hrstah—being very pleased; premna—in great ecstatic love; nanarta—danced; sah—He, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TRANSLATION

Accompanied by His personal devotees, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to the festival known as Laksmi-vijayotsava. There He discussed the superexcellent love of the gopis. Just by hearing about them, He became very pleased and danced in great ecstatic love for the Lord.

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TEXT 2

jaya jaya gauracandra sri-krsna-caitanya

jaya jaya nityananda jayadvaita dhanya

SYNONYMS

jaya jaya—all glories; gauracandra—to Gauracandra; sri-krsna-caitanya—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; jaya jaya—all glories; nityananda—to Nityananda Prabhu; jaya—all glories; advaita—to Advaita Acarya; dhanya—exalted.

TRANSLATION

All glories to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, known as Gauracandra! All glories to Lord Nityananda Prabhu! All glories to Advaita Acarya, who is so exalted!

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TEXT 3

jaya jaya srivasadi gaura-bhakta-gana

jaya srota-gana,-yanra gaura prana-dhana

SYNONYMS

jaya jaya—all glories; srivasa-adi—headed by Srivasa; gaura-bhakta-gana—to the devotees of Lord Caitanya; jaya—all glories; srota-gana—to the hearers; yanra—of whom; gaura—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; prana-dhana—the life and soul.

TRANSLATION

All glories to all the devotees, headed by Srivasa Thakura! All glories to the readers who have taken Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as their life and soul.

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TEXT 4

ei-mata prabhu achena premera avese

hena-kale prataparudra karila pravese

SYNONYMS

ei-mata—in this way; prabhu—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; achena—was; premera avese—in the ecstatic emotion of love; hena-kale—at this time; prataparudra—King Prataparudra; karila pravese—entered.

TRANSLATION

While Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was resting in ecstatic love, Maharaja Prataparudra entered the garden.

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TEXT 5

sarvabhauma-upadese chadi’ raja-vesa

ekala vaisnava-vese karila pravesa

SYNONYMS

sarvabhauma—of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya; upadese—under instructions; chadi’-giving up; raja-vesa—the royal dress; ekala—alone; vaisnava-vese—in the dress of a Vaisnava; karila pravesa—entered.

TRANSLATION

Following Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya’s instructions, the King had given up his royal dress. He now entered the garden in the dress of a Vaisnava.

PURPORT

Sometimes members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness-especially in the Western countries-find it difficult to approach people to distribute books because people are unfamiliar with the traditional saffron robes of the devotees. The devotees have therefore inquired whether they can wear European and American dress before the general public. From the instructions given to King Prataparudra by Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, we can understand that we may change our dress in any way to facilitate our service. When our members change their dress to meet the public or to introduce our books, they are not breaking the devotional principles. The real principle is to spread this Krsna consciousness movement, and if one has to change into regular Western dress for this purpose, there should be no objection.

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TEXT 6

saba-bhaktera ajna nila yoda-hata hana

prabhu-pada dhari’ pade sahasa kariya

SYNONYMS

saba-bhaktera—of all the devotees; ajna nila—took permission; yoda-hata hana—with folded hands; prabhu-pada dhari’-catching the feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; pade—falls; sahasa kariya—with great courage.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Prataparudra was so humble that with folded hands he first took permission from all the devotees. Then, with great courage, he fell down and touched the lotus feet of the Lord.

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TEXT 7

ankhi mudi’ prabhu preme bhumite sayana

nrpati naipunye kare pada-samvahana

SYNONYMS

ankhi mudi’-with closed eyes; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; preme—in ecstatic love; bhumite—on the ground; sayana—lying down; nrpati—the King; naipunye—very expertly; kare—performs; pada-samvahana—massaging the legs.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was lying on the ground with His eyes closed in ecstatic love and emotion, and the King very expertly began to massage His legs.

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TEXT 8

rasa-lilara sloka padi’ karena stavana

“jayati te ’dhikam” adhyaya karena pathana

SYNONYMS

rasa-lilara—of the rasa-lila dance; sloka—verses; padi’-reciting; karena—offers; stavana—prayers; jayati te ’dhikam—beginning with the words jayati te ’dhikam; adhyaya—chapter; karena—does; pathana—recitation.

TRANSLATION

The King began to recite verses about the rasa-lila from Srimad Bhagavatam. He recited the chapter beginning with the words “jayati te ’dhikam.”

PURPORT

These verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Thirty-one, constitute what is known as the Gopi-gita.

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TEXT 9

sunite sunite prabhura santosa apara

’bala, bala’ bali’ prabhu bale bara bara

SYNONYMS

sunite sunite—by hearing; prabhura—of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; santosa apara—great satisfaction; bala bala—go on reciting; bali’-saying; prabhu—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; bale—says; bara bara—again and again.

TRANSLATION

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard these verses, He was pleased beyond limits, and He said again and again,“Go on reciting, go on reciting.”

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TEXT 10

“tava kathamrtam” sloka raja ye padila

uthi’ premavese prabhu alingana kaila

SYNONYMS

tava kathamrtam—beginning with the words tava kathamrtam; sloka—the verse; raja—the King; ye padila—as he recited; uthi’-getting up; prema-avese—in ecstatic love; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; alingana kaila—embraced.

TRANSLATION

As soon as the King recited the verse beginning with the words “tava kathamrtam,” the Lord immediately arose in ecstatic love and embraced him.

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TEXT 11

tumi more dile bahu amulya ratana

mora kichu dite nahi, dilun alingana

SYNONYMS

tumi—you; more—unto Me; dile—delivered; bahu—various; amulya—incalculable; ratana—gems; mora—of Me; kichu—anything; dite—to give; nahi—there is not; dilun—I give; alingana—embracing.

TRANSLATION

Upon hearing the verses recited by the King, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “You have given Me invaluable gems, but I have nothing to give you in return. Therefore I am simply embracing you.”

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TEXT 12

eta bali’ sei sloka pade bara bara

dui-janara ange kampa, netre jala-dhara

SYNONYMS

eta bali’-saying this; sei sloka—that verse; pade—recites; bara bara—again and again; dui-janara—of both of them (Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the King Prataparudra); ange—in the bodies; kampa—trembling; netre—in the eyes; jala-dhara—flow of water.

TRANSLATION

After saying this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began to recite the same verse again and again. Both the King and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu were trembling, and tears were flowing from their eyes.

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TEXT 13

tava kathamrtam tapta-jivanam

kavibhir iditam kalmasapaham

sravana-mangalam srimad-atatam

bhuvi grnanti ye bhurida janah

SYNONYMS

tava—Your; katha-amrtam—the nectar of words; tapta-jivanam—life for persons very much aggrieved in the material world; kavibhih—by greatly exalted persons; iditam—described; kalmasa-apaham—that which drives away all kinds of sinful reaction; sravana-mangalam—giving all spiritual benefit to anyone who hears; sri-mat—filled with all spiritual power; atatam—broadcast all over the world; bhuvi—in the material world; grnanti—chant and spread; ye—those who; bhuri-dah—most beneficent; janah—persons.

TRANSLATION

“My Lord, the nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life and soul of those who are always aggrieved in this material world. These narrations are transmitted by exalted personalities, and they eradicate all sinful reactions. Whoever hears these narrations attains all good fortune. These narrations are broadcast all over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Those who spread the message of Godhead are certainly the most munificent welfare workers.”

PURPORT

This verse is from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.31.9).

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TEXT 14

’bhurida’ ’bhurida’ bali’ kare alingana

inho nahi jane,-ihon haya kon jana

SYNONYMS

bhuri-da—the most munificent; bhuri-da—the most munificent; bali’-crying; kare—does; alingana—embracing; inho—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nahi jane—does not know; ihon—Prataparudra Maharaja; haya—is; kon jana—who.

TRANSLATION

After hearing the recitation of this verse, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately embraced the reciter, King Prataparudra, and cried, “You are the most munificent! You are the most munificent!” At this point Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not even know who the King was.

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TEXT 15

purva-seva dekhi’ tanre krpa upajila

anusandhana vina krpa-prasada karila

SYNONYMS

purva-seva—previous service; dekhi’-seeing; tanre—unto him; krpa—mercy; upajila—awakened; anusandhana—inquiry; vina—without; krpa—of mercy; prasada—grace; karila—bestowed.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy was aroused because of the King’s previous service. Therefore without even asking who he was, the Lord immediately bestowed His mercy upon him.

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TEXT 16

ei dekha,-caitanyera krpa-mahabala

tara anusandhana vina karaya saphala

SYNONYMS

ei—this; dekha—just see; caitanyera—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; krpa-maha-bala—how greatly powerful is the mercy; tara anusandhana—inquiring about him; vina—without; karaya—He makes; sa-phala—successful.

TRANSLATION

How powerful is the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! Without even inquiring about the King, the Lord made everything successful.

PURPORT

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy is so powerful that it acts automatically. If a person renders loving service to Krsna, it never goes in vain. It is recorded in a spiritual account, and in due time it will fructify. This is confirmed by the Bhagavad-gita (2.40). Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat: “In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.”

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has particularly bestowed upon all fallen souls in this age the most potent method of devotional service, and whoever takes to it through the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is immediately elevated to the transcendental position. Srimad-Bhagavatam recommends: yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah (Bhag. 11.5.32).

A student of Krsna consciousness must receive Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy; then his devotional service will quickly succeed. This was the case with King Prataparudra. One has to be noticed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and a little service with sincere efforts will convince the Lord that one is a proper candidate for returning home, back to Godhead. Maharaja Prataparudra did not have a chance to meet Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but when the Lord saw that the King was serving Lord Jagannatha as a menial sweeper, the Lord’s mercy upon the King became a solid fact. When Maharaja Prataparudra, in the dress of a Vaisnava, was serving the Lord, the Lord did not even inquire who he was. Rather, He had compassion upon him and began to embrace him.

Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami wants to point out that nothing could compare to the Lord’s mercy toward Maharaja Prataparudra; therefore he uses the word dekha (“just see”) and caitanyera krpa-mahabala (“how powerful is the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu”). This is also confirmed by Prabodhananda Sarasvati: yat-karunya-kataksa-vaibhava-vatam (Caitanya-candramrta 5). Even a little of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy serves as a great asset for spiritual advancement. Therefore the Krsna consciousness movement must be spread through the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When Rupa Gosvami experienced the mercy and magnanimity of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he said:

namo maha-vadanyaya
krsna-prema-pradaya te
krsnaya krsna-caitanya-
namne gaura-tvise namah

“I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya who is more magnanimous than any other avatara, even Krsna Himself, because He is bestowing freely what no one else has ever given-pure love of Krsna.” Srila Locana dasa Thakura has also sung, parama karuna, pahun dui jana, nitai-gaura-candra: “The two brothers Nitai and Gaura are so kind that no one can compare to them.” Similarly, Srila Narottama dasa thakura has sung:

vrajendra-nandana yei,     saci-suta haila sei,
balarama haila nitai,
dina-hina yata chila,     hari-name uddharila,
ta’ra saksi jagai-madhai

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s special mission is the deliverance of all fallen souls in Kali-yuga. Devotees of Krsna must persistently seek the favor and mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to become fit to return home, back to Godhead.

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TEXT 17

prabhu bale,-ke tumi, karila mora hita?

acambite asi’ piyao krsna-lilamrta?

SYNONYMS

prabhu bale—the Lord said; ke tumi—who are you; karila—you have done; mora—My; hita—welfare; acambite—all of a sudden; asi’-coming; piyao—you make Me drink; krsna-lila-amrta—the nectar of the pastimes of Lord Krsna.

TRANSLATION

Finally Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “Who are you? You have done so much for Me. All of a sudden you have come here and made Me drink the nectar of the pastimes of Lord Krsna.”

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TEXT 18

raja kahe,-ami tomara dasera anudasa

bhrtyera bhrtya kara,-ei mora asa

SYNONYMS

raja kahe—the King said; ami—I; tomara—Your; dasera anudasa—most obedient servant of Your servant; bhrtyera bhrtya—servant of the servant; kara—make (me); ei—this; mora asa—my desire.

TRANSLATION

The King replied, “My Lord, I am the most obedient servant of Your servants. It is my ambition that You will accept me as the servant of Your servants.”

PURPORT

The greatest achievement for a devotee is to become a servant of the servants. Actually no one should desire to become the direct servant of the Lord. That is not a very good idea. When Prahlada Maharaja was offered a benediction by Nrsimhadeva, Prahlada rejected all kinds of material benediction, but he prayed to become the servant of the servant of the Lord. When Dhruva Maharaja was offered a benediction by Kuvera, the treasurer of the demigods, Dhruva could have asked for unlimited material opulence, but he simply asked for the benediction of becoming the servant of the servants of the Lord. Kholaveca Sridhara was a very poor man, but when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to give him a benediction, he also prayed to the Lord to be allowed to remain a servant of the servants of the Lord. The conclusion is that being the servant of the servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the highest benediction one can desire.

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TEXT 19

tabe mahaprabhu tanre aisvarya dekhaila

’kareha na kahibe’ ei nisedha karila

SYNONYMS

tabe—at that time; mahaprabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tanre—to the King; aisvarya—divine power; dekhaila—showed; kareha na kahibe—do not speak to anyone; ei—this; nisedha karila—forbade.

TRANSLATION

At that time, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu displayed some of His divine opulences to the King, and He forbade him to disclose this to anyone.

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TEXT 20

’raja’-hena jnana kabhu na kaila prakasa

antare sakala janena, bahire udasa

SYNONYMS

raja—the King; hena jnana—such knowledge; kabhu—at any time; na—not; kaila prakasa—manifested; antare—within the heart; sakala—everything; janena—knows; bahire—externally; udasa—indifferent.

TRANSLATION

Although within His heart Caitanya Mahaprabhu knew everything that was happening, externally He did not disclose it. Nor did He disclose that He knew He was talking with King Prataparudra.

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TEXT 21

prataparudrera bhagya dekhi’ bhakta-gane

rajare prasamse sabe anandita-mane

SYNONYMS

prataparudrera—of King Prataparudra; bhagya—the fortune; dekhi’-seeing; bhakta-gane—all the devotees; rajare—the King; prasamse—praised; sabe—all; anandita-mane—with blissful minds.

TRANSLATION

Seeing the Lord’s special mercy upon King Prataparudra, the devotees praised the King’s fortune, and their minds became open and blissful.

PURPORT

This is a characteristic of a Vaisnava. He is never envious if one receives the mercy and strength of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. A pure Vaisnava is very happy to see a person elevated in devotional service. Unfortunately, there are many so-called Vaisnavas who become envious to see someone actually recognized by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is a fact that no one can preach Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s message without receiving the special mercy of the Lord. This is known to every Vaisnava, yet there are some envious people who cannot tolerate the expansion of this Krsna consciousness movement all over the world. They find fault with a pure devotee preacher and do not praise him for the excellent service he renders in fulfilling Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission.

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TEXT 22

dandavat kari’ raja bahire calila

yoda hasta kari’ saba bhaktere vandila

SYNONYMS

dandavat kari’-offering obeisances; raja—the King; bahire—outside; calila—departed; yoda—folded; hasta—hands; kari’-making; saba—all; bhaktere—unto the devotees; vandila—offered prayers.

TRANSLATION

Submissively offering prayers to the devotees with folded hands and offering obeisances to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the King went outside.

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TEXT 23

madhyahna karila prabhu lana bhakta-gana

vaninatha prasada lana kaila agamana

SYNONYMS

madhyahna karila—accepted lunch; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; lana—accompanied by; bhakta-gana—all the devotees; vaninatha—Vaninatha; prasada lana—taking all kinds of remnants of Jagannatha’s food; kaila—did; agamana—arrival.

TRANSLATION

After this, Vaninatha Raya brought all kinds of prasada, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted lunch with the devotees.

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TEXT 24

sarvabhauma-ramananda-vaninathe diya

prasada patha’la raja bahuta kariya

SYNONYMS

sarvabhauma—Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya; ramananda—Ramananda Raya; vaninathe diya—through Vaninatha Raya; prasadaprasada; patha’la—had sent; raja—the King; bahuta kariya—in a large quantity.

TRANSLATION

The King also sent a large quantity of prasada through Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, Ramananda Raya and Vaninatha Raya.

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TEXT 25

’balagandi bhoge’ra prasada-uttama, ananta

’ni-sakadi’ prasada aila, yara nahi anta

SYNONYMS

balagandi bhogera—of food offered at Balagandi; prasada—remnants; uttama—all of the foremost quality; ananta—of all varieties; ni-sakadi—uncooked food like milk products and fruits; prasada—remnants of food; aila—arrived; yara—of which; nahi—there is not; anta—end.

TRANSLATION

The prasada sent by the King had been offered at the Balagandi festival and included uncooked milk products and fruits. It was all of the finest quality, and there was no end to the variety.

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TEXT 26

chana, pana, paida, amra, narikela, kanthala

nana-vidha kadalaka, ara bija-tala

SYNONYMS

chana—curd; pana—fruit juice; paida—coconut; amra—mango; narikela—dried coconut; kanthala—jackfruit; nana-vidha—various kinds of; kadalaka—bananas; ara—and; bija-tala—palm fruit seeds.

TRANSLATION

There was curd, fruit juice, coconut, mango, dried coconut, jackfruit, various kinds of bananas and palm fruit seeds.

PURPORT

This is the first list of prasada offered to Lord Jagannatha.

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TEXT 27

naranga, cholanga, taba, kamala, bija-pura

badama, chohara, draksa, pinda-kharjura

SYNONYMS

naranga—oranges; cholanga—grapefruits; taba—another type of orange; kamala—tangerines; bija-pura—another type of tangerine; badama—almonds; chohara—dried fruit; draksa—raisins; pinda-kharjura—dates.

TRANSLATION

There were also oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, almonds, dried fruit, raisins and dates.

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TEXT 28

manohara-ladu adi sateka prakara

amrta-gutika-adi, ksirasa apara

SYNONYMS

manohara-ladu—a kind of sandesa; adi—and others; sateka prakara—hundreds of varieties; amrta-gutika—round sweetmeats; adi—and others; ksirasa—condensed milk; apara—of various qualities.

TRANSLATION

There were hundreds of different types of sweetmeats like manohara-ladu, sweets like amrta-gutika and various types of condensed milk.

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TEXT 29

amrta-manda, saravati, ara kumda-kuri

saramrta, sarabhaja, ara sarapuri

SYNONYMS

amrta-manda—a variety of papaya; saravati—a kind of orange; ara—and; kumda-kuri—crushed squash; saramrta—cream; sara-bhaja—fried cream; ara—and; sara-puri—a kind of puri made with cream.

TRANSLATION

There were also papayas and saravati, a type of orange, and also crushed squash. There was also regular cream, fried cream and a type of puri made with cream.

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TEXT 30

hari-vallabha, senoti, karpura, malati

dalima marica-ladu, navata, amrti

SYNONYMS

hari-vallabha—a sweetmeat like bread fried in ghee (like a doughnut); senoti—a sweetmeat made of a kind of fragrant flower; karpura—a flower; malati—another flower; dalima—pomegranate; marica-ladu—a sweetmeat made with black pepper; navata—another kind of sweetmeat, made with fused sugar; amrti—a preparation generally called amrti-jilipi, made with rice powder and chick-pea flour, mixed with yogurt, fried in ghee and immersed in sugar water.

TRANSLATION

There were also sweets like hari-vallabha and sweets made of senoti flowers, karpura flowers and malati flowers. There were pomegranates, sweets made with black pepper, sweets made with fused sugar, and amrti-jilipi.

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TEXT 31

padmacini, candrakanti, khaja, khandasara

viyari, kadma, tilakhajara prakara

SYNONYMS

padma-cini—sugar obtained from lotus flowers; candra-kanti—a kind of bread made from urad dhal; khaja—a crispy sweetmeat; khanda-sara—sugar candy; viyari—a sweetmeat made from fried rice; kadma—a sweetmeat made from sesame seeds; tilakhajara—cookies made from sesame seeds; prakara—all varieties.

TRANSLATION

There was lotus flower sugar, a kind of bread made from urad dhal, crispy sweetmeats, sugar candy, fried rice sweets, sesame seed sweets and cookies made from sesame seeds.

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TEXT 32

naranga-cholanga-amra-vrksera akara

phula-phala-patra-yukta khandera vikara

SYNONYMS

naranga-cholanga-amra-vrksera akara—sweetmeats in the shape of varieties of oranges, lemons and mangoes; phula-phala-patra-yukta—dressed with fruits, flowers and leaves; khandera vikara—made from sugar candy.

TRANSLATION

There were sweetmeats made from sugarcane candy in the form of oranges, lemons and mangoes along with fruits, flowers and leaves.

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TEXT 33

dadhi, dugdha, nani, takra, rasala, sikharini

sa-lavana mudgankura, ada khani khani

SYNONYMS

dadhi—yogurt; dugdha—milk; nani—butter; takra—buttermilk; rasala—fruit juice; sikharini—a preparation made of fried yogurt and sugar candy; sa-lavana—salty; mudga-ankura—mung dhal sprouts; ada—ginger; khani khani—cut into pieces.

TRANSLATION

There was yogurt, milk, butter, buttermilk, fruit juice, a preparation made of fried yogurt and sugar candy, and salty mung dhal sprouts with shredded ginger.

Madhya14.34

TEXT 34

lembu-kula-adi nana-prakara acara

likhite na pari prasada kateka prakara

SYNONYMS

lembu—lemon; kula—berries; adi—and so on; nana-prakara—varieties of; acara—pickles; likhite—to write; na—not; pari—I am able; prasada—food offered to Jagannatha; kateka prakara—how many varieties.

TRANSLATION

There were also various types of pickles-lemon pickle, berry pickle and so on. Indeed, I am not able to describe the variety of food offered to Lord Jagannatha.

PURPORT

In verses 26-34, the author describes the various foods offered to Lord Jagannatha. He has described them as far as possible, but he finally admits his inability to describe them completely.

Madhya14.35

TEXT 35

prasade purita ha-ila ardha upavana

dekhiya santosa haila mahaprabhura mana

SYNONYMS

prasade—with all the prasada; purita ha-ila—became filled; ardha upavana—half of the garden; dekhiya—seeing; santosa—satisfaction; haila—there was; mahaprabhura mana—in the mind of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TRANSLATION

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw half the garden filled with a variety of prasada, He was very satisfied.

Madhya14.36

TEXT 36

ei-mata jagannatha karena bhojana

ei sukhe mahaprabhura judaya nayana

SYNONYMS

ei-mata—in this way; jagannatha—Lord Jagannatha; karena bhojana—accepts His food; ei sukhe—in this happiness; mahaprabhura—of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; judaya—become fully satisfied; nayana—the eyes.

TRANSLATION

Indeed, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was fully satisfied just to see how Lord Jagannatha accepted all the food.

PURPORT

Following in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, a Vaisnava should be fully satisfied simply to see a variety of food offered to the Deity of Jagannatha or Radha-Krsna. A Vaisnava should not hunger for a variety of food for his own sake; rather, his satisfaction is in seeing various foods being offered to the Deity. In his Gurv-astaka, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura writes:

catur-vidha-sri-bhagavat-prasada-
svadv-anna-trptan hari-bhakta-sanghan
krtvaiva trptim bhajatah sadaiva
vande guroh sri-caranaravindam

“The spiritual master is always offering Krsna four kinds of delicious food [analyzed as that which is licked, chewed, drunk and sucked]. When the spiritual master sees that the devotees are satisfied by eating bhagavat-prasada, he is satisfied. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.”

The spiritual master’s duty is to engage his disciples in preparing varieties of nice food to offer the Deity. After being offered, this food is distributed as prasada to the devotees. These activities satisfy the spiritual master, although he himself does not eat or require such a variety of prasada. By seeing to the offering and distribution of prasada, he himself is encouraged in devotional service.

Next verse (Madhya14.37)