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

Chapter 10

The Trunk, Branches and Subbranches of the Caitanya Tree

This chapter describes the branches of the tree named Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Adi10.1

TEXT 1

sri-caitanya-padambhoja-

madhupebhyo namo namah

kathancid asrayad yesam

svapi tad-gandha-bhag bhavet

SYNONYMS

sri-caitanya—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; pada-ambhoja—the lotus feet; madhu—honey; pebhyah—unto those who drink; namah—respectful obeisances; namah—respectful obeisances; kathancit—a little of it; asrayat—taking shelter of; yesam—of whom; sva—dog; api—also; tat-gandha—the aroma of the lotus flower; bhak—shareholder; bhavet—may become.

TRANSLATION

Let me repeatedly offer my respectful obeisances unto the beelike devotees who always taste the honey of the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If even a doggish nondevotee somehow takes shelter of such devotees, he enjoys the aroma of the lotus flower.

PURPORT

The example of a dog is very significant in this connection. A dog naturally does not become a devotee at any time, but still it is sometimes found that a dog of a devotee gradually becomes a devotee also. We have actually seen that a dog has no respect even for the tulasi plant. Indeed, a dog is especially inclined to pass urine on the tulasi plant. Therefore the dog is the number one nondevotee. But Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s sankirtana movement is so strong that even a doglike nondevotee can gradually become a devotee by the association of a devotee of Lord Caitanya. Srila Sivananda Sena, a great householder devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, attracted a dog on the street while going to Jagannatha Puri. The dog began to follow him and ultimately went to see Caitanya Mahaprabhu and was liberated. Similarly, cats and dogs in the household of Srivasa Thakura were also liberated. Cats and dogs and other animals are not expected to become devotees, but in the association of a pure devotee they are also delivered.

Adi10.2

TEXT 2

jaya jaya sri-krsna-caitanya-nityananda

jayadvaitacandra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda

SYNONYMS

jaya jaya—all glories; sri-krsna-caitanya—to Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nityananda—Lord Nityananda; jaya advaita-candra—all glories to Advaita Prabhu; jaya—all glories; gaura-bhakta-vrnda—to the devotees of Lord Caitanya, headed by Srivasa.

TRANSLATION

All glories to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Nityananda! All glories to Advaita Prabhu, and all glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya, headed by Srivasa!

Adi10.3

TEXT 3

ei malira--ei vrksera akathya kathana

ebe suna mukhya-sakhara nama-vivarana

SYNONYMS

ei malira—of this gardener; ei vrksera—of this tree; akathya kathana—inconceivable description; ebe—now; suna—hear; mukhya—chief; sakhara—branches; nama—of the names; vivarana—description.

TRANSLATION

The description of Lord Caitanya as the gardener and the tree is inconceivable. Now hear with attention about the branches of this tree.

Adi10.4

TEXT 4

caitanya-gosanira yata parisada-caya

guru-laghu-bhava tanra na haya niscaya

SYNONYMS

caitanya—Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; gosanira—of the supreme spiritual master; yata—all; parisada-caya—groups of associates; guru-laghu-bhava—conceptions of high and low; tanra—of them; na—never; haya—become; niscaya—ascertained.

TRANSLATION

The associates of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu were many, but none of them should be considered lower or higher. This cannot be ascertained.

Adi10.5

TEXT 5

yata yata mahanta kaila tan-sabara ganana

keha karibare nare jyestha-laghu-krama

SYNONYMS

yata yata—as many as there are; mahanta—great devotees; kaila—made; tan-sabara—of all of them; ganana—counting; keha—all of them; karibare nare—can not do; jyestha—elder; laghu—younger; krama—chronology.

TRANSLATION

All the great personalities in the line of Lord Caitanya enumerated these devotees, but they could not distinguish between the greater and the lesser.

Adi10.6

TEXT 6

ataeva tan-sabare kari’ namaskara

nama-matra kari, dosa na labe amara

SYNONYMS

ataeva—therefore; tan-sabare—to all of them; kari’-doing; namaskara—offer my obeisances; nama-matra—that is also a token; kari—I do; dosa—fault; na—do not; labe—take; amara—of me.

TRANSLATION

I offer my obeisances unto them as a token of respect. I request them not to consider my offenses.

Adi10.7

TEXT 7

vande sri-krsna-caitanya-

premamara-taroh priyan

sakha-rupan bhakta-ganan

krsna-prema-phala-pradan

SYNONYMS

vande—I offer my obeisances; sri-krsna-caitanya—to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; prema-amara-taroh—of the eternal tree full of love of Godhead; priyan—those who are devotees; sakha-rupan—represented as branches; bhakta-ganan—all the devotees; krsna-prema—of love of Krsna; phala—of the fruit; pradan—the givers.

TRANSLATION

I offer my obeisances to all the dear devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the eternal tree of love of Godhead. I offer my respects to all the branches of the tree, the devotees of the Lord who distribute the fruit of love of Krsna.

PURPORT

Sri Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami sets the example of offering obeisances to all the preacher devotees of Lord Caitanya, without distinction as to higher and lower. Unfortunately, at present there are many foolish so-called devotees of Lord Caitanya who make such distinctions. For example, the title Prabhupada is offered to a spiritual master, especially to a distinguished spiritual master such as Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada, Srila Jiva Gosvami Prabhupada or Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada. When our disciples similarly wanted to address their spiritual master as Prabhupada, some foolish people became envious. Not considering the propaganda work of the Hare Krsna movement, simply because these disciples addressed their spiritual master as Prabhupada they became so envious that they formed a faction along with other such envious persons just to minimize the value of the Krsna consciousness movement. To chastise such fools, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami very frankly says, keha karibare nare jyestha-laghu-krama. Anyone who is a bona fide preacher of the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu must be respectful to the real devotees of Lord Caitanya; one should not be envious, considering one preacher to be very great and another to be very lowly. This is a material distinction and has no place on the platform of spiritual activities. Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami therefore offers equal respect to all the preachers of the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who are compared to the branches of the tree. ISKCON is one of these branches, and it should therefore be respected by all sincere devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Adi10.8

TEXT 8

srivasa pandita, ara sri-rama pandita

dui bhai--dui sakha, jagate vidita

SYNONYMS

srivasa pandita—of the name Srivasa Pandita; ara—and; sri-rama pandita—of the name Sri Rama Pandita; dui bhai—two brothers; dui sakha—two branches; jagate—in the world; vidita—well known.

TRANSLATION

The two brothers Srivasa Pandita and Sri Rama Pandita started two branches that are well known in the world.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 90, Srivasa Pandita (Srivasa Thakura) is described as an incarnation of Narada Muni, and Sri Rama Pandita, his younger brother, is said to be an incarnation of Parvata Muni, a great friend of Narada’s. Srivasa Pandita’s wife, Malini, is celebrated as an incarnation of the nurse Ambika, who fed Lord Krsna with her breast milk, and as already noted, his niece Narayani, the mother of Thakura Vrndavana dasa, the author of Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, was the sister of Ambika in krsna-lila. We also understand from the description of Sri Caitanya-bhagavata that after Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s acceptance of the sannyasa order, Srivasa Pandita left Navadvipa, possibly because of feelings of separation, and domiciled at Kumarahatta.

Adi10.9

TEXT 9

sripati, srinidhi--tanra dui sahodara

cari bhaira dasa-dasi, grha-parikara

SYNONYMS

sripati—of the name Sripati; srinidhi—of the name Srinidhi; tanra—their; dui—two; sahodara—own brothers; cari—four; bhaira—brothers; dasa-dasi—family members, manservants and maidservants; grha-parikara—all counted in one family.

TRANSLATION

Their two brothers were named Sripati and Srinidhi. These four brothers and their servants and maidservants are considered one big branch.

Adi10.10

TEXT 10

dui sakhara upasakhaya tan-sabara ganana

yanra grhe mahaprabhura sada sankirtana

SYNONYMS

dui sakhara—of the two branches; upasakhaya—on the subbranches; tan-sabara—of all of them; ganana—counting; yanra grhe—in whose house; mahaprabhura—of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sada—always; sankirtana—congregational chanting.

TRANSLATION

There is no counting the subbranches of these two branches. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu held congregational chanting daily at the house of Srivasa Pandita.

Adi10.11

TEXT 11

cari bhai sa-vamse kare caitanyera seva

gauracandra vina nahi jane devi-deva

SYNONYMS

cari bhai—four brothers; sa-vamse—with all family members; kare—do; caitanyera—of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; seva—service; gauracandra—Gaurasundara (Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu); vina—except; nahi jane—they do not know; devi—goddess; deva—or god.

TRANSLATION

These four brothers and their family members fully engaged in the service of Lord Caitanya. They knew no other god or goddess.

PURPORT

Srila Narottama dasa Thakura has said, anya-devasraya nai, tomare kahinu bhai, ei bhakti parama-karana: if one wants to become a pure, staunch devotee, one should not take shelter of any of the demigods or -goddesses. Foolish Mayavadis say that worshiping demigods is as good as worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but that is not a fact. This philosophy misleads people to atheism. One who has no idea what God actually is thinks that any form he imagines or any rascal he accepts can be God. This acceptance of cheap gods or incarnations of God is actually atheism. It is to be concluded, therefore, that those who worship demigods or self-proclaimed incarnations of God are all atheists. They have lost their knowledge, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (7.20): kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah prapadyante ’nya-devatah. “Those whose minds are distorted by material desires surrender unto demigods.” Unfortunately, those who do not cultivate Krsna consciousness and do not properly understand the Vedic knowledge accept any rascal to be an incarnation of God, and they are of the opinion that one can become an incarnation simply by worshiping a demigod. This philosophical hodge-podge exists under the name of the Hindu religion, but the Krsna consciousness movement does not approve of it. Indeed, we strongly condemn it. Such worship of demigods and so-called incarnations of God should never be confused with the pure Krsna consciousness movement.

Adi10.12

TEXT 12

’acaryaratna’ nama dhare bada eka sakha

tanra parikara, tanra sakha-upasakha

SYNONYMS

acaryaratna—of the name Acaryaratna; nama—name; dhare—he accepts; bada—big; eka—one; sakha—branch; tanra—his; parikara—associates; tanra—his; sakha—branch; upasakha—subbranches.

TRANSLATION

Another big branch was Acaryaratna, and his associates were subbranches.

Adi10.13

TEXT 13

acaryaratnera nama ’sri-candrasekhara’--

yanra ghare devi-bhave nacila isvara

SYNONYMS

acaryaratnera—of Acaryaratna; nama—name; sri-candrasekhara—of the name Sri Candrasekhara; yanra—of whom; ghare—in the home; devi-bhave—as the goddess; nacila—danced; isvara—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TRANSLATION

Acaryaratna was also named Sri Candrasekhara Acarya. In a drama in his house, Lord Caitanya played the goddess of fortune.

PURPORT

Dramatic performances were also enacted during the presence of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but the players who took part in such dramas were all pure devotees; no outsiders were allowed. The members of ISKCON should follow this example. Whenever they stage dramatic performances about the lives of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu or Lord Krsna, the players must be pure devotees. Professional players and dramatic actors have no sense of devotional service, and therefore although they can perform very artistically, there is no life in such performances. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura used to refer to such an actor as yatra-dale narada, which means “farcical Narada.” Sometimes an actor in a drama plays the part of Narada Muni, although in his private life he is not at all like Narada Muni because he is not a devotee. Such actors are not needed in dramatic performances about the lives of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Krsna.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to perform dramas with Advaita Prabhu, Srivasa Thakura and other devotees in the house of Candrasekhara. The place where Candrasekhara’s house was situated is now known as Vrajapattana. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura established a branch of his Sri Caitanya Matha at this place. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu decided to accept the renounced order of life, Candrasekhara Acarya was informed of this by Sri Nityananda Prabhu, and therefore he was also present when Lord Caitanya accepted sannyasa from Kesava Bharati in Katwa. It is he who first spread the word in Navadvipa of Lord Caitanya’s accepting sannyasa. Sri Candrasekhara Acarya was present during many important incidents in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He therefore forms the second branch of the tree of Lord Caitanya.

Adi10.14

TEXT 14

pundarika vidyanidhi--bada-sakha jani

yanra nama lana prabhu kandila apani

SYNONYMS

pundarika vidyanidhi—of the name Pundarika Vidyanidhi; bada-sakha—another big branch; jani—I know; yanra nama—whose name; lana—taking; prabhu—the Lord; kandila—cried; apani—Himself.

TRANSLATION

Pundarika Vidyanidhi, the third big branch, was so dear to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu that in his absence Lord Caitanya Himself would sometimes cry.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika Srila Pundarika Vidyanidhi is described as the father of Srimati Radharani in krsna-lila. Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore treated him as His father. Pundarika Vidyanidhi’s father was known as Banesvara or, according to another opinion, Suklambara Brahmacari, and his mother’s name was Gangadevi. According to one opinion, Banesvara was a descendent of Sri Sivarama Gangopadhyaya. The original home of Pundarika Vidyanidhi was in East Bengal, in a village near Dacca named Baghiya, which belonged to the Varendra group of brahmana families. Sometimes these Varendra brahmanas were at odds with another group known as Radhiya brahmanas, and therefore Pundarika Vidyanidhi’s family was ostracized and at that time was not living as a respectable family. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati informs us that one of the members of this family is living in Vrndavana and is named Sarojananda Gosvami. One special characteristic of this family is that each of its members had only one son or no son at all, and therefore the family was not very expansive. There is a place in the district of Cattagrama in East Bengal that is known as Hata-hajari, and a short distance from this place is a village known as Mekhala-grama in which Pundarika Vidyanidhi’s forefathers lived. One can approach Mekhala-grama from Cattagrama either on horseback, by bullock cart or by steamer. The steamer station is known as Annapurnara-ghata. The birthplace of Pundarika Vidyanidhi is about two miles southwest of Annapurnara-ghata. The temple constructed there by Pundarika Vidyanidhi is now very old and much in need of repair. Without repair, the temple may soon crumble. There are two inscriptions on the bricks of that temple, but they are so old that one cannot read them. There is another temple, however, about two hundred yards south of this one, and some people say that this is the old temple constructed by Pundarika Vidyanidhi.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu called Pundarika Vidyanidhi “father,” and He gave him the title Premanidhi. Pundarika Vidyanidhi later became the spiritual master of Gadadhara Pandita and an intimate friend of Svarupa Damodara’s. Gadadhara Pandita at first misunderstood Pundarika Vidyanidhi to be an ordinary pounds-and-shillings man, but later, upon being corrected by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he became his disciple. Another incident in the life of Pundarika Vidyanidhi involves his criticizing the priest of the Jagannatha temple, for which Jagannatha Prabhu chastised him personally by slapping his cheeks. This is described in Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya-lila, Chapter Seven. Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura informs us that there are still two living descendants of the family of Pundarika Vidyanidhi, who are named Sri Harakumara Smrtitirtha and Sri Krsnakinkara Vidyalankara. For further information one should refer to the dictionary known as Vaisnava-manjusa.

Adi10.15

TEXT 15

bada sakha,--gadadhara pandita-gosani

tenho laksmi-rupa, tanra sama keha nai

SYNONYMS

bada sakha—big branch; gadadhara pandita-gosani—the descendants or disciplic succession of Gadadhara Pandita; tenho—Gadadhara Pandita; laksmi-rupa—incarnation of the pleasure potency of Lord Krsna; tanra—his; sama—equal; keha—anyone; nai—there is none.

TRANSLATION

Gadadhara Pandita, the fourth branch, is described as an incarnation of the pleasure potency of Sri Krsna. No one, therefore, can equal him.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verses 147 through 153, it is stated: “The pleasure potency of Sri Krsna formerly known as Vrndavanesvari is now personified in the form of Sri Gadadhara Pandita in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.” Sri Svarupa Damodara Gosvami has pointed out that in the shape of Laksmi, the pleasure potency of Krsna, she was formerly very dear to the Lord as Syamasundara-vallabha. The same Syamasundara-vallabha is now present as Gadadhara Pandita. Formerly, as Lalita-sakhi, she was always devoted to Srimati Radharani. In the Twelfth Chapter of this part of the Caitanya-caritamrta there is a description of the descendants or disciplic succession of Gadadhara Pandita.

Adi10.16

TEXT 16

tanra sisya-upasisya,--tanra upasakha

eimata saba sakha-upasakhara lekha

SYNONYMS

tanra—his; sisya—disciples; upasisya—granddisciples and admirers; tanra—his; upasakha—subbranches; eimata—in this way; saba—all; sakha—branches; upasakhara—subbranches; lekha—to describe by writing.

TRANSLATION

His disciples and granddisciples are his subbranches. To describe them all would be difficult.

Adi10.17

TEXT 17

vakresvara pandita--prabhura bada priya bhrtya

eka-bhave cabbisa prahara yanra nrtya

SYNONYMS

vakresvara pandita—of the name Vakresvara Pandita; prabhura—of the Lord; bada—very; priya—dear; bhrtya—servant; eka-bhave—continuously in the same ecstasy; cabbisa—twenty-four; prahara—a duration of time comprising three hours; yanra—whose; nrtya—dancing.

TRANSLATION

Vakresvara Pandita, the fifth branch of the tree, was a very dear servant of Lord Caitanya’s. He could dance with constant ecstasy for seventy-two hours.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 71, it is stated that Vakresvara Pandita was an incarnation of Aniruddha, one of the quadruple expansions of Visnu (Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Aniruddha and Pradyumna). He could dance wonderfully for seventy-two continuous hours. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu played in dramatic performances in the house of Srivasa Pandita, Vakresvara Pandita was one of the chief dancers, and he danced continuously for that length of time. Sri Govinda dasa, an Oriya devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, has described the life of Vakresvara Pandita in his book Gaura-krsnodaya. There are many disciples of Vakresvara Pandita in Orissa, and they are known as Gaudiya Vaisnavas although they are Oriyas. Among these disciples are Sri Gopalaguru and his disciple Sri Dhyanacandra Gosvami.

Adi10.18

TEXT 18

apane mahaprabhu gaya yanra nrtya-kale

prabhura carana dhari’ vakresvara bale

SYNONYMS

apane—personally; mahaprabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; gaya—sang; yanra—whose; nrtya-kale—at the time of dancing; prabhura—of the Lord; carana—lotus feet; dhari’-embracing; vakresvara—Vakresvara Pandita; bale—said.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally sang while Vakresvara Pandita danced, and thus Vakresvara Pandita fell at the lotus feet of the Lord and spoke as follows.

Adi10.19

TEXT 19

"dasa-sahasra gandharva more deha’ candramukha

tara gaya, muni nacon--tabe mora sukha"

SYNONYMS

dasa-sahasra—ten thousand; gandharva—residents of Gandharvaloka; more—unto me; deha’-please deliver; candra-mukha—O moon-faced one; tara gaya—let them sing; muni nacon—let me dance; tabe—then; mora—my; sukha—happiness.

TRANSLATION

“O Candramukha! Please give me ten thousand Gandharvas. Let them sing as I dance, and then I will be greatly happy.”

PURPORT

The Gandharvas, who are residents of Gandharvaloka, are celebrated as celestial singers. Whenever singing is needed in the celestial planets, the Gandharvas are invited to sing. The Gandharvas can sing continuously for days, and therefore Vakresvara Pandita wanted to dance as they sang.

Adi10.20

TEXT 20

prabhu bale--tumi mora paksa eka sakha

akase uditama yadi pan ara pakha

SYNONYMS

prabhu bale—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied; tumi—you; mora—My; paksa—wing; eka—one; sakha—one-sided; akase—in the sky; uditama—I could fly; yadi—if; pan—I could get; ara—another; pakha—wing.

TRANSLATION

Lord Caitanya replied, “I have only one wing like you, but if I had another, certainly I would fly in the sky!”

Adi10.21

TEXT 21

pandita jagadananda prabhura prana-rupa

loke khyata yenho satyabhamara svarupa

SYNONYMS

pandita jagadananda—of the name Pandita Jagadananda; prabhura—of the Lord; prana-rupa—life and soul; loke—in the world; khyata—celebrated; yenho—who; satyabhamara—of Satyabhama; svarupa—personification.

TRANSLATION

Pandita Jagadananda, the sixth branch of the Caitanya tree, was celebrated as the life and soul of the Lord. He is known to have been an incarnation of Satyabhama [one of the chief queens of Lord Krsna].

PURPORT

There are many dealings of Jagadananda Pandita with Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Most importantly, he was the Lord’s constant companion and especially took part in all the pastimes of the Lord in the houses of Srivasa Pandita and Candrasekhara Acarya.

Adi10.22

TEXT 22

pritye karite cahe prabhura lalana-palana

vairagya-loka-bhaye prabhu na mane kakhana

SYNONYMS

pritye—in intimacy or affection; karite—to do; cahe—wanted; prabhura—the Lord’s; lalana-palana—maintenance; vairagya—renouncement; loka-bhaye—fearing the public; prabhu—the Lord; na—did not; mane—accept; kakhana—any time.

TRANSLATION

Jagadananda Pandita [as an incarnation of Satyabhama] always wanted to see to the comfort of Lord Caitanya, but since the Lord was a sannyasi He did not accept the luxuries that Jagadananda Pandita offered.

Adi10.23

TEXT 23

dui-jane khatmati lagaya kondala

tanra prityera katha age kahiba sakala

SYNONYMS

dui-jane—two persons; khatmati—fighting over trifles; lagaya—continued; kondala—quarrel; tanra—his; prityera—affection; katha—narration; age—ahead; kahiba—I shall speak; sakala—all.

TRANSLATION

They sometimes appeared to fight over trifles, but these quarrels were based on their affection, of which I shall speak later.

Adi10.24

TEXT 24

raghava-pandita--prabhura adya-anucara

tanra eka sakha mukhya--makaradhvaja kara

SYNONYMS

raghava pandita—of the name Raghava Pandita; prabhura—of the Lord; adya—original; anucara—follower; tanra—his; eka—one; sakha—branch; mukhya—chief; makaradhvaja—of the name Makaradhvaja; kara—surname.

TRANSLATION

Raghava Pandita, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s original follower, is understood to have been the seventh branch. From him proceeded another subbranch, headed by Makaradhvaja Kara.

PURPORT

Kara was the surname of Makaradhvaja. At present this surname is generally found in the Kayastha community. The Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 166, states:

dhanistha bhaksya-samagrim
krsnayadad vraje ’mitam
saiva sampratam gauranga-
priyo raghava-panditah

Raghava Pandita was formerly a confidential gopi in Vraja during the time of Lord Krsna’s pastimes, and his former name was Dhanistha. This gopi, Dhanistha, always engaged in preparing foods for Krsna.

Adi10.25

TEXT 25

tanhara bhagini damayanti prabhura priya dasi

prabhura bhoga-samagri ye kare vara-masi

SYNONYMS

tanhara—his; bhagini—sister; damayanti—of the name Damayanti; prabhura—of the Lord; priya—dear; dasi—maidservant; prabhura—of the Lord; bhoga-samagri—cooking materials; ye—who; kare—does; vara-masi—throughout the whole year.

TRANSLATION

Raghava Pandita’s sister Damayanti was the dear maidservant of the Lord. She always collected various ingredients with which to cook for Lord Caitanya.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 167, it is mentioned, gunamala vraje yasid damayanti tu tat-svasa: The gopi named Gunamala appeared as Raghava Pandita’s sister Damayanti. On the East Bengal railway line beginning from the Sealdah station in Calcutta, there is a station named Sodapura, which is not very far from Calcutta. Within one mile of this station, toward the western side of the Ganges, is a village known as Panihati, in which the residential quarters of Raghava Pandita still exist. On Raghava Pandita’s tomb is a creeper on a concrete platform. There is also a Madana-mohana Deity in a broken-down temple nearby. This temple is managed by a local Zamindar of the name Sri Sivacandra Raya Caudhuri. Makaradhvaja Kara was also an inhabitant of Panihati.

Adi10.26

TEXT 26

se saba samagri yata jhalite bhariya

raghava la-iya ya’na gupata kariya

SYNONYMS

se saba—all those; samagri—ingredients; yata—all of them; jhalite bhariya—packing in bags; raghava—Raghava Pandita; la-iya—carried; ya’na—goes; gupata kariya—very confidentially.

TRANSLATION

The foods Damayanti cooked for Lord Caitanya when He was at Puri were carried in bags by her brother Raghava without the knowledge of others.

Adi10.27

TEXT 27

vara-masa taha prabhu karena angikara

’raghavera jhali’ bali’ prasiddhi yahara

SYNONYMS

vara-masa—the whole year; taha—all those foods; prabhu—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; karena—did; angikara—accept; raghavera jhali—the bags of Raghava Pandita; bali’-so called; prasiddhi—celebrated; yahara—of which.

TRANSLATION

The Lord accepted these foods throughout the entire year. Those bags are still celebrated as raghavera jhali [“the bags of Raghava Pandita”].

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