Adi10.111

TEXT 111

subuddhi misra, hrdayananda, kamala-nayana

mahesa pandita, srikara, sri-madhusudana

SYNONYMS

subuddhi misra—of the name Subuddhi Misra; hrdayananda—of the name Hrdayananda; kamala-nayana—of the name Kamala-nayana; mahesa pandita—of the name Mahesa Pandita; srikara—of the name Srikara; sri-madhusudana—of the name Sri Madhusudana.

TRANSLATION

The sixty-second branch of the tree was Subuddhi Misra, the sixty-third was Hrdayananda, the sixty-fourth was Kamala-nayana, the sixty-fifth was Mahesa Pandita, the sixty-sixth was Srikara, and the sixty-seventh was Sri Madhusudana.

PURPORT

Subuddhi Misra, who was formerly Gunacuda in Vrndavana, installed Gaura-Nityananda Deities in a temple in the village known as Belagan, which is about three miles away from Srikhanda. His present descendant is known as Govindacandra Gosvami.

Adi10.112

TEXT 112

purusottama, sri-galima, jagannatha-dasa

sri-candrasekhara vaidya, dvija haridasa

SYNONYMS

purusottama—of the name Purusottama; sri-galima—of the name Sri Galima; jagannatha-dasa—of the name Jagannatha dasa; sri-candresekhara vaidya—of the name Sri Candrasekhara Vaidya; dvija haridasa—of the name Dvija Haridasa.

TRANSLATION

The sixty-eighth branch of the original tree was Purusottama, the sixty-ninth was Sri Galima, the seventieth was Jagannatha dasa, the seventy-first was Sri Candrasekhara Vaidya, and the seventy-second was Dvija Haridasa.

PURPORT

There is some question about whether Dvija Haridasa was the author of Astottara-sata-nama. He had two sons named Sridama and Gokulananda, who were disciples of Sri Advaita Acarya. Their village, Kancana-gadiya, is situated within five miles of the Bajarasau station, the fifth station from Ajimaganja in the district of Mursidabad, West Bengal.

Adi10.113

TEXT 113

ramadasa, kavicandra, sri-gopaladasa

bhagavatacarya, thakura sarangadasa

SYNONYMS

ramadasa—of the name Ramadasa; kavicandra—of the name Kavicandra; sri gopala-dasa—of the name Sri Gopala dasa; bhagavatacarya—of the name Bhagavatacarya; thakura saranga-dasa—of the name Thakura Saranga dasa.

TRANSLATION

The seventy-third branch of the original tree was Ramadasa, the seventy-fourth was Kavicandra, the seventy-fifth was Sri Gopala dasa, the seventy-sixth was Bhagavatacarya, and the seventy-seventh was Thakura Saranga dasa.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (203) it is said, “Bhagavatacarya compiled a book entitled Krsna-prema-tarangini, and he was the most beloved devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.” When Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited Varahanagara, a suburb of Calcutta, He stayed in the house of a most fortunate brahmana who was a very learned scholar in Bhagavata literature. As soon as this brahmana saw Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he began to read Srimad-Bhagavatam. When Mahaprabhu heard his explanation, which expounded bhakti-yoga, He immediately became unconscious in ecstasy. Lord Caitanya later said, “I have never heard such a nice explanation of Srimad-Bhagavatam. I therefore designate you Bhagavatacarya. Your only duty is to recite Srimad-Bhagavatam. That is My injunction.” His real name was Raghunatha. His monastery, which is situated in Varahanagara, about three and a half miles north of Calcutta on the bank of the Ganges, still exists, and it is managed by the initiated disciples of the late Sri Ramadasa Babaji. Presently, however, it is not as well managed as in the presence of Babaji Maharaja.

Another name of Thakura Saranga dasa was Sarnga Thakura. Sometimes he was also called Sarngapani or Sarngadhara. He was a resident of Navadvipa in the neighborhood known as Modadruma-dvipa, and he used to worship the Supreme Lord in a secluded place on the bank of the Ganges. He did not accept disciples, but he was repeatedly inspired from within by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to do so. Thus one morning he decided, “Whomever I see I shall make my disciple.” When he went to the bank of the Ganges to take his bath, by chance he saw a dead body floating in the water, and he touched it with his feet. This immediately brought the body to life, and Thakura Saranga dasa accepted him as his disciple. This disciple later became famous as Thakura Murari, and his name is always associated with that of Sri Saranga. His disciplic succession still inhabits the village of Sar. There is a temple at Mamagacchi that is said to have been started by Sarnga Thakura. Not long ago, a new temple building was erected in front of a bakula tree there, and it is now being managed by the members of the Gaudiya Matha. It is said that the management of the temple is now far better than before. In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (172) it is stated that Saranga Thakura was formerly a gopi named Nandimukhi. Some devotees say that he was formerly Prahlada Maharaja, but Sri Kavi-karnapura says that his father, Sivananda Sena, does not accept this proposition.

Adi10.114

TEXT 114

jagannatha tirtha, vipra sri-janakinatha

gopala acarya, ara vipra vaninatha

SYNONYMS

jagannatha tirtha—of the name Jagannatha Tirtha; vipra—brahmana; sri-janakinatha—of the name Sri Janakinatha; gopala acarya—of the name Gopala Acarya; ara—and; vipra vaninatha—the brahmana of the name Vaninatha.

TRANSLATION

The seventy-eighth branch of the original tree was Jagannatha Tirtha, the seventy-ninth was the brahmana Sri Janakinatha, the eightieth was Gopala Acarya, and the eighty-first was the brahmana Vaninatha.

PURPORT

Jagannatha Tirtha was one of the nine principal sannyasis who were Lord Caitanya’s associates. Vaninatha Vipra was a resident of Canpahati, a village in the district of Burdwan near the town of Navadvipa, the police station of Purvasthali and the post office of Samudragada. The temple there was very much neglected, but it was renovated in the Bengali year 1328 (A.D. 1921) by Sri Paramananda Brahmacari, one of Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s disciples, who reorganized the seva-puja (worship in the temple) and placed the temple under the management of the Sri Caitanya Matha of Sri Mayapur. In the temple as it now exists, the Deity of Sri Gaura-Gadadhara is worshiped strictly according to the principles of the revealed scriptures. Canpahati is two miles away from both Samudragada and the Navadvipa station of the eastern railway.

Adi10.115

TEXT 115

govinda, madhava, vasudeva--tina bhai

yan-sabara kirtane nace caitanya-nitai

SYNONYMS

govinda—of the name Govinda; madhava—of the name Madhava; vasudeva—of the name Vasudeva; tina bhai—three brothers; yan-sabara—all of whom; kirtane—in the performance of sankirtana; nace—dance; caitanya-nitai—Lord Caitanya and Nityananda Prabhu.

TRANSLATION

The three brothers Govinda, Madhava and Vasudeva were the eighty-second, eighty-third and eighty-fourth branches of the tree. Lord Caitanya and Nityananda used to dance in their kirtana performances.

PURPORT

The three brothers Govinda, Madhava and Vasudeva Ghosa all belonged to a kayastha family. Govinda established the Gopinatha temple in Agradvipa, where he resided. Madhava Ghosa was expert in performing kirtana. No one within this world could compete with him. He was known as the singer of Vrndavana and was very dear to Sri Nityananda Prabhu. It is said that when the three brothers performed sankirtana, immediately Lord Caitanya and Nityananda would dance in ecstasy. According to the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (188), the three brothers were formerly Kalavati, Rasollasa and Gunatunga, who recited the songs composed by Sri Visakha-gopi. The three brothers were among one of the seven parties that performed kirtana when Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu attended the Ratha-yatra festival at Jagannatha Puri. Vakresvara Pandita was the chief dancer in their party. This is vividly described in the Madhya-lila, Chapter Thirteen, verses 42 and 43.

Adi10.116

TEXT 116

ramadasa abhirama--sakhya-premarasi

solasangera kastha tuli’ ye karila vansi

SYNONYMS

ramadasa abhirama—of the name Ramadasa Abhirama; sakhya-prema—friendship; rasi—great volume; solasa-angera—of sixteen knots; kastha—wood; tuli’-lifting; ye—one who; karila—made; vansi—flute.

TRANSLATION

Ramadasa Abhirama was fully absorbed in the mellow of friendship. He made a flute of a bamboo stick with sixteen knots.

PURPORT

Abhirama was an inhabitant of Khanakula-krsna-nagara.

Adi10.117

TEXT 117

prabhura ajnaya nityananda gaude calila

tanra sange tina-jana prabhu-ajnaya aila

SYNONYMS

prabhura ajnaya—under the order of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nityananda—Lord Nityananda; gaude—to Bengal; calila—went back; tanra sange—in His company; tina jana—three men; prabhu-ajnaya—under the order of the Lord; aila—went.

TRANSLATION

By the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, three devotees accompanied Lord Nityananda Prabhu when He returned to Bengal to preach.

Adi10.118

TEXT 118

ramadasa, madhava, ara vasudeva ghosa

prabhu-sange rahe govinda paiya santosa

SYNONYMS

ramadasa—of the name Ramadasa; madhava—of the name Madhava; ara—and; vasudeva ghosa—of the name Vasudeva Ghosa; prabhu-sange—in the company of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; rahe—remained; govinda—of the name Govinda; paiya—feeling; santosa—great satisfaction.

TRANSLATION

These three were Ramadasa, Madhava Ghosa and Vasudeva Ghosa. Govinda Ghosa, however, remained with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Jagannatha Puri and thus felt great satisfaction.

Adi10.119

TEXT 119

bhagavatacarya, ciranjiva sri-raghunandana

madhavacarya, kamalakanta, sri-yadunandana

SYNONYMS

bhagavatacarya—of the name Bhagavatacarya; ciranjiva—of the name Ciranjiva; sri-raghunandana—of the name Sri Raghunandana; madhavacarya—of the name Madhavacarya; kamalakanta—of the name Kamalakanta; sri-yadunandana—of the name Sri Yadunandana.

TRANSLATION

Bhagavatacarya, Ciranjiva, Sri Raghunandana, Madhavacarya, Kamalakanta and Sri Yadunandana were all among the branches of the Caitanya tree.

PURPORT

Sri Madhavacarya was the husband of Lord Nityananda’s daughter, Gangadevi. He took initiation from Purusottama, a branch of Nityananda Prabhu. It is said that when Nityananda Prabhu’s daughter married Madhavacarya, the Lord gave him the village named Panjinagara as a dowry. Madhavacarya’s temple is situated near the Jirat railway station on the eastern railway. According to the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (169) Sri Madhavacarya was formerly the gopi named Madhavi. Kamalakanta belonged to the branch of Sri Advaita Prabhu. His full name was Kamalakanta Visvasa.

Adi10.120

TEXT 120

maha-krpa-patra prabhura jagai, madhai

’patita-pavana’ namera saksi dui bhai

SYNONYMS

maha-krpa-patra—object of very great mercy; prabhura—of the Lord; jagai madhai—the two brothers Jagai and Madhai; patita-pavana—deliverer of the fallen; namera—of this name; saksi—witness; dui bhai—these two brothers.

TRANSLATION

Jagai and Madhai, the eighty-ninth and ninetieth branches of the tree, were the greatest recipients of Lord Caitanya’s mercy. These two brothers were the witnesses who proved that Lord Caitanya was rightly named Patita-pavana, “the deliverer of the fallen souls.”

PURPORT

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (115) it is said that the two brothers Jagai and Madhai were formerly the doorkeepers named Jaya and Vijaya, who later became Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu. Jagai and Madhai were born in respectable brahmana families, but they adopted the professions of thieves and rogues and thus became implicated in all kinds of undesirable activities, especially woman-hunting, intoxication and gambling. Later, by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu, they were initiated, and they got the chance to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. As a result of chanting, both brothers became exalted devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The descendants of Madhai still exist, and they are respectable brahmanas. The tombs of these two brothers, Jagai and Madhai, are in a place known as Ghosahata, or Madhaitala-grama, which is situated about one mile south of Katwa. It is said that Sri Gopicarana dasa Babaji established a temple of Nitai-Gaura at this place about two hundred years ago.

Adi10.121

TEXT 121

gauda-desa-bhaktera kaila sanksepa kathana

ananta caitanya-bhakta na yaya ganana

SYNONYMS

gauda-desa—in Bengal; bhaktera—of the devotees; kaila—I have described; sanksepa—in brief; kathana—narration; ananta—unlimited; caitanya-bhakta—devotees of Lord Caitanya; na—not; yaya—can be; ganana—counted.

TRANSLATION

I have given a brief description of the devotees of Lord Caitanya in Bengal. Actually His devotees are innumerable.

Adi10.122

TEXT 122

nilacale ei saba bhakta prabhu-sange

dui sthane prabhu-seva kaila nana-range

SYNONYMS

nilacale—at Jagannatha Puri; ei—these; saba—all; bhakta—devotees; prabhu-sange—in the company of Lord Caitanya; dui sthane—in two places; prabhu-seva—service of the Lord; kaila—executed; nana-range—in different ways.

TRANSLATION

I have especially mentioned all these devotees because they accompanied Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Bengal and Orissa and served Him in many ways.

PURPORT

Most of the devotees of Lord Caitanya lived in Bengal and Orissa. Thus they are celebrated as Oriyas and Gaudiyas. At present, however, by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, His cult is being propagated all over the world, and it is most probable that in the future history of Lord Caitanya’s movement, Europeans, Americans, Canadians, Australians, South Americans, Asians and people from all over the world will be celebrated as devotees of Lord Caitanya. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has already constructed a big temple at Mayapur, Navadvipa, which is being visited by devotees from all parts of the world, as foretold by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and anticipated by Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

Adi10.123

TEXT 123

kevala nilacale prabhura ye ye bhakta-gana

sanksepe kariye kichu se saba kathana

SYNONYMS

kevala—only; nilacale—in Jagannatha Puri; prabhura—of the Lord; ye ye—all those; bhakta-gana—devotees; sanksepe—in brief; kariye—I do; kichu—some; se saba—all those; kathana—narration.

TRANSLATION

Let me briefly describe some of the devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Jagannatha Puri.

Adi10.124-126

TEXTS 124-126

nilacale prabhu-sange yata bhakta-gana

sabara adhyaksa prabhura marma dui-jana

paramananda-puri, ara svarupa-damodara

gadadhara, jagadananda, sankara, vakresvara

damodara pandita, thakura haridasa

raghunatha vaidya, ara raghunatha-dasa

SYNONYMS

nilacale—in Jagannatha Puri; prabhu-sange—in the company of Lord Caitanya; yata—all; bhakta-gana—devotees; sabara—of all of them; adhyaksa—the chief; prabhura—of the Lord; marma—heart and soul; dui jana—two persons; paramananda-puri—of the name Paramananda Puri; ara—and; svarupa-damodara—of the name Svarupa Damodara; gadadhara—of the name Gadadhara; jagadananda—of the name Jagadananda; sankara—of the name Sankara; vakresvara—of the name Vakresvara; damodara pandita—of the name Damodara Pandita; thakura haridasa—of the name Thakura Haridasa; raghunatha vaidya—of the name Raghunatha Vaidya; ara—and; raghunatha-dasa—of the name Raghunatha dasa.

TRANSLATION

Among the devotees who accompanied the Lord in Jagannatha Puri, two of them-Paramananda Puri and Svarupa Damodara-were the heart and soul of the Lord. Among the other devotees were Gadadhara, Jagadananda, Sankara, Vakresvara, Damodara Pandita, Thakura Haridasa, Raghunatha Vaidya and Raghunatha dasa.

PURPORT

The Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya-lila, Chapter Five, states that Raghunatha Vaidya came to see Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu when the Lord was staying at Panihati. He was a great devotee and had all good qualities. According to the Caitanya-bhagavata, he was formerly Revati, the wife of Balarama. Anyone he glanced upon would immediately attain Krsna consciousness. He lived on the seashore at Jagannatha Puri and compiled a book of the name Sthana-nirupana.

Adi10.127

TEXT 127

ityadika purva-sangi bada bhakta-gana

nilacale rahi’ kare prabhura sevana

SYNONYMS

iti-adika—all these and others; purva-sangi—former associates; bada—very; bhakta-gana—great devotees; nilacale—at Jagannatha Puri; rahi’-remaining; kare—do; prabhura—of the Lord; sevana—service.

TRANSLATION

All these devotees were associates of the Lord from the very beginning, and when the Lord took up residence in Jagannatha Puri they remained there to serve Him faithfully.

Adi10.128

TEXT 128

ara yata bhakta-gana gauda-desa-vasi

pratyabde prabhure dekhe nilacale asi’

SYNONYMS

ara—others; yata—all; bhakta-gana—devotees; gauda-desa-vasi—residents of Bengal; prati-abde—each year; prabhure—the Lord; dekhe—see; nilacale—in Jagannatha Puri; asi’-coming there.

TRANSLATION

All the devotees who resided in Bengal used to visit Jagannatha Puri every year to see the Lord.

Adi10.129

TEXT 129

nilacale prabhu-saha prathama milana

sei bhakta-ganera ebe kariye ganana

SYNONYMS

nilacale—at Jagannatha Puri; prabhu-saha—with the Lord; prathama—first; milana—meeting; sei—that; bhakta-ganera—of the devotees; ebe—now; kariye—I do; ganana—count.

TRANSLATION

Now let me enumerate the devotees of Bengal who first came to see the Lord at Jagannatha Puri.

Adi10.130

TEXT 130

bada-sakha eka,--sarvabhauma bhattacarya

tanra bhagni-pati sri-gopinathacarya

SYNONYMS

bada-sakha eka—one of the biggest branches; sarvabhauma bhattacarya—of the name Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya; tanra bhagni-pati—his brother-in-law (the husband of Sarvabhauma’s sister); sri-gopinathacarya—of the name Sri Gopinatha Acarya.

TRANSLATION

There was Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, one of the biggest branches of the tree of the Lord, and his sister’s husband, Sri Gopinatha Acarya.

PURPORT

The original name of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was Vasudeva Bhattacarya. His place of birth, which is known as Vidyanagara, is about two and a half miles away from the Navadvipa railway station, or Canpahati railway station. His father was a very celebrated man of the name Mahesvara Visarada. It is said that Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was the greatest logician of his time in India. At Mithila in Bihar he became a student of a great professor named Paksadhara Misra, who did not allow any student to note down his explanations of logic. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was so talented, however, that he learned the explanations by heart, and when he later returned to Navadvipa he established a school for the study of logic, thus diminishing the importance of Mithila. Students from various parts of India still come to Navadvipa to study logic. According to some authoritative opinions, the celebrated logician Raghunatha Siromani was also a student of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya’s. In effect, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya became the leader of all students of logic. Although he was a grhastha (householder), he even taught many sannyasis in the knowledge of logic.

He started a school at Jagannatha Puri for the study of Vedanta philosophy, of which he was a great scholar. When Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya met Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he advised the Lord to learn Vedanta philosophy from him, but later he became a student of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to understand the real meaning of Vedanta. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was so fortunate as to see the six-armed form of Lord Caitanya known as Sadbhuja. A Sadbhuja Deity is still situated at one end of the Jagannatha temple. Daily sankirtana performances take place in this part of the temple. The meeting of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya with Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is vividly described in the Madhya-lila, Chapter Six. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya wrote a book named Caitanya-sataka. In addition to the hundred verses of this book, two verses beginning with the words vairagya-vidya-nija-bhakti-yoga and kalan nastam bhakti-yogam nijam yah are very famous among Gaudiya Vaisnavas. The Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (119) states that Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was an incarnation of Brhaspati, the learned scholar from the celestial planets.

Gopinatha Acarya, who belonged to a respectable brahmana family, was also an inhabitant of Navadvipa and a constant companion of the Lord. As mentioned in the present verse of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, he was the husband of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya’s sister. In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (178) it is described that he was formerly the gopi named Ratnavali. According to the opinion of others, he was an incarnation of Brahma.

Adi10.131

TEXT 131

kasi-misra, pradyumna-misra, raya bhavananda

yanhara milane prabhu paila ananda

SYNONYMS

kasi-misra—of the name Kasi Misra; pradyumna-misra—of the name Pradyumna Misra; raya bhavananda—of the name Bhavananda Raya; yanhara—of whom; milane—meeting; prabhu—the Lord; paila—got; ananda—great pleasure.

TRANSLATION

In the list of devotees at Jagannatha Puri [which begins with Paramananda Puri, Svarupa Damodara, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and Gopinatha Acarya], Kasi Misra was the fifth, Pradyumna Misra the sixth and Bhavananda Raya the seventh. Lord Caitanya took great pleasure in meeting with them.

PURPORT

In Jagannatha Puri Lord Caitanya lived at the house of Kasi Misra, who was the priest of the king. Later this house was inherited by Vakresvara Pandita and then by his disciple Gopalaguru Gosvami, who established there a Deity of Radhakanta. The Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (193) states that Kasi Misra was formerly Kubja in Mathura.. Pradyumna Misra, an inhabitant of Orissa, was a great devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Pradyumna Misra was born of a brahmana family and Ramananda Raya of a non-brahmana family, yet Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised Pradyumna Misra to take instruction from Ramananda Raya. This incident is described in the Antya-lila, Chapter Five.

Bhavananda Raya was the father of Sri Ramananda Raya. His residence was in Alalanatha (Brahmagiri), which is about twelve miles west of Jagannatha Puri. By caste he belonged to the karana community of Orissa, whose members were sometimes known as kayasthas and sometimes as sudras, but he was the governor of Madras under the control of King Prataparudra of Jagannatha Puri.

Adi10.132

TEXT 132

alingana kari’ tanre balila vacana

tumi pandu, panca-pandava--tomara nandana

SYNONYMS

alingana kari’-embracing; tanre—unto him; balila—said; vacana—those words; tumi—you; pandu—were Pandu; panca—five; pandava—the Pandavas; tomara—your; nandana—sons.

TRANSLATION

Embracing Raya Bhavananda, the Lord declared to him, “You formerly appeared as Pandu, and your five sons appeared as the five Pandavas.”

Adi10.133

TEXT 133

ramananda raya, pattanayaka gopinatha

kalanidhi, sudhanidhi, nayaka vaninatha

SYNONYMS

ramananda raya—of the name Ramananda Raya; pattanayaka gopinatha—of the name Pattanayaka Gopinatha; kalanidhi—of the name Kalanidhi; sudhanidhi—of the name Sudhanidhi; nayaka vaninatha—of the name Nayaka Vaninatha.

TRANSLATION

The five sons of Bhavananda Raya were Ramananda Raya, Pattanayaka Gopinatha, Kalanidhi, Sudhanidhi and Nayaka Vaninatha.

Adi10.134

TEXT 134

ei panca putra tomara mora priyapatra

ramananda saha mora deha-bheda matra

SYNONYMS

ei—these; panca—five; putra—sons; tomara—your; mora—Mine; priya-patra—very dear; ramananda saha—with Sri Ramananda Raya; mora—Mine; deha-bheda—bodily difference; matra—only.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told Bhavananda Raya, “Your five sons are all My dear devotees. Ramananda Raya and I are one, although our bodies are different.”

PURPORT

The Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (120-24) states that Ramananda Raya was formerly Arjuna. He is also considered to have been an incarnation of the gopi Lalita, although in the opinion of others he was an incarnation of Visakhadevi. He was a most confidential devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “Although I am a sannyasi, My mind is sometimes perturbed when I see a woman. But Ramananda Raya is greater than Me, for he is always undisturbed, even when he touches a woman.” Only Ramananda Raya was endowed with the prerogrative to touch a woman in this way; no one should imitate him. Unfortunately, there are rascals who imitate the activities of Ramananda Raya. We need not discuss them further.

In Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s final pastimes, both Ramananda Raya and Svarupa Damodara always engaged in reciting suitable verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam to pacify the Lord’s ecstatic feelings of separation from Krsna. It is said that when Lord Caitanya went to southern India, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya advised Him to meet Ramananda Raya, declaring that there was no devotee as advanced in understanding the conjugal love of Krsna and the gopis. While touring South India, Lord Caitanya met Ramananda Raya by the bank of the Godavari, and in their long discourses the Lord took the position of a student, and Ramananda Raya instructed Him. Caitanya Mahaprabhu concluded these discourses by saying, “My dear Ramananda Raya, both you and I are madmen, and therefore we met intimately on an equal level.” Lord Caitanya advised Ramananda Raya to resign from his government post and come back to Jagannatha Puri to live with Him. Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu refused to see Maharaja Prataparudra because he was a king, Ramananda Raya, by a Vaisnava scheme, arranged a meeting between the Lord and the King. This is described in the Madhya-lila, Chapter Twelve, verses 41-57. Sri Ramananda Raya was present during the water sports of the Lord after the Ratha-yatra festival.

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu considered Sri Ramananda Raya and Sri Sanatana Gosvami to be equal in their renunciation, for although Sri Ramananda Raya was a grhastha engaged in government service and Sri Sanatana Gosvami was in the renounced order of complete detachment from material activities, they were both servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who kept Krsna in the center of all their activities. Sri Ramananda Raya was one of the three and a half personalities with whom Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu discussed the most confidential topics of Krsna consciousness. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised Pradyumna Misra to learn the science of Krsna from Sri Ramananda Raya. As Subala always assisted Krsna in His dealings with Radharani in krsna-lila, so Ramananda Raya assisted Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His feelings of separation from Krsna. Sri Ramananda Raya was the author of Jagannatha-vallabha-nataka.

Adi10.135-136

TEXTS 135-136

prataparudra raja, ara odhra krsnananda

paramananda mahapatra, odhra sivananda

bhagavan acarya, brahmanandakhya bharati

sri-sikhi mahiti, ara murari mahiti

SYNONYMS

prataparudra raja—King Prataparudra of Orissa; ara—and; odhra krsnananda—Krsnananda, an Oriya devotee; paramananda mahapatra—of the name Paramananda Mahapatra; odhra sivananda—the Oriya Sivananda; bhagavan acarya—of the name Bhagavan Acarya; brahmananda-akhya bharati—of the name Brahmananda Bharati; sri-sikhi mahiti—of the name Sri Sikhi Mahiti; ara—and; murari mahiti—of the name Murari Mahiti.

TRANSLATION

King Prataparudra of Orissa, the Oriya devotees Krsnananda and Sivananda, Paramananda Mahapatra, Bhagavan Acarya, Brahmananda Bharati, Sri Sikhi Mahiti and Murari Mahiti constantly associated with Caitanya Mahaprabhu while He resided in Jagannatha Puri.

PURPORT

Prataparudra Maharaja, who belonged to the dynasty of the Ganga kings and whose capital was in Cuttak, was the Emperor of Orissa and a great devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It was by the arrangement of Ramananda Raya and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya that he was able to serve Lord Caitanya. In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (118) it is said that King Indradyumna, who established the temple of Jagannatha thousands of years ago, later took birth again in his own family as Maharaja Prataparudra during the time of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Maharaja Prataparudra was as powerful as King Indra. The drama named Caitanya-candrodaya was written under his direction.

In the Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya-lila, Chapter Five, Paramananda Mahapatra is described as follows: “Paramananda Mahapatra was among the devotees who took birth in Orissa and accepted Caitanya Mahaprabhu as their only asset. In the ecstasy of conjugal love, he always thought of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.” Bhagavan Acarya, a very learned scholar, was formerly an inhabitant of Halisahara, but he left everything to live with Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Jagannatha Puri. His relationship with Caitanya Mahaprabhu was friendly, like that of a cowherd boy. He was always friendly to Svarupa Gosani, but he was staunchly devoted to the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He sometimes invited Caitanya Mahaprabhu to his house.

Bhagavan Acarya was very liberal and simple. His father, Satananda Khan, was completely materialistic, and his younger brother, Gopala Bhattacarya, was a staunch Mayavadi philosopher who had studied very elaborately. When his brother came to Jagannatha Puri, Bhagavan Acarya wanted to hear from him about Mayavada philosophy, but Svarupa Damodara forbade him to do so, and there the matter stopped. Once a friend of Bhagavan Acarya’s from Bengal wanted to recite a drama that he had written that was against the principles of devotional service, and although Bhagavan Acarya wanted to recite this drama before Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Svarupa Damodara, the Lord’s secretary, did not allow him to do so. Later Svarupa Damodara pointed out in the drama many mistakes and disagreements with the conclusion of devotional service, and the author became aware of the faults in his writing and then surrendered to Svarupa Damodara, begging his mercy. This is described in the Antya-lila, Chapter Five, verses 91-158.

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, verse 189, it is said that Sikhi Mahiti was formerly an assistant of Srimati Radharani named Ragalekha. His sister Madhavi was also an assistant of Srimati Radharani and was named Kalakeli. Sikhi Mahiti, Madhavi and their brother Murari Mahiti were all unalloyed devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu who could not forget Him for a moment of their lives. There is a book in the Oriya language called Caitanya-carita-mahakavya in which there are many narrations about Sikhi Mahiti. One narration concerns his seeing an ecstatic dream. Sikhi Mahiti always engaged in serving the Lord in his mind. One night, while he was rendering such service, he fell asleep, and while he was asleep his brother and sister came to awaken him. At that time he was in full ecstasy because he was having a wonderful dream that Lord Caitanya, while visiting the temple of Jagannatha, was entering and again coming out of the body of Jagannatha and looking at the Jagannatha Deity. Thus as soon as he awakened he embraced his brother and sister and informed them, “My dear brother and sister, I have had a wonderful dream that I shall now explain to you. The activities of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the son of Mother Saci, are certainly most wonderful. I saw that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, while visiting the temple of Jagannatha, was entering the body of Jagannatha and again coming out of His body. I am still seeing the same dream. Do you think I have become deranged? I am still seeing the same dream! And the most wonderful thing is that as soon as I came near Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He embraced me with His long arms.” As he spoke to his brother and sister in this way, Sikhi Mahiti’s voice faltered, and there were tears in his eyes. Thus the brothers and sister went to the temple of Jagannatha, and there they saw Lord Caitanya in the Jagamohana (the kirtana hall in the Jagannatha temple), looking at the beauty of the Sri Jagannatha Deity just as in Sikhi Mahiti’s dream. The Lord was so magnanimous that immediately He embraced Sikhi Mahiti, exclaiming, “You are the elder brother of Murari!” Being thus embraced, Sikhi Mahiti felt ecstatic transcendental bliss. Thus he and his brother and sister always engaged in rendering service to the Lord. Murari Mahiti, the youngest brother of Sikhi Mahiti, is described in the Madhya-lila, Chapter Ten, verse 44.