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Shri Chaitanya-bhagavata
Adi-khanda -
By
Vyasa Avatara Shrila Vrindavana dasa Thakura
Chapter Eight: The Disappearance of Jagannatha
Mishra
CB Adi-khanda 8.1
TEXT 1
jaya jaya kripa-sindhu shri-gaurasundara
jaya shaci-jagannatha-griha-shashadhara
All glories to
Shri Gaurasundara, the ocean of mercy! All glories to the moonlike Lord in the
house of Shaci and Jagannatha!
CB Adi-khanda 8.2
TEXT 2
jaya jaya nityananda-svarupera prana
jaya jaya sankirtana-dharmera nidhana
All glories to the
life and soul of Nityananda Svarupa! All glories to the inaugurator of the
congregational chanting of the holy names!
COMMENTARY
Shri Gaurasundara
is the inaugurator of devotional service in the form of chanting the holy
names.
It stated in the
Shrimad Bhagavatam (11.5.32):
krishna-varnam tvishakrishnam sangopangastra-parshadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah
“In the age of Kali,
intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation
of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Krishna. Although His complexion
is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates,
servants, weapons and confidential companions.”
In his commentary
on Shrimad Bhagavatam (7.5.23-24-shravanam kirtanam vishnoh), Shrila Jiva
Gosvami Prabhu has written about the preaching of devotional service in the
form of chanting the holy names by Shri Chaitanyadeva, the deliverer of people
in the age of Kali, as follows: “Therefore, although in the age of Kali other
processes of devotional service are to be performed, they must always be
accompanied by the chanting of the holy names.” It is also mentioned in the Chaitanya-caritamrita
(Adi 3.77): “Lord Shri Krishna Chaitanya is the initiator of sankirtana
[congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord]. One who worships Him
through sankirtana is fortunate indeed.”
CB Adi-khanda 8.3
TEXT 3
bhakta-goshthi-sahita gauranga jaya jaya
shunile chaitanya-katha bhakti labhya haya
All glories to
Shri Gauranga along with His devotees and associates. By hearing the topics of
Lord Chaitanya, one attains the devotional service of the Lord.
CB Adi-khanda 8.4
TEXT 4
hena mate mahaprabhu jagannatha-ghare
nigudhe achena, keha cinite na pare
In this way, as
the Supreme Lord confidentially resided in the house of Jagannatha Mishra, no
one was able to recognize Him.
CB Adi-khanda 8.5
TEXT 5
balya-krida-nama yata ache prithivite
sakala khelaya prabhu, ke pare kahite?
The Lord enjoyed
every variety of childhood sports found in the world. Who can describe them
all?
CB Adi-khanda 8.6
TEXT 6
veda-dvare vyakta haibe sakala purane
kichu sheshe shunibe sakala bhagyavane
These pastimes
will later be described through the Vedas in all the Puranas, and fortunate
souls will hear about them.
COMMENTARY
The word veda
refers to (1) Vishnu, (2) the shrutis, (3) the amnaya, (4) the chandas, (5) the
brahmas, and (6) the nigamas. The word Purana refers to the eighteen Puranas,
the twenty Upapuranas, and the histories. Although the topics of Shri
Gaurasundara, the covered incarnation, are more or less explained in all the
Puranas, they are not clearly described. Lord Vishnu resides in the hearts of
the Vaishnavas, and topics of Lord Vishnu emanate from the mouths of the
Vaishnavas. Therefore the wonderful activities of Shri Gaurasundara will later
be described by Vaishnava acaryas in their commentaries on the Puranas. The
Vedic literatures emanate from the breathing of Lord Vishnu. Shri Vyasadeva,
who divided the Vedas, has appeared in this age of Kali as Shri Vrindavana dasa
Thakura, the author of Shri Chaitanya-bhagavata, which is nondifferent from
Shrimad Bhagavatam. Therefore Shri Kaviraja Gosvami Prabhu has written about
Shri Chaitanya-bhagavata as follows:
“The subject
matter of this book is so sublime that it appears that Shri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu has personally spoken through the writings of Shri Vrindavana dasa
Thakura.”
The eternality of
Vedic literature is not denied by the use of future tense in the phrase
veda-dvare vyakta haibe. In different Manvantaras and in the beginning of
different yugas, Lord Narayana reveals Vedic knowledge in the heart of His
servant Brahma and preaches His transcendental name, form, qualities, and
pastimes through Shri Vyasadeva.
CB Adi-khanda 8.7
TEXT 7
ei-mata gauracandra balya-rase bhola
yajnopavitera kala asiya milila
As Shri
Gaurasundara remained fully absorbed in His childhood pastimes, the time came
for His accepting a brahmana thread.
COMMENTARY
Some say that the
word bhola is a corruption of the word vihvala, which means “maddened” or
“forgetting oneself.”
Regarding the
words yajnopavitera kala, it is stated in the Vedas: ashta-varsham brahmanam
upanayita-“When the son of a brahmana becomes eight years old, he should be
awarded the sacred thread.” In this statement the word brahmana refers to those
who will become brahmanas in the future. The Shrimad Bhagavatam (11.17.39)
statement: griharthi sadrishim bharyam udvahet-“One who desires to establish
family life should marry a wife of his own caste,” refers to those who will
accept wives in the future, and in the same way a non-brahmana who will become
a brahmana in the future is called a brahmana. In the Shrimad Bhagavatam
(7.11.13) it is stated: samskara yatravicchinnah sa dvijo ‘jo jagada yam-“Those
who have been reformed by the garbhadhana ceremony and other prescribed
reformatory methods, performed with Vedic mantras and without interruption, and
who have been approved by Lord Brahma, are dvijas, or twice-born.”
In the Vishnu
Yamala it is stated:
ashuddhah shudra-kalpa hi brahmanah kali-sambhavah
tesham agama-margena shuddhir na shrota-vartmana
“The brahmanas
born in the age of Kali are merely shudras. Their so-called Vedic path of karma
is polluted and cannot purify them. They can only be purified by following the
path of the agamas or pancaratrika-viddhi.”
From this
statement it is understood that due to the lack of purity in family lines in
the age of Kali, or quarrel, one should become purified through the process of
pancaratrika initiation.
Therefore the
Shrimad Bhagavatam (7.11.35) states:
yasya yal lakshanam proktam pumso varnabhivyanjakam
yad anyatrapi drishyeta tat tenaiva vinirdishet
“If one shows the
symptoms of being a brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya or shudra, as described above,
even if he has appeared in a different class, he should be accepted according
to those symptoms of classification.”
And Shridhara
Svami in his commentary on this verse states: yad yadi anyatra varnantare ‘pi
drishyeta, tad-varnantaram tenaiva lakshana-nimittenaiva varnena vinirdishet,
na tu jati-nimittenety arthah.-“If the proper symptoms are seen in persons
other than those born as brahmanas, then such persons should be considered
brahmanas. They should not be considered according to their caste by birth.”
The Mahabharata
(Anushasana 143.46 and 50) states:
shudro ‘py agama sampanno dvijo bhavati samskritah
“Persons born in
lower, degraded castes can become qualified well-versed brahmanas.”
na yonir napi samskaro na shrutam na ca santatih
karanani dvijatvasya vrittam eva tu karanam
“Therefore,
neither the source of one’s birth, nor his reformation, nor his education is
the criterion of a brahmana. The vritta, or occupation, is the real standard by
which one is known as a brahmana.”
In the
Bharadvaja-samhita of the Narada-pancaratra (2.34) it is stated:
svayam brahmani nikshiptan jatan eva hi mantratah
vinitan-artha putradin samskritya prati-bodhayet
“An acarya should
purify his sons and disciples by engaging them in the service of the Absolute
Truth after initiating them with proper mantras so that they will be purified
and knowledgable.”
The
Hari-bhakti-vilasa (Part 2) quotes the Tattva-sagara as follows:
yatha kancanatam yati kamsyam rasa-vidhanatah
tatha diksha-vidhanena dvijatvam jayate nrinam
“As bell metal,
when mixed with mercury, is transformed to gold, a person, even though not
golden pure, can be transformed into a brahmana, or dvija, simply by the
initiation process.” (Hari-bhakti-vilasa
2.12)
In his commentary
on this verse, Shri Sanatana Gosvami has written: nrinam sarvesham eva,
dvijatvam viprata-
“All human beings
are eligible to become twice-born brahmanas.”
In his
Dig-darshini-tika on Brihad-bhagavatamrita (2.4.37), he has explained the word,
diksha-lakshana-dharinah-“accepting the signs of initiation,” as follows: “Some
of them [the residents of Vaikuntha] accepted the signs of initiation, and some
of them accepted mantras for worshiping the Lord. They had sacred threads,
waterpots, asanas of kusha grass, tulasi beads, and various other signs.” In
his commentary on the Brahma-samhita (5.27), Shri Jiva Gosvami Prabhu has
written: “After being initiated in the chanting of the eighteen syllable
mantra, Lord Brahma became a dvija. There was no impediment with this because
Lord Brahma was born from Shri Govindadeva, who is the predominating Deity of
the eighteen syllable mantra. We can also cite the evidence of Dhruva Maharaja,
for he also became a brahmana after initiation.” These and innumerable other
statements of the scriptures and mahajanas confirm that everyone must be
initiated through the pancaratrika process and accept the sacred thread. This
has been the process since time immemorial. Therefore Shri Jayatirthapada
refers to the vrishcika-tanduli-nyaya in his Tattva-prakashika commentary on
the Brahma-sutras (1.3.29) to demonstrate that brahminical qualities acquired
by birth or by occupation are accepted. The sacred thread ceremony is meant to
give one the qualification for studying the Vedas, because the Brahma-sutras
state that shudras, or those without sacred thread, are not eligible to hear
Vedanta. After accepting pancaratrika mantras and being properly initiated
according to the Shri Narada-pancaratra a person must observe the ten
samskaras, or purificatory rites, and thereafter hear the meanings of the
mantras.
CB Adi-khanda 8.8
TEXT 8
yajna-sutra putrera dibare mishra-vara
bandhu-varga dakiya anila nija-ghara
For the sacred
thread ceremony of His son, Jagannatha Mishra invited all of his friends and
relatives to his house.
CB Adi-khanda 8.9
TEXT 9
parama-harishe sabhe asiya milila
ya’ra yena yogya-karya karite lagila
Everyone happily
gathered there and assisted in various ways according to their ability.
CB Adi-khanda 8.10
TEXT 10
stri-gane ‘jaya’ diya krishna-guna gaya
nata-gane mridanga, sanai, vamshi ba’ya
The women chanted
Krishna’s glories, and the musicians played mridanga, sanai, and flute.
COMMENTARY
The word ba’ya
means “play.”
CB Adi-khanda 8.11
TEXT 11
vipra-gane veda pade, bhate rayabara
shaci-grihe haila ananda-avatara
The brahmanas
recited the Vedas, and the professional blessers chanted prayers. Thus
Shacidevi’s house appeared as the incarnation of ecstasy.
COMMENTARY
The word rayabara
means “prayers” or “songs of glorification” as well as “reciter of prayers” or
“messenger.”
The phrase haila
ananda-avatara means “happiness personified has appeared.” In other words, the
marketplace of happiness has manifested.
CB Adi-khanda 8.12
TEXT 12
yajna-sutra dharibena shri-gaurasundara
shubha-yoga-sakala aila shaci-ghara
TRANSLATION
As Shri
Gaurasundara accepted the brahmana thread all the auspicious planetary
conjunctions fell on the house of Shaci.
TEXT 13
shubha-mase, shubha-dine shubha-kshana dhari’
dharilena yajna-sutra gauranga-shri-hari
The month, day,
and moment were all auspicious as Shri Gaurahari accepted the brahmana thread.
CB Adi-khanda 8.14
TEXT 14
shobhila shri-ange yajna-sutra manohara
sukshma-rupe ‘shesha’ va vedila kalevara
The enchanting
thread beautified the body of the Lord as if Ananta Shesha surrounded His body in
a subtle form.
COMMENTARY
The sacred thread
form of Ananta Shesha is mentioned in the Chaitanya-caritamrita (Adi 5.123-124)
as follows: “He serves Lord Krishna, assuming all the following forms:
umbrella, slippers, bedding, pillow, garments, resting chair, residence, sacred
thread and throne. He is thus called Lord Shesha, for He has attained the
ultimate end of servitude to Krishna. He takes many forms for the service of
Krishna, and thus He serves the Lord.”
CB Adi-khanda 8.15
TEXT 15
haila vamana-rupa prabhu-gauracandra
dekhite sabara bade parama ananda
Everyone was most
pleased to see how Lord Gaurachandra resembled Vamanadeva.
COMMENTARY
The word
vamana-rupa refers to the dwarf incarnation of Lord Vishnu. One may refer to
the Eighth Canto of the Shrimad Bhagavatam, Chapters 18 to 23. Shri Vamanadeva,
or Shri Upendra, was born from Kashyapa in the womb of Aditi. When Shri
Upendra, the form of a dwarf, heard that Bali, the King of the demons, was
performing an ashvamedha sacrifice, He went to the sacrifice with a desire to
accept three paces of land in charity. The material world consisting of the
three modes of nature is only one-fourth of Lord Vishnu’s creation, whereas the
transcendentally pure spiritual world covers three-fourths of His creation. The
word kaya refers to the gross material world, the word manah refers to the
subtle material word, and the word vak refers to the spiritual Vaikunthas.
Therefore Shri Vamanadeva begged for the three steps of land that are beyond
the realm of the gross and subtle material worlds, or beyond the reach of
material sense perception. The gross world is known as Bhurloka, the subtle
world is known as Bhuvarloka, and the Vaikuntha world beyond the three modes of
nature is known as Svarloka. One should surrender and offer everything in
worship at the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu. In the material world there is no
conception of Vishnu. Vasudeva is situated only in the state of pure goodness.
Lord Vamanadeva accepts only the gifts or foodstuffs that are offered by His
devotee. This is the teaching of the Vamana incarnation. Therefore a person who
desires purification is instructed to chant the Rig Veda mantra, om tad vishnoh
paramam padam sada pashyanti surayah diviva cakshur atatam. Materialistic
worshipers of the sun-god compare Lord Vishnu to the sun, which rises and sets.
This is the materialistic conception of what is called tri-sandhya. Although
Lord Vishnu is the Lord of the fourteen planetary systems, He sometimes comes
as Vamanadeva and sometimes He displays a form measuring three and a half
cubits. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Gaura-Krishna, exhibited the
pastimes of Trivikrama by begging alms in the form of a dwarf brahmana.
CB Adi-khanda 8.16
TEXT 16
apurva brahmanya-teja dekhi’ sarva-gane
nara-jnana ara keha nahi kare mane
On seeing His
wonderful brahmana effulgence, no one considered Him an ordinary child.
COMMENTARY
For an elaboration
on the word brahmanya-teja one should refer to the Shrimad Bhagavatam
(8.18.18), and for an explanation of the second line one should refer to
Shrimad Bhagavatam (8.18.22).
CB Adi-khanda 8.17
TEXT 17
hate danda, kandhe jhuli, shri-gaurasundara
bhiksha kare prabhu sarva-sevakera ghara
Then, with a stick
in His hand and a bag on His shoulder, Shri Gaurasundara went to beg alms at
the houses of His devotees.
COMMENTARY
At the time of the
sacred thread ceremony the brahmacari should recite the Gayatri mantra before
the acarya, and he should accept a sacred thread, a belt made of straw,
kaupinas, deerskin garments, a danda, a waterpot, a ring of kusha grass, an
umbrella, prayer beads, and a container (bag) for begging alms. Being decorated
in this way, he should beg alms from his mothers. The sacred thread ceremony of
Shri Gaurasundara was properly performed just like the ceremony of Shri
Vamanadeva, as described in the Shrimad Bhagavatam (8.18.14-17).
CB Adi-khanda 8.18
TEXT 18
ya’ra yatha-shakti bhiksha sabei santoshe
prabhura jhulite diya nari-gana hase
Everyone gave in
satisfaction according to their ability. All the women smiled as they put their
alms in the Lord’s bag.
CB Adi-khanda 8.19
TEXT 19
dvija-patni-rupa dhari’ brahmani, rudrani
yata pati-vrata muni-vargera grihini
The chaste wives of
Brahma, Shiva, and various great sages all took the form of brahmanas’ wives.
COMMENTARY
The word brahmani
refers to goddess Sarasvati, the word rudrani refers to goddess Parvati, the
words muni grihini refer to the sages’ wives like Aditi, Anasuya, Arundhati,
and Devahuti.
CB Adi-khanda 8.20
TEXT 20
shri-vamana-rupa prabhura dekhiya santoshe
sabei jhulite bhiksha diya diya hase
They felt great
satisfaction seeing Vishvambhara’s Vamana form and smiled as they placed alms
in the Lord’s bag.
CB Adi-khanda 8.21
TEXT 21
prabhuo karena shri-vamana-rupa-lila
jivera uddhara lagi’ e sakala khela
The Lord also
enjoyed His Vamana pastimes, which were enacted for the deliverance of the
conditioned souls.
CB Adi-khanda 8.22
TEXT 22
jaya jaya shri-vamana-rupa gauracandra
dana deha’ hridaye tomara pada-dvandva
All glories to
Shri Gaurachandra, who accepted the form of Lord Vamana! Please donate Your
lotus feet in charity to my heart.
The second line of
this verse means “O Gaurasundara, I pray that You manifest the lotus feet of
Your Vamana form in my heart.” In this regard, one may refer to the complete
surrender of Bali Maharaja, recorded in the Shrimad Bhagavatam, Eighth Canto,
Chapter Twenty-two.
CB Adi-khanda 8.23
TEXT 23
ye shune prabhura yajna-sutrera grahana
se paya chaitanyacandra-carane sharana
Whoever hears the
topics of the Lord accepting a brahmana thread certainly attains the shelter of
Shri Chaitanya’s lotus feet.
CB Adi-khanda 8.24
TEXT 24
hena-mate vaikuntha-nayaka shaci-ghare
vedera nigudha nana-mata krida kare
In this way the
Lord of Vaikuntha enjoyed in the house of Shaci various pastimes that are
unknown to the Vedas.
COMMENTARY
The word nayaka
refers to the Lord, and the word nigudha means “secret” or “confidential.”
Shri
Gaura-Narayana is the Lord of Vaikuntha, so He is a genius in all the
scriptures and the source of the opulence of knowledge. Nevertheless, acting
like an ordinary person, He rejected the foolish considerations of the material
scholars and glorified the expert considerations of the learned devotees by
manifesting a desire to study grammar, just as Krishna studied under Sandipani
Muni.
CB Adi-khanda 8.25
TEXT 25
ghare sarva-shastrera bujhiya samihita
goshthi-majhe prabhura padite haila cita
After properly
understanding the meanings of the scriptures at home, the Lord desired to study
in the company of His associates.
COMMENTARY
The word samihita
means “proper endeavor,” “the desire,” “the comments,” “confidential meaning,”
or “purport.” The word cita is a gentle form of the word citta, which means
“heart” or “mind.”
CB Adi-khanda 8.26
TEXT 26
navadvipe ache adhyapaka-shiromani
gangadasa-pandita ye-hena sandipani
In Navadvipa there
resided the topmost teacher, Gangadasa Pandita, who was nondifferent from
Sandipani Muni.
COMMENTARY
For a description
of Gangadasa Pandita one should refer to Chaitanya-bhagavata (Adi 2.99).
A description of
Sandipani Muni is found in the Shrimad Bhagavatam (10.45.31-48) and in the
Vishnu Purana (5.21.19-30). Sandipani Muni was a resident of Avanti and
belonged to the dynasty of Kashyapa Muni. In sixty-four days, Shri Balarama and
Shri Krishna learned from him the Upanishads, the Vedas, the Dhanur-veda
(military science), the Dharma-shastras (religious scriptures), Mimamsa,
Tarka-vidya (logic or argument), the six types of politics, and the sixty-four
arts and sciences. After mastering all the arts and sciences, They requested
Sandipani Muni to accept some guru-dakshina. After consulting his wife,
Sandipani Muni expressed his desire for the return of his son, who had drown in
the ocean at Prabhasa-kshetra. Balarama and Krishna immediately went to the
shore of the ocean. After They heard from the mouth of the ocean deity that
Their guru’s son had been kidnapped by a demon in the shape of a conchshell
named Pancajana, Lord Krishna killed the demon and accepted the Pancajanya
conch made from the demon’s bones. But not finding Their guru’s son there,
Krishna and Balarama went to Yamaraja’s kingdom, named Samyamani, and blew the
conchshell. When Yamaraja heard the sound of the conch, he came out and after
properly worshiping Krishna and Balarama he returned Their guru’s son. Shri
Balarama and Shri Krishna accepted Their guru’s son and returned him to his
father.
CB Adi-khanda 8.27
TEXT 27
vyakarana-shastrera ekanta tattva-vit
tan’ra thani padite prabhura samihita
He was in full
knowledge of the grammatical literatures, so the Lord desired to study under
him.
CB Adi-khanda 8.28
TEXT 28
bujhilena putrera ingita mishra-vara
putra-sange gela gangadasa-dvija-ghara
Understanding the
desire of his son, Jagannatha Mishra took Him to the house of the brahmana
Gangadasa.
COMMENTARY
The word ingita
means “confidential desire,” “hint,” or “gesture.”
CB Adi-khanda 8.29
TEXT 29
mishra dekhi’ gangadasa sambhrame uthila
alingana kari’ eka asane vasila
When they arrived,
Gangadasa stood up out of respect and embraced Shri Mishra. They then sat
together on an asana.
CB Adi-khanda 8.30
TEXT 30
mishra bole,-“putra ami dilun toma’ sthane
padaiba shunaiba sakala apane”
Jagannatha Mishra
said, “I am offering you my son. Please teach Him everything.”
CB Adi-khanda 8.31
TEXT 31
gangadasa bole,-“bada bhagya se amara
padaimu yata shakti achaye amara”
Gangadasa replied,
“It is my great fortune. I will teach Him to the best of my ability.”
CB Adi-khanda 8.32
TEXT 32
shishya dekhi’ parama-anande gangadasa
putra-praya kariya rakhila nija-pasha
Gangadasa was most
happy to see his new student, and he treated Him like his own son.
COMMENTARY
The word praya
means “equal,” and the word pasha comes from the word parsha, which means
“near.”
CB Adi-khanda 8.33
TEXT 33
yata vyakhya gangadasa pandita karena
sakrit shunile matra thakura dharena
After hearing only
once, the Lord would assimilate whatever Gangadasa Pandita explained.
COMMENTARY
The word sakrit
means “once,” and the word dharena means “to realize or master something by
deliberation.”
CB Adi-khanda 8.34
TEXT 34
gurura yateka vyakhya karena khandana
punar-bara sei vyakhya karena sthapana
TRANSLATION
He would refute
the explanations of His guru and then again establish the explanation that He
had just refuted.
CB Adi-khanda 8.35
TEXT 35
sahasra sahasra shishya pade yata jana
hena karo shakti nahi divare dushana
TRANSLATION
There were
thousands of students, but no one had the ability to defeat His explanations.
COMMENTARY
The words divare
dushana mean “to find fault” or “refute.”
CB Adi-khanda 8.36
TEXT 36
dekhiya adbhuta buddhi guru harashita
sarva-shishya-shreshtha kari’ karila pujita
TRANSLATION
Gangadasa was
pleased to see Nimai’s wonderful intelligence, and he accepted Him as his best
student.
COMMENTARY
The word pujita
means “to worship” or “to honor.”
CB Adi-khanda 8.37
TEXT 37
yata pade gangadasa-panditera sthane
sabarei thakura calena anukshane
TRANSLATION
The Lord would
regularly challenge and defeat all of Gangadasa Pandita’s other students.
COMMENTARY
The word calena
means “to induce,” “to move,” “to shake,” “to bewilder,” “to defeat,” or “to
refute.”
CB Adi-khanda 8.38
TEXT 38
shri-murari gupta, shri-kamalakanta-nama
krishnananda-adi yata goshthira pradhana
TRANSLATION
Shri Murari Gupta,
Shri Kamalakanta, and Shri Krishnananda were some of the Lord’s prominent
classmates.
COMMENTARY
Shri Murari Gupta
is the composer of the Sanskrit book Chaitanya-carita. He was born in
Shrihatta, in the family of a doctor, and latter He came to reside in
Navadvipa, where he became a student of Gangadasa Pandita. (See Adi-khanda,
Chapter 8.) Nimai’s debate with the elder Murari is described in the Adi-khanda,
Chapter Ten, and Murari’s happiness upon seeing the Lord’s devotional symptoms
born from feelings of separation from Krishna after His return from Gaya are
described in the Madhya-khanda, Chapter One. The Lord’s manifestation of His
Varaha form at Murari’s house is described in the Madhya-khanda, Chapter Three,
and in Chaitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila, Chapter Seventeen. After hearing Gaura
and Nityananda glorify each other, Murari smiles and jokes. (See Madhya-khanda,
Chapter Four.) Murari’s taking part in the Lord’s kirtanas at the house of
Shrivasa is described in the Madhya-khanda, Chapter Eight. At the time of the
Lord’s maha-prakasha, Murari lost consciousness and later cried in love and
offered prayers to the Lord. The Lord responded by glorifying His servant
Murari. (See Madhya-khanda, Chapter Ten.) Murari’s participation in water
sports with the other devotees is found in the Madhya-khanda, Chapter Thirteen.
On the night the Lord danced in the dress of Maha-Lakshmi, Haridasa and Murari,
dressed as constables, introduced the Lord’s drama. (See Madhya-khanda, Chapter
Eighteen.) One day at the house of Shrivasa Pandita, Murari Gupta saw Gaura and
Nityananda seated together. Murari first offered obeisances to Gaura and then
to Nityananda. The Lord, however, was displeased and said to Murari, “You have
transgressed etiquette while offering obeisances.” That very night in a dream
the Lord taught Murari the glories of Nityananda. The next morning Murari first
offered obeisances to Nityananda and then to Gaura. Seeing this, the Lord was
pleased and He gave Murari the remnants of His chewed betel. By accepting those
remnants, Murari’s intelligence was purified and he received love of God. Once,
in the mood of the supreme controller, the Lord spoke in anger to Murari Gupta
about the impersonalist Prakashananda, of Kashi. Thereafter, the Lord glorified
the eternal truth regarding His names, forms, qualities, and pastimes. The Lord
blessed Murari, who thereafter offered rice with ghee to the Lord. The next
morning the Lord came to Murari for treating the symptoms of indigestion that
He exhibited due to eating heavy foods. Thereafter the Lord exhibited His
pastime of being cured by drinking water from Murari’s waterpot. On another
day, when the Lord manifested His four-armed form in the house of Shrivasa,
Murari took the role of Garuda and carried the Lord on his shoulders.
Considering that separation from the Lord after His disappearance would be
unbearable, Murari decided to give up his body while the Lord was still present.
The Lord, who is the Supersoul of everyone, checked Murari from carrying out
this plan. These and other pastimes are described in the Madhya-khanda, Chapter
Twenty. The pastimes of Murari and other devotees chanting at night with the
Lord through the streets of Navadvipa and Murari and other devotees crying in
happiness on seeing the Lord drink water at the house of Shridhara are found in
Madhya-khanda, Chapter Twenty-three. After the Lord took sannyasa and came to
the house of Advaita Acarya, Shaci along with Murari and other devotees went
there to meet Him. (See Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 3.153) Murari accompanied
the devotees every year to visit the Lord in Puri. (See Chaitanya-caritamrita,
Madhya 11.86, 16.16, as well as Antya 10.9, 121, 140, and 12.13) One day, on
the order of the Lord, Murari Gupta recited eight verses in glorification of
Lord Ramacandra. The Lord then blessed him. (See Chaitanya-caritamrita,
Antya-lila, Chapter Four.) Murari’s sporting in the waters of Narendra-sarovara
is described in the Antya-khanda, Chapter Nine. Murari’s humble prayers and his
receiving the mercy of the Lord are described in the Chaitanya-caritamrita (Adi
17.77-78 and Madhya 11.152-158). Seeing Murari’s attachment for Lord
Ramacandra, he is awarded the name Ramadasa. This is found in
Chaitanya-caritamrita (Adi 17.69 and Madhya 15.219). Murari’s meeting with the
Lord’s South India traveling companion, Kala Krishnadasa, when he visits
Navadvipa is found in the Chaitanya-caritamrita (Madhya 10.81). His chanting
during the Ratha-yatra festival is described in Chaitanya-caritamrita (Madhya
13.40). His meeting with Sanatana Gosvami is mentioned in Chaitanya-caritamrita
(Antya 4.108 and 7.47). Murari’s meeting with Jagadananda is described in
Chaitanya-caritamrita (Antya 12.98).
CB Adi-khanda 8.39
TEXT 39
sabare calaye prabhu phanki jijnasiya
shishu-jnane keha kichu na bole hasiya
TRANSLATION
The Lord
challenged and defeated them all, even the elder boys, but they would consider
the Lord just a child and simply smile at Him.
CB Adi-khanda 8.40
TEXT 40
ei-mata prati-dina padiya shuniya
ganga-snane cale nija-vayasya laiya
TRANSLATION
After school, the
Lord regularly went with His friends to bathe in the Ganges.
CB Adi-khanda 8.41
TEXT 41
paduyara anta nahi navadvipa-pure
padiya madhyahne sabe ganga-snana kare
TRANSLATION
In Navadvipa there
were innumerable students, and they all took bath in the Ganges at midday.
COMMENTARY
At the time of the
Lord there were many schools in Navadvipa, wherein innumerable students from
various provinces studied the scriptures. The area of Navadvipa at that time
stretched northeast up to Dvipacandrapura.
CB Adi-khanda 8.42
TEXT 42
eko adhyapakera sahasra shishya-gana
anyo ‘nye kalaha karena anukshana
TRANSLATION
Each teacher had
thousands of students, and they would regularly challenge the students of the
other teachers.
CB Adi-khanda 8.43
TEXT 43
prathama vayasa prabhu svabhava-cancala
paduya-ganera saha karena kondala
TRANSLATION
As the Lord was
young and restless, He would also quarrel with the other students.
COMMENTARY
The words prathama
vayasa mean “in childhood” or “in boyhood.”
CB Adi-khanda 8.44
TEXT 44
keha bole,-“tora guru kon buddhi ta’ra”
keha bole,-“ei dekha, ami shishya ya’ra”
TRANSLATION
Someone would
challenge, “Your teacher is not very learned.” Another would say, “See whose
disciple I am.”
CB Adi-khanda 8.45
TEXT 45
ei-mata alpe alpe haya galagali
tabe jala-phelapheli, tabe deya bali
TRANSLATION
In this way they
began to quarrel with harsh words, and soon they would splash water and throw
sand at each other.
CB Adi-khanda 8.46
TEXT 46
tabe haya maramari, ye yahare pare
kardama pheliya ka’ro gaye keha mare
TRANSLATION
Eventually they
would beat each other or throw mud at each other.
CB Adi-khanda 8.47
TEXT 47
rajara dohai diya keha ka’re dhare
mariya palaya keha gangara upare
TRANSLATION
Some boy, in the
name of the king, would catch another boy, and someone would beat another and
then swim across the Ganges to safety.
COMMENTARY
The words gangara
upare refer to the present day city of Navadvipa (Kuliya) and the village of
Ramacandrapura.
CB Adi-khanda 8.48
TEXT 48
eta hudahudi kare paduya-sakala
bali-kadamaya saba haya ganga-jala
TRANSLATION
They wrestled so
intensely that the waters of the Ganges became full of sand and mud.
CB Adi-khanda 8.49
TEXT 49
jala bharibare nahi pare nari-gana
na pare karite snana brahmana sajjana
TRANSLATION
In that situation
the girls were unable to fill their water pots and the gentle brahmanas were
unable to take their bath.
CB Adi-khanda 8.50
TEXT 50
parama-cancala prabhu vishvambhara-raya
ei-mata prabhu prati-ghate-ghate yaya
TRANSLATION
Shri Vishvambhara
was most restless. He went to each bathing ghata.
COMMENTARY
The word
prati-ghate refers to His own bathing ghata, Barakona-ghata, Madhai’s ghata,
Nagariya-ghata, and other ghatas.
Commentary and Chapter Summaries of His Divine Grace
Om Vishnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Shri Shrimad Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada.