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Chapter 1
Lord Chaitanya Visits
South India
All glories to Narahari, whose lord and
life is Gadadhara Pandita. Please shower your mercy and cast a favorable glance
upon me. Now I'll describe the final pastimes of Lord Chaitanya. This ocean of
nectar will flood the listener in transcendental bliss. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya
happily passed his days and nights chanting the holy names of the Lord.
After leaving Jagannatha Puri, Gaurahari
traveled south to Kurmaksetra. In this village He met two brahmanas, named
Kufi'na and Vasudeva. Seeing the astoundingly attractive form of Gauranga, they
became purified and overwhelmed with spiritual ecstasy. Golden Mt. Sumeru was
standing before them with His auspicious hands and long arms hanging to His
knees.
Gaurahari's shoulders were strong
resembling those of a powerful lion. His captivating eyes were long, wide and
expansive. The brahmanas were convinced that Gaurachandra was indeed Shri
Krishna Himself. Crying, they fell down on Lord Chaitanya's lotus feet. The
whole world cried along with them.
Lord Chaitanya picked up and embraced the
two brahmanas. In a sweet voice Gauranga said, "O brahmanas, please listen
attentively. Why and for what purpose have you come to this world? In the age
of Kali, the only religion is the congregational chanting of the holy name of
Lord Haft.
"One who does Hari-nama sankirtana
possesses a rare and valuable treasure. Please always perform sankirtana, dance
happily, and let others take part. Thus you will get liberated from material
bondage." Finishing His preaching, Gauranga left there, and traveling at a
fast pace came to Jiyada-Nrsimha- ksetra. He was tasting the sweetest mood of
Krishnaprema.
The Appearance of
Jiyada-Nrsimha
Listen carefully to the description of the
appearance of JiyadaNrsimha. A farmer named Punruya Goyala once lived here. He
grew a large crop of cucumbers, and stayed awake every night guarding it. One
night he didn't guard and a wild pig devoured a bunch of-cucumbers. The next
night he waited with a bow and arrow to kill the boar. The wild boar chanted
"Rama!" when hit by the farmer's arrow, and fled to a nearby mountain
cave.
Perplexed, the farmer wondered how a dull
animal like a pig had chanted the name of Lord Rama. He thought it must be the
Lord Himself disguised as a boar. Standing outside the cave, the farmer called
that wounded pig, "Who are you? Who are you?" There was no response.
Afraid and sad within his heart, the farmer fasted for two days. He thought,
"What have I done? I'm the lowest, most sinful miscreant.. There's no one
more wretched than me."
Feeling compassion for the farmer, the
merciful Lord spoke to him from the sky. He said, 'I am God Himself. You've
hurt Me with your arrow because I ate your cucumbers. Now don't worry, just go
home."
The farmer became downcast and kept on
fasting. Again, the Lord spoke from the sky, "You foolish farmer. Why are
you suffering so much for nothing? You have not committed any offense, so stop
fasting 0rid go home."
The farmer said, "I've hurt You with
my arrows. So what's the use of my life? Even if I die, I can't escape my
offense. Yamaraja, the god of death, will punish me by whipping and beating me.
How can I purify myself?."
The Lord replied, "You haven' t
committed any offense. Don' t worry, I am unlimitedly pleased with you."
The farmer, "Then all is well. On your
assurance I'll give up my fear. But how do I know that I'm free from the
offense of shooting arrows at the boar? If I can see You with my eyes, then I'
11 be satisfied. Then I'll inform the king and You should be the witness. If
You become the witness, I' 11 be very pleased."
The Lord, "All right, I'll fulfill
your desire and give this boon to you."
Hearing this, the farmer joyfully ran to
the king's palace. When he came to the palace gate he said, "Listen
gatekeeper, Please inform the king of my unique and wonderful story. The king
will enjoy it."
Next, the farmer was let into the palace to
tell the king his story. The king became astonished. to hear that God had taken
the form of a boar and talked to the farmer.
"Is this really
true?" asked the king.
"Yes, my lord," answered the
farmer. "Let's go there together. Then your doubts will be destroyed. God
will keep His promise to me and tell you everything."
The king said, "If I hear God give His
order, then I'll become your servant for the rest of my life." The king
and the f, armer walked to the mountain cave where the boar was staying. The
king fell prostrate before the cave's entrance, and offered prayers to God.
The Lord's heart melted to see the king's
sincerity and humility. The Lord said, "O king, believe the words of the
farmer. Now pour milk into this cave and you' 11 attain Me."
Delighted to hear the Lord speaking, the
king dutifully poured milk into the cave. Suddenly, from under the ground, a
topknot of hair came into view. Realizing that a Deity form of the Lord was
manifesting, everyone became blissful and started chanting the names of Hari
and playing musical instruments.
As more milk was poured, more of the Lord's
transcendental form appeared: the head and face, chest, arms, belly, and
thighs. Although they kept pouring milk, the Lord chose not to reveal His lotus
feet. From the sky the Lord said, "You will not see My feet, so don't pour
any more milk."
The king felt ecstatic to have witnessed
the appearance of the Lord. However, he also larnented not being able to see
the Lord's sweet lotus feet. He arranged a huge mahotsava, [a festival] to
honor the Deity with opulent food offerings, dresses, and arati. While gazing
at the Lord with love and devotion, the king's heart overflowed with
satisfaction.
One day a merchant and two women came there
to take darsana of the Deity. After seeing the Deity, the merchantpaid
obeisances and walked out of the temple. Abruptly, the temple door slammed
behind the merchant, leaving the two women locked inside. Through the door he
heard the two ladies talking to the Lord. In great anxiety, the merchant loudly
prayed to the Lord.
The merciful Lord responded by unlocking
the temple door. The merchant saw the most astonishing thing when he re-entered
the temple. The two women had turned into stone and were standing beside the
Lord. Considering himself most fortunate, the merchant fell down at the Lord's
feet praying, "O Lord, Please give me the boon that You will be named
after me. My parents gave me the name Jiyada. So, my Lord, I desire that You
take this name."
This is the story behind the Deity named
Jiyada-Nrsimha. Locana Dasa gladly sings the glories of Shri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu.
Lord Chaitanya Meets
Ramananda Raya
The next day, Gauranga and His party left
Jiyada-Nrsimha, continuing south. Absorbed in the ecstasy of Krishna-prema, the
Lord came to Kanchi, the jewel among cities which gives ple^asure to the eyes.
Although Lord Chaitanya never looked at the face of a sense-enjoyer, he paid a
visit to the king. The Lord told the palace gatekeeper that He wanted to meet
the king.
Meanwhile, the king was busy worshiping his
personal Deity within his private chambers. When the gatekeeper informed him
that a great sannyasi had come to see him, the king kept silent, continuing his
worship. The gatekeeper became afraid that he had offended the king, since his
master kept silent. He ran back to Lord Gauranga and said, "I couldn't
give Your news to the king because he's busy doing puja. No one dares disturb
him at this time."
Smiling within, the Lord ignored the
warning of the gatekeeper and walked into the palace to personally meet the
king. Gauranga stood in the entrance to the king's private puja room where
Ramananda Raya, the king, was wo^shiping his Deity.
While the king meditated on Krishna, within
his mind he saw the form Gaurachandra instead. So he chanted the maha-mantra,
and started meditating again. Again he saw Gaurachandra instead of Krishna. He
thought, "What happened, who am I seeing?"
With firm determination the king started
meditating again. Yet again, Gau^acandra appeared within his heart. Confused,
the king stopped meditating and opened his eyes. Suddenly, he saw Gauracandara,
the best among the sannyasis, standing right before him.
The king stood up respectfully and
worshiped the Lord's lotus feet. He marveled at the splendid beauty of the
golden form of Gauranga. His heart was full of joy. He was amazed how the Lord
had suddenly appeared inside his private quarters. Smiling, Ramananda Raya
said, "How did You enter within my mind during my meditation? I'm
extremely fortunate to behold Your lotus feet."
Lord Chaitanya said, "Why aren't you
aware of yourself? You may recognize Me, but I've come to take you with
Me." Gaurahari laughed loudly. Next, He manifested His golden form in the
white Deity form of the Lord being worshiped by Ramananda Raya.
Giving up His golden form, Gauranga assumed
the form of Krishna with a bluish-black complexion. He held a flute, wore a
dhoti, and had a peacock feather on His head. He was adorned with divine
ornaments and a beautiful forest garland. The king became overjoyed to see this
form. Then in an instant the Lord reappeared as the golden Lord Gauranga.
The birds, beasts, trees, leaves, creepers
and everything else reflected the dazzling molten gold aura of Lord Chaitanya.
Overwhelmed, Ramananda Raya fell down at Gauranga's feet. He clasped the Lord's
lotus feet and became unconscious. Lord Chaitanya picked him up, took him by
the hand and walked outside.
Locana Dasa thus describes the wonderful
pastime of Lord Chaitanya meeting Ramananda Raya.
Rama-bhava and Visiting
Ranganatha Temple
As He traveled through
South India, Shri Chaitanya was continually absorbed in the ecstasy of pure
Krishna consciousness. Crossing the Godavari River, the Lord arrived in
Pancavati where Sita, Rama and Laksmana once lived. Observing the beauty of
Pancavati, Lord Gauranga became entranced in love and repeatedly called
"Shri Rama! Laksmana!" Pancavati is the place where Laksmana stayed
in a thatched hut, protecting Sitadevi, while Rama pursued the golden deer. The
moment Laksmana left to search for Rama, the evil demon Ravana kidnapped
Sitadevi. Seeing this place overwhelmed Lord Chaitanya with remembrances of His
previous pastimes here. At one moment Gauranga yelled, "Kill ! Kill! Kill
!" The next moment He said, "Catch him! Catch him!" Then He
loudly shouted the name of Laksmana. Remembering Sita, Gauranga cried so deeply
that His associates could do nothing to pacify Him. Finally, Mahaprabhu
controlled Himself and became peaceful.
Lord Chaitanya moved on until He came to
the Kaveri River and the temple of Shri Ranganatha [Lord Ramacandra]. Seeing
Lord Ranganatha, Gaurahari danced joyfully with His intimate devotees. A
brahmana named Tirumalla Bhatta, who watched the Lord's ecstatic sankirtana
performance, wondered about Gauranga's identity.
Captivated by the force of divine love,
Gauranga's body showed incredible symptoms of spiritual ecstasy. Horripilation
made His bodily hairs stand erect, resembling the spike-shaped filaments of the
kadamba flower. His golden body, towering as high as Mt. Sumeru, was a desire
tree adorned with the fruits and flowers of Krishna-prema.
When Gaurahari loudly cried the names of
Hari, everyone cried along. Seeing this astounding display of transcendental
emotions, Tirumalla Bhatta becamd convinced that Lord Chaitanya was certainly
the Supreme Lord-- the life and soul of everyone. He invited Lord Chaitanya to
kindly visit his asrama. Satisfied with the brahmana's loving service, the Lord
stayed in his house to observe Caturmasya, a fourmonth period of devotional
austerities.
Soon after leaving Rangaji, Lord Chaitanya
met Paramananda Puri. Exchanging loving feelings while looking at each other,
they floated in the streams of each others' tears. Paramananda Puri remembered
the teachings of his gurudeva, Madhavendra Purl, who had quoted a verse from
the Vayu Purana:
"In the beginning of Kali-yuga, Lord
Narayana will appear on the earth in a golden form. Taking sannyasa, He will
reside in Purusottamaksetra near Lord Jagannatha."
Madhavendra Puri also told his disciple,
Paramananda Puri, "In Kali-yuga, in order to teach the religion of
sankirtana, Lord Krishna Himself would appear one early evening. He will have a
tall, golden transcendental body with long arms reaching to His knees. His
broad shoulders willresemble a lion's and His neck will be as powerful as an
elephant's. Blooming lotus flowers will form His eyes.
"Being an ocean of compassion and a
reservoir ofprema, He will distribute His mercy everywhere. Unfortunately, I
will not be able to see Him with my eyes. If you are fortunate enough to see
Gauranga, then please remember me."
Paramananda Puri realized that Lord
Chaitanya is that same lord that his spiritual master had previously described.
Instantly, he paid obeisances to the Lord. Gauranga picked him up and said,
"What are you doing?" Then Gauranga warmly embraced Paramananda Puri,
and started traveling again.