Madhya19.33

TEXT 33

ami-dui-bhai calilana tanhare milite

tumi yaiche taiche chuti’ aisa tahan haite

SYNONYMS

ami-dui-bhai—we two brothers; calilana—have gone; tanhare milite—to meet Him; tumi—you; yaiche taiche—somehow or other; chuti’-getting free; aisa—come; tahan haite—from there.

TRANSLATION

In his letter to Sanatana Gosvami, Srila Rupa Gosvami wrote, “We two brothers are starting out to go see Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You must also somehow or other get released and come meet us.”

PURPORT

The two brothers herein mentioned are Rupa Gosvami and his younger brother, Anupama Mallika. Rupa Gosvami was informing Sanatana Gosvami that he should join him and his younger brother.

Madhya19.34

TEXT 34

dasa-sahasra mudra tatha ache mudi-sthane

taha diya kara sighra atma-vimocane

SYNONYMS

dasa-sahasra mudra—ten thousand coins; tatha—there; ache—there are; mudi-sthane—in the grocer’s place; taha diya—with this amount; kara—get; sighra—as soon as possible; atma-vimocane—release from the internment.

TRANSLATION

Rupa Gosvami further informed Srila Sanatana Gosvami: "I have left a deposit of ten thousand coins with the grocer. Use that money to get out of prison.

Madhya19.35

TEXT 35

yaiche taiche chuti’ tumi aisa vrndavana’

eta likhi’ dui-bhai karila gamana

SYNONYMS

yaiche taiche—somehow or other; chuti’-getting released; tumi—you; aisa—come; vrndavana—to Vrndavana; eta likhi’-writing this; dui-bhai—the two brothers, namely Rupa Gosvami and his younger brother Anupama; karila gamana—departed.

TRANSLATION

“Somehow or other get yourself released and come to Vrndavana.” After writing this, the two brothers [Rupa Gosvami and Anupama] went to see Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Madhya19.36

TEXT 36

anupama mallika, tanra nama--’sri-vallabha’

rupa-gosanira chota-bhai--parama-vaisnava

SYNONYMS

anupama mallika—Anupama Mallika; tanra nama—his name; sri-vallabha—Sri Vallabha; rupa-gosanira—of Rupa Gosvami; chota-bhai—younger brother; parama-vaisnava—great devotee.

TRANSLATION

Rupa Gosvami’s younger brother was a great devotee whose actual name was Sri Vallabha, but he was given the name Anupama Mallika.

Madhya19.37

TEXT 37

tanha lana rupa-gosani prayage aila

mahaprabhu tahan suni’ anandita haila

SYNONYMS

tanha lana—taking him along; rupa-gosani—Sri Rupa Gosvami; pra yage—to Prayaga; aila—came; mahaprabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tahan—there; suni’-hearing; anandita haila—were very much pleased.

TRANSLATION

Sri Rupa Gosvami and Anupama Mallika went to Prayaga, and they were very pleased to hear news that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was there.

Madhya19.38

TEXT 38

prabhu caliyachena bindu-madhava-darasane

laksa laksa loka aise prabhura milane

SYNONYMS

prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; caliyachena—was going; bindu-madhava-darasane—to see Lord Bindu Madhava; laksa laksa loka—many hundreds of thousands of people; aise—came; prabhura—with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; milane—for meeting.

TRANSLATION

At Prayaga, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to see the temple of Bindu Madhava, and many hundreds of thousands of people followed Him just to meet Him.

Madhya19.39

TEXT 39

keha kande, keha hase, keha nace, gaya

’krsna’ ’krsna’ bali’ keha gadagadi yaya

SYNONYMS

keha kande—some cried; keha hase—some laughed; keha nace—some danced; gaya—chanted; krsna krsna bali’-saying Krsna, Krsna; keha—some; gadagadi yaya—rolled on the ground.

TRANSLATION

Some of the people following the Lord were crying. Some were laughing, some dancing and some chanting. Indeed, some of them were rolling on the ground, exclaiming, “Krsna! Krsna!”

Madhya19.40

TEXT 40

ganga-yamuna prayaga narila dubaite

prabhu dubaila krsna-premera vanyate

SYNONYMS

ganga-yamuna—the River Ganges and River Yamuna; prayaga—Prayaga; narila—were not able; dubaite—to flood; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; dubaila—flooded; krsna-premera—of ecstatic love of Krsna; vanyate—in an inundation.

TRANSLATION

Prayaga is located at the confluence of two rivers-the Ganges and the Yamuna. Although these rivers were not able to flood Prayaga with water, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu inundated the whole area with waves of ecstatic love for Krsna.

Madhya19.41

TEXT 41

bhida dekhi’ dui bhai rahila nirjane

prabhura avesa haila madhava-darasane

SYNONYMS

bhida dekhi’—seeing the crowd; dui bhai—the two brothers; rahila—remained; nirjane—in a secluded place; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; avesa—ecstasy; haila—there was; madhava-darasane—by seeing the Deity, Bindu Madhava.

TRANSLATION

Seeing the great crowd, the two brothers remained standing in a secluded place. They could see that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was ecstatic to see Lord Bindu Madhava.

Madhya19.42

TEXT 42

premavese nace prabhu hari-dhvani kari’

urdhva bahu kari’ bale--bala ’hari’ ’hari’

SYNONYMS

prema-avese—in ecstatic love; nace—danced; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; hari-dhvani kari’-vibrating the holy name of Hari; urdhva—raised; bahu—the arms; kari’-making; bale—says; bala hari hari—chant Hari, Hari.

TRANSLATION

The Lord was loudly chanting the holy name of Hari. Dancing in ecstatic love and raising His arms, He asked everyone to chant “Hari! Hari!”

Madhya19.43

TEXT 43

prabhura mahima dekhi’ loke camatkara

prayage prabhura lila nari varnibara

SYNONYMS

prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; mahima—the greatness; dekhi’-seeing; loke—in all people; camatkara—astonishment; prayage—at Prayaga; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; lila—the pastimes; nari—I am not able; varnibara—to describe.

TRANSLATION

Everyone was astounded to see the greatness of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Indeed, I cannot properly describe the pastimes of the Lord at Prayaga.

Madhya19.44

TEXT 44

daksinatya-vipra-sane ache paricaya

sei vipra nimantriya nila nijalaya

SYNONYMS

daksinatya—Deccan; vipra-sane—with a brahmana; ache—there was; paricaya—acquaintance; sei—that; vipra—brahmana; nimantriya—inviting; nila—brought; nija-alaya—to his own place.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had made an acquaintance with a brahmana from Deccan [in South India], and that brahmana invited Him for meals and took Him to his place.

Madhya19.45

TEXT 45

vipra-grhe asi’ prabhu nibhrte vasila

sri-rupa-vallabha dunhe asiya milila

SYNONYMS

vipra-grhe—to the house of that brahmana; asi’-coming; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nibhrte—in a solitary place; vasila—sat down; sri-rupa-vallabha—the two brothers Rupa Gosvami and Sri Vallabha; dunhe—both of them; asiya—coming; milila—met Him.

TRANSLATION

While Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was sitting in a solitary place in the home of that Deccan brahmana, Rupa Gosvami and Sri Vallabha [Anupama Mallika] came to meet Him.

Madhya19.46

TEXT 46

dui-guccha trna dunhe dasane dhariya

prabhu dekhi’ dure pade dandavat hana

SYNONYMS

dui-guccha—two bunches; trna—straw; dunhe—both of them; dasane dhariya—holding in the teeth; prabhu dekhi’-seeing the Lord; dure—in a distant place; pade—fell down; danda-vat—like rods; hana—becoming.

TRANSLATION

Seeing the Lord from a distance, the two brothers put two clumps of straw between their teeth and immediately fell down on the ground like rods, offering Him obeisances.

Madhya19.47

TEXT 47

nana sloka padi’ uthe, pade bara bara

prabhu dekhi’ premavesa ha-ila dunhara

SYNONYMS

nana—various; sloka—verses; padi’-reciting; uthe—stood up; pade—fell down; bara bara—again and again; prabhu dekhi’-seeing the Lord; prema-avesa—ecstatic emotion; ha-ila—there was; dunhara—of both of them.

TRANSLATION

Both brothers were overwhelmed with ecstatic emotion, and reciting various Sanskrit verses, they stood up and fell down again and again.

Madhya19.48

TEXT 48

sri-rupe dekhiya prabhura prasanna haila mana

’utha, utha, rupa, aisa’, balila vacana

SYNONYMS

sri-rupe dekhiya—seeing Srila Rupa Gosvami; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; prasanna—very pleased; haila—was; mana—mind; utha—please stand up; utha—please stand up; rupa—My dear Rupa; aisa—come; balila—He said; vacana—the words.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very pleased to see Srila Rupa Gosvami, and He told him, “Stand up! Stand up! My dear Rupa, come here.”

Madhya19.49

TEXT 49

krsnera karuna kichu na yaya varnane

visaya-kupa haite kadila toma dui-jane

SYNONYMS

krsnera—of Lord Krsna; karuna—the mercy; kichu—any; na—not; yaya—is possible; varnane—to describe; visaya-kupa haite—from the well of material enjoyment; kadila—delivered; toma—you; dui-jane—both.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then said,"It is not possible to describe Krsna’s mercy, for He has delivered you both from the well of material enjoyment.

Madhya19.50

TEXT 50

na me ’bhaktas catur-vedi

mad-bhaktah svapacah priyah

tasmai deyam tato grahyam

sa ca pujyo yatha hy aham

SYNONYMS

na—not; me—My; abhaktah—devoid of pure devotional service; catuh-vedi—a scholar in the four Vedas; mat-bhaktah—My devotee; sva-pacah—even from a family of dog-eaters; priyah—very dear; tasmai—to him (a pure devotee, even though born in a very low family); deyam—should be given; tatah—from him; grahyam—should be accepted (remnants of food); sah—that person; ca—also; pujyah—worshipable; yatha—as much as; hi—certainly; aham—I.

TRANSLATION

“ ’Even though a person is a very learned scholar of the Sanskrit Vedic literatures, he is not accepted as My devotee unless he is pure in devotional service. Even though a person is born in a family of dog-eaters, he is very dear to Me if he is a pure devotee who has no motive to enjoy fruitive activities or mental speculation. Indeed, all respects should be given to him, and whatever he offers should be accepted. Such devotees are as worshipable as I am.’ ”

PURPORT

This verse is included in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa (10.127) compiled by Sanatana Gosvami.

Madhya19.51

TEXT 51

ei sloka padi’ dunhare kaila alingana

krpate dunhara mathaya dharila carana

SYNONYMS

ei sloka—this verse; padi’-reciting; dunhare—the two brothers; kaila alingana—embraced; krpate—out of causeless mercy; dunhara—of both of them; mathaya—on the heads; dharila—placed; carana—His feet.

TRANSLATION

After reciting this verse, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced both brothers, and out of His causeless mercy He placed His feet on their heads.

Madhya19.52

TEXT 52

prabhu-krpa pana dunhe dui hata yudi’

dina hana stuti kare vinaya acari’

SYNONYMS

prabhu-krpa—the Lord’s mercy; pana—getting; dunhe—both of them; dui—two; hata—hands; yudi’-folding; dina hana—most humbly; stuti kare—offer prayers; vinaya acari’-with submission.

TRANSLATION

After receiving the Lord’s causeless mercy, the brothers folded their hands and in great humility offered the following prayers unto the Lord.

Madhya19.53

TEXT 53

namo maha-vadanyaya

krsna-prema-pradaya te

krsnaya krsna-caitanya-

namne gaura-tvise namah

SYNONYMS

namah—obeisances; maha-vadanyaya—who is most munificent and charitably disposed; krsna-prema—love of Krsna; pradaya—who can give; te—unto You; krsnaya—the original Personality of Godhead; krsna-caitanya-namne—under the name Krsna Caitanya; gaura-tvise—whose complexion is the golden complexion of Srimati Radharani; namah—obeisances.

TRANSLATION

"O most munificent incarnation! You are Krsna Himself appearing as Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributing pure love of Krsna. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.

Madhya19.54

TEXT 54

yo ’jnana-mattam bhuvanam dayalur

ullaghayann apy akarot pramattam

sva-prema-sampat-sudhayadbhuteham

sri-krsna-caitanyam amum prapadye

SYNONYMS

yah—that Personality of Godhead who; ajnana-mattam—maddened by ignorance or foolishly passing time in karma, jnana, yoga and Mayavada philosophy; bhuvanam—the entire three worlds; dayaluh—so merciful; ullaghayan—subduing such processes as karma, jnana and yoga; api—despite; akarot—made; pra-mattam—maddened; sva-prema-sampat-sudhaya—by the nectar of His personal devotional service, which is an invaluable treasure of bliss; adbhuta-iham—whose activities are wonderful; sri-krsna-caitanyam—unto Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; amum—that; prapadye—I surrender.

TRANSLATION

“We offer our respectful obeisances unto that merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead who has converted all three worlds, which were maddened by ignorance, and saved them from their diseased condition by making them mad with the nectar from the treasure-house of love of God. Let us take full shelter of that Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna Caitanya, whose activities are wonderful.”

PURPORT

This verse is found in the Govinda-lilamrta (1.2).

Madhya19.55

TEXT 55

tabe mahaprabhu tanre nikate vasaila

’sanatanera varta kaha’--tanhare puchila

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; mahaprabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tanre—them; nikate—near Him; vasaila—sat down; sanatanera varta—news of Sanatana; kaha—please tell; tanhare—them; puchila—questioned.

TRANSLATION

After this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu sat them down by His side and asked them, “What news do you have of Sanatana?”

Madhya19.56

TEXT 56

rupa kahena,--tenho bandi haya raja-ghare

tumi yadi uddhara’, tabe ha-ibe uddhare

SYNONYMS

rupa kahena—Rupa Gosvami said; tenho—he; bandi—arrested; haya—is; raja-ghare—in the court of the government; tumi—You; yadi—if; uddhara’-kindly rescue; tabe—then; ha-ibe—he will be; uddhare—relieved from that entanglement.

TRANSLATION

Rupa Gosvami replied, “Sanatana has now been arrested by the government of Hussain Shah. If You kindly save him, he can be liberated from that entanglement.”

Madhya19.57

TEXT 57

prabhu kahe,--sanatanera hanache mocana

acirat ama-saha ha-ibe milana

SYNONYMS

prabhu kahe-Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said; sanatanera-of Sanatana Gosvami; hanache-there has been; mocana-release; acirat-very soon; amasaha-with Me; ha-ibe milana-there will be meeting.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately replied, “Sanatana has already been released from his confinement, and he will very soon meet with Me.”

Madhya19.58

TEXT 58

madhyahna karite vipra prabhure kahila

rupa-gosani se-divasa tathani rahila

SYNONYMS

madhyahna karite—to accept lunch; vipra—the brahmana of Deccan; prabhure—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kahila—requested; rupa-gosani—Rupa Gosvami; se-divasa—that day; tathani—there; rahila—remained.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was then requested by the brahmana to accept His lunch. Rupa Gosvami also remained there that day.

Madhya19.59

TEXT 59

bhattacarya dui bhaiye nimantrana kaila

prabhura sesa prasada-patra dui-bhai paila

SYNONYMS

bhattacarya—Balabhadra Bhattacarya; dui bhaiye—the two brothers; nimantrana kaila—invited to take lunch; prabhura sesa prasada-patra—the remnants of the plate of food offered to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; dui-bhai paila—the two brothers obtained.

TRANSLATION

Balabhadra Bhattacarya invited the two brothers to take lunch also. The remnants of food from the plate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu were offered to them.

Madhya19.60

TEXT 60

triveni-upara prabhura vasa-ghara sthana

dui bhai vasa kaila prabhu-sannidhana

SYNONYMS

tri-veni-upara—on the bank of the confluence of the Yamuna and Ganges; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; vasa-ghara—of the residential house; sthana—the place; dui bhai—the two brothers; vasa kaila—resided; prabhu-sannidhana—near Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu selected His residence beside the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna at a place called Triveni. The two brothers-Rupa Gosvami and Sri Vallabha-selected their residence near the Lord’s.

Madhya19.61

TEXT 61

se-kale vallabha-bhatta rahe adaila-grame

mahaprabhu aila suni’ aila tanra sthane

SYNONYMS

se-kale—at that time; vallabha-bhatta—Vallabha Bhatta; rahe—resided; adaila-grame—in the village known as Adaila; mahaprabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; aila—has come; suni’-hearing; aila—came; tanra sthane—to His place.

TRANSLATION

At that time, Sri Vallabha Bhatta was staying at Adaila-grama, and when he heard that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had arrived, he went to His place to see Him.

PURPORT

Vallabha Bhatta was a great learned scholar of Vaisnavism. In the beginning he was very much devoted to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but since he thought that he could not receive proper respect from Him, he later joined the Visnusvami sect and became acarya of that sect. His sect is celebrated as the Vallabhacarya-sampradaya. This sampradaya has had great influence in Vrndavana near Gokula and in Bombay. Vallabha Bhatta wrote many books, including a commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam called Subodhini-tika, and notes on the Vedanta-sutra, in the form of an Anubhasya. He also wrote a combination of sixteen short works called Sodasa-grantha. Adaila-grama, where he was staying, was near the confluence of the Rivers Ganges and Yamuna on the other side of the Yamuna about one mile from the river. The village there is called Adeli-grama, or Adaila-grama. A temple of Lord Visnu there still belongs to the Vallabha-sampradaya.

Vallabha Bhatta was originally from a place in southern India called Trailanga. There is a railway station there called Nidadabhalu. Sixteen miles from that station is a village called Kankadabada, or Kakunrapadhu. A learned brahmana named Laksmana Diksita used to live there, and Vallabha Bhatta was his son. There are five sections of the brahmana community of Andhra Pradesh known as bella-nati, vegi-nati, muraki-nati telagu-nati and kasala-nati. Out of these five brahminical communities, Vallabhacarya took his birth in the community of bella-nati in the year 1400 Sakabda Era. According to some people, Vallabha Bhattacarya’s father took sannyasa before Vallabha’s birth, and he returned home to take Vallabhacarya as his son. According to the opinion of others, Vallabhacarya was born in 1400 Sakabda Era on the Ekadasi day of the dark moon in the month of Caitra, and he took his birth in a brahmana family surnamed Khambhampatibaru. According to this account, his father’s name was Laksmana Bhatta Diksita, and he was born in Campakaranya. In someone else’s opinion, Vallabhacarya appeared near the village named Canpa-jhara-grama, which is near a railway station named Rajima in Madhya Pradesh.

After studying for eleven years at Varanasi, Vallabhacarya returned home. On his return, he heard that his father had departed from the material world. Keeping his brother and mother at home, he went to the banks of the River Tungabhadra in a village called Vidyanagara, and it was there that he enlightened Krsnadeva, the grandson of King Bukkaraja. After that, he traveled throughout India thrice on trips lasting six years. Thus he passed eighteen years and became victorious in his discussions of revealed scripture. When he was thirty years old, he married Mahalaksmi, who belonged to the same brahmana community. Near Govardhana Hill he established a Deity in the valley. Finally he came to Adaila, which is on the other side of Prayaga.

Vallabhacarya had two sons, Gopinatha and Viththalesvara, and in his old age he accepted the renounced order. In 1452 Sakabda Era, he passed away from the material world at Varanasi. His book known as Sodasa-grantha and his commentaries on Vedanta-sutra (Anubhasya) and Srimad-Bhagavatam (Subodhini) are very famous. He has written many other books besides.

Madhya19.62

TEXT 62

tenho dandavat kaila, prabhu kaila alingana

dui jane krsna-katha haila kata-ksana

SYNONYMS

tenho—he; dandavat—obeisances; kaila—made; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kaila—did; alingana—embracing; dui jane—between the two of them; krsna-katha—topics about Lord Krsna; haila—there were; kata-ksana—for some time.

TRANSLATION

Vallabha Bhattacarya offered Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu his obeisances, and the Lord embraced him. After that, they discussed topics about Krsna for some time.

Madhya19.63

TEXT 63

krsna-kathaya prabhura maha-prema uthalila

bhattera sankoce prabhu samvarana kaila

SYNONYMS

krsna-kathaya—in the discussion on Krsna; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; maha-prema—great love; uthalila—arose; bhattera—of Bhattacarya; sankoce—due to shyness; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; samvarana kaila—restrained Himself.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu felt great ecstatic love when they began discussing Krsna, but the Lord checked His feelings because He felt shy before Vallabha Bhatta.

Madhya19.64

TEXT 64

antare gara-gara prema, nahe samvarana

dekhi’ camatkara haila vallabha-bhattera mana

SYNONYMS

antare—inside; gara-gara—raged; prema—ecstatic love; nahe—there was not; samvarana—checking; dekhi’-detecting; camatkara—astonishment; haila—there was; vallabha-bhattera mana—on the mind of Vallabha Bhatta.

TRANSLATION

Although the Lord restrained Himself externally, ecstatic love raged within. There was no checking that. Vallabha Bhatta was astonished to detect this.

Madhya19.65

TEXT 65

tabe bhatta mahaprabhure nimantrana kaila

mahaprabhu dui-bhai tanhare milaila

SYNONYMS

tabe—then; bhatta—Vallabha Bhatta; mahaprabhure—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nimantrana kaila—invited; mahaprabhu—Sri Caitanya

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, Vallabha Bhatta invited Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu for lunch, and the Lord introduced the brothers Rupa and Vallabha to him.

Madhya19.66

TEXT 66

dui-bhai dura haite bhumite padiya

bhatte dandavat kaila ati dina hana

SYNONYMS

dui-bhai—the two brothers; dura haite—from a distance; bhumite—on the ground; padiya—falling flat; bhatte—to Vallabha Bhatta; dandavat kaila—offered obeisances; ati dina hana—being very humble.

TRANSLATION

From a distance, the brothers Rupa Gosvami and Sri Vallabha fell on the ground and offered obeisances to Vallabha Bhatta with great humility.

Madhya19.67

TEXT 67

bhatta milibare yaya, dunhe palaya dure

’asprsya pamara muni, na chuniha more’

SYNONYMS

bhatta—Vallabha Bhatta; milibare—to meet; yaya—goes; dunhe—the two brothers; palaya—ran away; dure—to a distant place; asprsya—untouchable; pamara—most fallen; muni—I; na chuniha—do not touch; more—me.

TRANSLATION

When Vallabha Bhattacarya walked toward them, they ran away to a more distant place. Rupa Gosvami said, “I am untouchable and most sinful. Please do not touch me.”

Madhya19.68

TEXT 68

bhattera vismaya haila, prabhura harsa mana

bhattere kahila prabhu tanra vivarana

SYNONYMS

bhattera—of Vallabha Bhattacarya; vismaya haila—there was surprise; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; harsa—very happy; mana—the mind; bhattere kahila—said to Vallabha Bhattacarya; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tanra vivarana—description of Rupa Gosvami.

TRANSLATION

Vallabha Bhattacarya was very surprised at this. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, however, was very pleased, and He therefore spoke to him this description of Rupa Gosvami.

Madhya19.69

TEXT 69

’inho na sparsiha, inho jati ati-hina!

vaidika, yajnika tumi kulina pravina!’

SYNONYMS

inho—him; na sparsiha—do not touch; inho—he; jati—caste; ati-hina—very low; vaidika—a follower of Vedic principles; yajnika—a performer of many sacrifices; tumi—you; kulina—aristocratic brahmana; pravina—an experienced person.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “Don’t touch him, for he belongs to a very low caste. You are a follower of Vedic principles and are a well experienced performer of many sacrifices. You also belong to the aristocracy.”

PURPORT

Generally brahmanas are puffed up with false prestige because they belong to the aristocracy and perform many Vedic sacrifices. In South India especially, this fastidious position is most prominent. At any rate, this was the case five hundred years ago. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu actually started a revolution against this brahminical system by inaugurating the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra. By this chanting, one can be delivered regardless of caste, creed, color or social position. Whoever chants the Hare Krsna maha-mantra is immediately purified due to the transcendental position of devotional service. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is here hinting to Vallabha Bhattacarya that an exalted brahmana who makes sacrifices and follows Vedic principles should not neglect a person who is engaged in devotional service by chanting the holy name of the Lord.

Actually Rupa Gosvami did not belong to a lower caste. He was from a highly aristocratic brahmana family, but due to his association with the Mohammedan Nawab, he was considered fallen and excommunicated from brahmana society. However, due to his advanced devotional service, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted him as a gosvami. Vallabha Bhattacarya knew all this. One who is a devotee is above caste and creed, yet Vallabha Bhattacarya felt himself prestigious.

The present head of the Vallabha Bhattacarya sampradaya of Bombay is named Diksita Maharaja. He is very friendly to our movement, and whenever we meet him, this learned brahmana scholar highly praises the activities of the Hare Krsna movement. He is a life member of our Society, and although he is a learned scholar in the brahminical caste tradition, he accepts our Society and considers its members bona fide devotees of Lord Visnu.