Chapter 14
Lord Caitanya’s Childhood Pastimes
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has given a summary of this chapter in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya: “In this Fourteenth Chapter of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta there is a description of how Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu enjoyed His childhood pastimes-crawling, crying, eating dirt and giving intelligence to His mother, favoring a brāhmaṇa guest, riding on the shoulders of two thieves and misleading them to His own house, and, on the plea of being diseased, taking prasāda in the house of Hiraṇya and Jagadīśa on the Ekādaśī day. The chapter further describes how He displayed Himself as a naughty boy, how when His mother fainted He brought a coconut to her on His head, how He joked with girls of the same age on the banks of the Ganges, how He accepted worshipful paraphernalia from Śrīmatī Lakṣmīdevī, how He sat down in a garbage pit wherefrom He instructed transcendental knowledge, how He left the pit on the order of His mother, and how He dealt with His father with full affection.”
TEXT 1
kathañcana smṛte yasmin
duṣkaraṁ sukaraṁ bhavet
vismṛte viparītaṁ syāt
śrī-caitanyaṁ namāmi tam
SYNONYMS
kathañcana-somehow or other; smṛte-by remembering; yasmin-whom; duṣkaram-difficult things; sukaram-easy; bhavet-become; vismṛte-by forgetting Him; viparītam-just the opposite; syāt-become; śrī-caitanyam-Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; namāmi-I offer my respectful obeisances; tam-unto Him.
TRANSLATION
Things that are very difficult to do become easy to execute if one somehow or other simply remembers Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. But if one does not remember Him, even easy things become very difficult. To this Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu I offer my respectful obeisances.
PURPORT
In his book Caitanya-candrāmṛta Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī says: “One who receives a little favor from the Lord becomes so exalted that he does not care even for liberation, which is sought after by many great scholars and philosophers. Similarly, a devotee of Lord Caitanya considers residence in the heavenly planets a will-o’-the-wisp. He surpasses the perfection of mystic yoga power because for him the senses are like snakes with broken fangs.” A snake is a very fearful and dangerous animal because of his poison fangs, but if these fangs are broken the appearance of a snake is no cause for fear. The yoga principles are meant to control the senses, but there is no scope for the senses of one engaged in the service of the Lord to be dangerous like snakes. These are the gifts of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
The Hari-bhakti-vilāsa confirms that difficult things become easy to understand if one remembers Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and easy things become very difficult to understand if one forgets Him. We actually see that even those who are very great scientists in the eyes of the general public cannot understand the very simple idea that life comes from life because they do not have the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They defend the false understanding that life comes from matter, although they cannot prove that this is a fact. Modern civilization, therefore, progressing on the basis of this false scientific theory, is simply creating problems to be solved by the so-called scientists.
The author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta takes shelter of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to describe the pastimes of His appearance as a child because one cannot write such transcendental literature by mental speculation. One who writes about the Supreme Personality of Godhead must be especially favored by the Lord. Simply by academic qualifications it is not possible to write such literature.
TEXT 2
jaya jaya śrī-caitanya, jaya nityānanda
jayādvaitacandra, jaya gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
SYNONYMS
jaya jaya-all glories; śrī-caitanya-to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; jaya-all glories; nityānanda-to Nityānanda Prabhu; jaya advaita-candra-all glories to Advaita Ācārya; jaya-all glories; gaura-bhakta-vṛnda-to all the devotees of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
All glories to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu and all the devotees of Lord Caitanya!
TEXT 3
prabhura kahila ei janmalīlā-sūtra
yaśodā-nandana yaiche haila śacī-putra
SYNONYMS
prabhura-of the Lord; kahila-I have spoken; ei-thus; janma-līlā-pastimes of the birth; sūtra-in summary; yaśodā-nandana-the son of mother Yaśodā; yaiche-as much as; haila-became; śacī-putra-the son of mother Śacī.
TRANSLATION
I have thus described in brief the advent of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who appeared as the son of mother Śacī, exactly as Kṛṣṇa appeared as the son of mother Yaśodā.
PURPORT
Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura confirms this statement that now Lord Kṛṣṇa, the son of mother Yaśodā, has appeared again as Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, becoming the son of mother Śacī:
vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī-suta haila sei,
balarāma hailo nitāi
“The son of Śacī is none other than the son of mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja, and Nityānanda Prabhu is the same Balarāma.”
TEXT 4
saṅkṣepe kahila janmalīlā-anukrama
ebe kahi bālyalīlā-sūtrera gaṇana
SYNONYMS
saṅkṣepe-in brief; kahila-I have spoken; janma-līlā-the pastimes of birth; anukrama-chronological order; ebe-now; kahi-I shall speak; bālya-līlā-of the pastimes of childhood; sūtrera-of the sūtras; gaṇana-enumeration.
TRANSLATION
I have already briefly spoken about the pastimes of His birth in chronological order. Now I shall give a synopsis of His childhood pastimes.
TEXT 5
vande caitanya-kṛṣṇasya
bālya-līlāṁ mano-harām
laukikīm api tām īśa-
ceṣṭayā valitāntarām
SYNONYMS
vande-I worship; caitanya-kṛṣṇasya-of Lord Caitanya, who is Kṛṣṇa Himself; bālya-līlā-pastimes of childhood; manaḥ-harām-which are so beautiful; laukikīm-appearing ordinary; api-although; tām-those; īśa-ceṣṭayā-by manifestation of supreme authority; valita-antarām-quite fit although appearing differently.
TRANSLATION
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the childhood pastimes of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. Although such pastimes appear exactly like those of an ordinary child, they should be understood as various pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gītā (9.11) this statement is confirmed as follows:
avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā
mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam
paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto
mama bhūta-maheśvaram
“Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.” To execute His pastimes, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears on this planet or within this universe like an ordinary human being or human child, yet He maintains His superiority as the Supreme Lord. Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared as a human child, but His uncommon activities, even in His childhood-like the killing of the demon Pūtanā or lifting of Govardana Hill-were not the engagements of an ordinary child. Similarly, although the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, as they will be described in this chapter, appear like the activities of a small boy, they are uncommon pastimes impossible for an ordinary human child to execute.
TEXT 6
bālya-līlāya āge prabhura uttāna śayana
pitā-mātāya dekhāila cihna caraṇa
SYNONYMS
bālya-līlāya-in His pastimes as a child; āge-first of all; prabhura-of the Lord; uttāna-turning the body; śayana-lying down; pitā-mātāya-unto the parents; dekhāila-showed; cihna-marks; caraṇa-of the lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
In His first childhood pastimes the Lord turned upside down while lying on His bed, and thus He showed His parents the marks of His lotus feet.
PURPORT
The word uttāna is also used to mean “lying down on the bed face upwards” or “lying down flat on the bed.” In some readings the word is utthāna, which means “standing up.” In His childhood pastimes the Lord tried to catch the wall and stand up, but as an ordinary child falls down, so the Lord also fell down and again took to lying on His bed.
TEXT 7
gṛhe dui jana dekhi laghupada-cihna
tāhe śobhe dhvaja, vajra, śaṅkha, cakra, mīna
SYNONYMS
gṛhe-at home; dui jana-the father and mother; dekhi-seeing; laghu-pada-cihna-the marks of the lotus feet, which were very small at that time; tāhe-in those; śobhe-which were beautifully visible; dhvaja-flag; vajra-thunderbolts; śaṅkha-conchshell; cakra-disc; mīna-fish.
TRANSLATION
When the Lord tried to walk, in His small footprints the specific marks of Lord Viṣṇu were visible, namely, the flag, thunderbolt, conchshell, disc and fish.
TEXT 8
dekhiyā doṅhāra citte janmila vismaya
kāra pada-cihna ghare, nā pāya niścaya
SYNONYMS
dekhiyā-seeing all these marks; doṅhāra-of the parents, Śacīmātā and Jagannātha Miśra; citte-in their hearts; janmila-there was; vismaya-wonder; kāra-whose; pada-cihna-footprints; ghare-at home; nā-does not; pāya-get; niścaya-certainty.
TRANSLATION
Seeing all these marks, neither His father nor His mother could understand whose footprints they were. Thus struck with wonder, they could not understand how those marks could be possible in their home.
TEXT 9
miśra kahe,–bālagopāla āche śilā-saṅge
teṅho mūrti hañā ghare khele, jāni, raṅge
SYNONYMS
miśra kahe-Jagannātha Miśra said; bāla-gopāla-Lord Kṛṣṇa as a child; āche-there is; śilā-saṅge-along with the śālagrāma-śilā; teṅho-He; mūrti hañā-taking His transcendental form; ghare-within the room; khele-plays; jāni-I understand; raṅge-in curiosity.
TRANSLATION
Jagannātha Miśra said, “Certainly child Kṛṣṇa is with the śālagrāma-śilā. Taking His childhood form, He is playing within the room.”
PURPORT
When the form of the Lord is carved from wood, stone or any other element, it is to be understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is there. Even logically we can understand that all material elements are expansions of the energy of the Lord. Since the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is nondifferent from His personal body, the Lord is always present in His energy, and He manifests Himself on account of the ardent desire of a devotee. Since the Lord is supremely powerful, it is logical that He can manifest Himself in His energy. Deity worship or worship of the śālagrāma-śilā is not idol worship. The Deity of the Lord in the house of a pure devotee can act exactly as He can in His original transcendental personality.
TEXT 10
sei kṣaṇe jāgi’ nimāi karaye krandana
aṅke lañā śacī tāṅre piyāila stana
SYNONYMS
sei kṣaṇe-immediately; jāgi’-awakening; nimāi-the Lord of the name Nimāi; karaye-does; krandana-crying; aṅke-on the lap; lañā-taking; śacī-mother Śacī; tāṅre-Him; piyāila-caused to suck; stana-breast.
TRANSLATION
While mother Śacī and Jagannātha Miśra were talking, the child Nimāi woke up and began to cry, and mother Śacī took Him on her lap and allowed Him to suck her breast.
TEXT 11
stana piyāite putrera caraṇa dekhila
sei cihna pāye dekhi’ miśre bolāila
SYNONYMS
stana-her breast; piyāite-while letting Him suck; putrera-of her son; caraṇa-lotus feet; dekhila-observed; sei-those very; cihna-marks; pāye-on the sole; dekhi’-seeing; miśre-Jagannātha Miśra; bolāila-called for.
TRANSLATION
While mother Śacī was feeding the child from her breast, she saw on His lotus feet all the marks that were visible on the floor of the room, and she called for Jagannātha Miśra.
TEXT 12
dekhiyā miśrera ha-ila ānandita mati
gupte bolāila nīlāmbara cakravartī
SYNONYMS
dekhiyā-by seeing; miśrera-of Jagannātha Miśra; ha-ila-became; ānandita-satisfied; mati-intelligence; gupte-privately; bolāila-called for; nīlāmbara cakravartī-of the name Nīlāmbara Cakravarti.
TRANSLATION
When Jagannātha Miśra saw the wonderful marks on the sole of his son, he became very joyful and privately called for Nīlāmbara Cakravartī.
TEXT 13
cihna dekhi’ cakravartī balena hāsiyā
lagna gaṇi’ pūrve āmi rākhiyāchi likhiyā
SYNONYMS
cihna dekhi’-by seeing the marks; cakravartī-Nīlāmbara Cakravartī; balena-says; hāsiyā-smiling; lagna gaṇi’-by astrological calculation of the birth moment; pūrve-formerly; āmi-I; rākhiyāchi-have kept; likhiyā-after writing all these things.
TRANSLATION
When Nīlāmbara Cakravartī saw those marks, he smilingly said, “Formerly I ascertained all this by astrological calculation and noted it in writing.
TEXT 14
batriśa lakṣaṇa–mahāpuruṣa-bhūṣaṇa
ei śiśu aṅge dekhi se saba lakṣaṇa
SYNONYMS
batriśa-thirty-two; lakṣaṇa-symptoms; mahā-puruṣa-great personality; bhūṣaṇa-ornament; ei śiśu-this child; aṅge-on the body; dekhi-I see; se-those; saba-all; lakṣaṇa-symptoms.
TRANSLATION
“There are thirty-two bodily marks that symptomize a great personality, and I see all those marks on the body of this child.
TEXT 15
pañca-dīrghaḥ pañca-sūkṣmaḥ
sapta-raktaḥ ṣaḍ-unnataḥ
tri-hrasva-pṛthu-gambhīro
dvātriṁśal-lakṣaṇo mahān
SYNONYMS
pañca-dīrghaḥ-five large; pañca-sūkṣmaḥ-five fine; sapta-raktaḥ-seven reddish; ṣaṭ-unnataḥ-six raised; tri-hrasva-three small; pṛthu-three broad; gambhīraḥ-three grave; dvā-triṁśat-in this way thirty-two; lakṣaṇaḥ-symptoms; mahān-of a great personality.
TRANSLATION
” ‘There are thirty-two bodily symptoms of a great personality: five of his bodily parts are large, five fine, seven reddish, six raised, three small, three broad and three grave.’
PURPORT
The five large parts are the nose, arms, chin, eyes and knees. The five fine parts are the skin, fingertips, teeth, hair on the body and hair on the head. The seven reddish parts are the eyes, soles, palms, palate, nails, and upper and lower lips. The six raised parts are the chest, shoulders, nails, nose, waist and mouth. The three small parts are the neck, thighs and male organ. The three broad parts are the waist, forehead and chest. The three grave parts are the navel, voice and existence. Altogether these are the thirty-two symptoms of a great personality. This is a quotation from the Sāmudrika.
TEXT 16
nārāyaṇera cihna-yukta śrī-hasta caraṇa
ei śiśu sarva loke karibe tāraṇa
SYNONYMS
nārāyaṇera-of Lord Nārāyaṇa; cihna-yukta-with positive marks; śrī-hasta caraṇa-the palm and the sole; ei-this; śiśu-baby; sarva loke-all the three worlds; karibe-will; tāraṇa-deliver.
TRANSLATION
“This baby has all the symptoms of Lord Nārāyaṇa on His palms and soles. He will be able to deliver all the three worlds.
TEXT 17
ei ta’ karibe vaiṣṇava-dharmera pracāra
ihā haite habe dui kulera nistāra
SYNONYMS
ei ta’-this child; karibe-will do; vaiṣṇava-of Vaiṣṇavism, or devotional service; dharmera-of the religion; pracāra-preaching; ihā haite-from this; habe-there will be; dui-two; kulera-dynasties; nistāra-deliverance.
TRANSLATION
“This child will preach the Vaiṣṇava cult and deliver both His maternal and paternal families.
PURPORT
Only Nārāyaṇa Himself or His bona fide representative can preach the cult of Vaiṣṇavism, or devotional service. When a Vaiṣṇava is born, he delivers both his maternal and paternal families simultaneously.
TEXT 18
mahotsava kara, saba bolāha brāhmaṇa
āji dina bhāla,–kariba nāma-karaṇa
SYNONYMS
mahotsava-a festival; kara-observe; saba-all; bolāha-call; brāhmaṇa-the brāhmaṇas; āji-today; dina-day; bhāla-auspicious; kariba-I shall perform; nāma-karaṇa-the name-giving ceremony.
TRANSLATION
“I propose to perform a name-giving ceremony. We should observe a festival and call for the brāhmaṇas because today is very auspicious.
PURPORT
It is a Vedic principle to observe a festival in connection with Nārāyaṇa and brāhmaṇas. Giving a child a particular name is among the purificatory processes known as daśa-vidha-saṁskāra, and on the day of such a ceremony one should observe a festival by worshiping Nārāyaṇa and distributing prasāda, chiefly among the brāhmaṇas.
When Nīlāmbara Cakravartī, Śacīmātā and Jagannātha Miśra understood from the marks on the Lord’s lotus feet that the child Nimāi was not an ordinary child but an incarnation of Nārāyaṇa, they decided that on that very same day, which was very auspicious, they should observe a festival for His name-giving ceremony. In this connection we can particularly see how an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is ascertained by His bodily symptoms, His activities and the prediction of the śāstras. By factual evidence a person can be accepted as an incarnation of God, not whimsically or by the votes of rascals and fools. There have been many imitation incarnations in Bengal since the appearance of Lord Caitanya, but any impartial devotee or learned man can understand that Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was accepted as an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa not on the basis of popular votes but by evidence from the śāstras and bona fide scholars. It was not ordinary men who accepted Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the beginning His identity was ascertained by learned scholars like Nīlāmbara Cakravartī, and later all His activities were confirmed by the six Gosvāmīs, especially Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, and many other learned scholars, with evidence from the śāstra. An incarnation of God is such from the very beginning of His life. It is not that by performing meditation one can become an incarnation of God all of a sudden. Such false incarnations are meant for fools and rascals, not sane men.
TEXT 19
sarva-lokera karibe ihaṅ dhāraṇa, poṣaṇa
‘viśvambhara’ nāma ihāra,–ei ta’ kāraṇa
SYNONYMS
sarva-lokera-of all people; karibe-will do; ihaṅ-this child; dhāraṇa-protection; poṣaṇa-maintenance; viśvambhara-the name Viśvambhara; nāma-name; ihāra-His; ei-this; ta’-certainly; kāraṇa-the reason.
TRANSLATION
“In the future this child will protect and maintain all the world. For this reason He is to be called Viśvambhara.”
PURPORT
The Caitanya-bhāgavata also confirms that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by His birth, has made the whole world peaceful, as in the past Nārāyaṇa protected this earth in His incarnation as Varāha. Because of His protecting and maintaining this world in the present Kali-yuga, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Viśvambhara, which refers to one who feeds the entire world. The movement inaugurated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He was present five hundred years ago is again being propagated all over the world, and factually we are seeing its practical results. People are being saved, protected and maintained by this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. Thousands of followers, especially Western youths, are taking part in this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, and how safe and happy they feel can be understood from the expressions of gratitude in their hundreds and thousands of letters. The name Viśvambhara is also mentioned in the Atharva-veda-saṁhitā (3.3.16.5): viśvambhara viśvena mā bharasā pāhi svāhā.
TEXT 20
śuni’ śacī-miśrera mane ānanda bāḍila
brāhmaṇa-brāhmaṇī āni’ mahotsava kaila
SYNONYMS
śuni’-hearing this; śacī-of mother Śacī; miśrera-and of Jagannātha Miśra; mane-within the minds; ānanda-pleasure; bāḍila-increased; brāhmaṇa-the brāhmaṇas; brāhmaṇī-and their wives; āni’-inviting them; mahotsava-a festival; kaila-observed.
TRANSLATION
After hearing Nīlāmbara Cakravartī’s prediction, Śacīmātā and Jagannātha Miśra observed the name-giving festival in great joy, inviting all the brāhmaṇas and their wives.
PURPORT
It is the Vedic system to observe all kinds of festivals, including birthday festivals, marriage festivals, name-giving festivals and festivals marking the beginning of education, by especially inviting brāhmaṇas. In every festival the brāhmaṇas are to be fed first, and when the brāhmaṇas are pleased they bless the festival by chanting Vedic mantras or the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.
TEXT 21
tabe kata dine prabhura jānu-caṅkramaṇa
nānā camatkāra tathā karāila darśana
SYNONYMS
tabe-thereafter; kata-some; dine-days; prabhura-of the Lord; jānu-knees; caṅkramaṇa-the crawling; nānā-various; camatkāra-wonderful; tathā-also; karāila-caused; darśana-the sight.
TRANSLATION
After some days the Lord began to crawl on His knees, and He caused various wonderful things to be seen.
PURPORT
The Caitanya-bhāgavata describes that one day while the Lord was crawling upon His knees, the bells on His waist ringing very sweetly, a snake came out to crawl in the yard of the Lord, who captured the snake like a curious child. Immediately the snake coiled over Him. The Lord as a child then rested on the snake, and after some time the snake went away, leaving aside the Lord.
TEXT 22
krandanera chale balāila hari-nāma
nārī saba ‘hari’ bale,–hāse gaura-dhāma
SYNONYMS
krandanera-of crying; chale-on the pretense of; balāila-caused to speak; hari-nāma-the holy name of the Lord; nārī-ladies; saba-all; ‘hari’ bale-chant the holy name of the Lord; hāse-laughs; gaura-dhāma-Lord Śrī Caitanya as a child.
TRANSLATION
The Lord caused all the ladies to chant the holy names of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra on the plea of His crying, and while they chanted the Lord would smile.
PURPORT
In the Caitanya-bhāgavata this pastime is described as follows: “The Lord, with His beautiful eyes, would cry, but He would stop immediately upon hearing the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. When the ladies, understanding the fun of the Lord, discovered that He would cry and then stop upon hearing the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, they all took it as a clue to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa as soon as the Lord cried. Thus it became a regular function. The Lord would cry, and the ladies would begin chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, clapping their hands. In this way all the ladies of the neighboring houses would assemble in the home of Śacīmātā to join in the saṅkīrtana movement twenty-four hours a day. As long as the ladies continued to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, the Lord would not cry but very pleasingly smile upon them.”
TEXT 23
tabe kata dine kaila pada-caṅkramaṇa
śiśu-gaṇe mili’ kaila vividha khelana
SYNONYMS
tabe-thereafter; kata dine-in a few days; kaila-did; pada-legs; caṅkramaṇa-movement; śiśu-gaṇe-all the children; mili’-mingling together; kaila-executed; vividha-varieties; khelana-sporting.
TRANSLATION
After some days the Lord began to move His legs and walk. He mixed with other children and exhibited various sports.
TEXT 24
ekadina śacī kha-i-sandeśa āniyā
bāṭā bhari’ diyā baila,–khāo ta’ basiyā
SYNONYMS
eka-dina-one day; śacī-mother Śacī; kha-i-fused rice; sandeśa-sweetmeat; āniyā-bringing; bāṭā-tiffin dish; bhari’-filling; diyā-delivering; baila-said; khāo-eat; ta’-now; basiyā-sitting down.
TRANSLATION
One day while the Lord was enjoying His playful sports with the other little children, mother Śacī brought a dish filled with fused rice and sweetmeats and asked the child to sit down and eat them.
TEXT 25
eta bali’ gelā śacī gṛhe karma karite
lukāñā lāgilā śiśu mṛttikā khāite
SYNONYMS
eta bali’-saying this; gelā-returned; śacī-mother Śacī; gṛhe-in the house; karma-duties; karite-to execute; lukāñā-hiding; lāgilā-began; śiśu-the child; mṛttikā-dirt; khāite-to eat.
TRANSLATION
But when she returned to her household duties, the child hid from His mother and began to eat dirt.
TEXT 26
dekhi’ śacī dhāñā āilā kari’ ‘hāya, hāya’
māti kāḍi’ lañā kahe ‘māṭi kene khāya’
SYNONYMS
dekhi’-seeing this; śacī-mother Śacī; dhāñā-rushing; āilā-came back; kari’-making a noise; hāya, hāya-“What is this! What is this!”; māṭi-dirt; kāḍi’-snatching; lañā-taking; kahe-she said; ‘māṭi kene khāya’-why is the child eating dirt?
TRANSLATION
Seeing this, mother Śacī hastily returned and exclaimed, “What is this! What is this!” She snatched the dirt from the hands of the Lord and inquired why He was eating it.
TEXT 27
kāndiyā balena śiśu,–kene kara roṣa
tumi māṭi khāite dile, mora kibā doṣa
SYNONYMS
kāndiyā-while crying; balena-says; śiśu-the child; kene-why; kara-you become; roṣa-angry; tumi-you; māṭi-dirt; khāite-to eat; dile-gave Me; mora-My; kibā-what is; doṣa-fault.
TRANSLATION
Crying, the child inquired from His mother, “Why are you angry? You have already given Me dirt to eat. What is My fault?
TEXT 28
kha-i-sandeśa-anna yateka–māṭira vikāra
eho māṭi, seha māṭi, ki bheda-vicāra
SYNONYMS
kha-i-fused rice; sandeśa-sweetmeat; anna-eatables; yateka-all; māṭira-of dirt; vikāra-transformations; eho-this is also; māṭi-dirt; seha-that; māṭi-dirt; ki-what; bheda-of difference; vicāra-consideration.
TRANSLATION
“Fused rice, sweetmeats and all other eatables are but transformations of dirt. This is dirt, that is dirt. Please consider. What is the difference between them?
TEXT 29
māṭi–deha, māṭi–bhakṣya, dekhaha vicāri’
avicāre deha doṣa, ki balite pāri
SYNONYMS
māṭi-dirt; deha-this body; māṭi-dirt; bhakṣya-eatable; dekhaha-just try to see; vicāri’-by consideration; avicāre-without considering; deha-you put; doṣa-fault upon Me; ki-what; balite-to say; pāri-I am able.
TRANSLATION
“This body is a transformation of dirt, and the eatables are also a transformation of dirt. Please reflect upon this. You are blaming Me without consideration. What can I say?”
PURPORT
This is an explanation of the Māyāvāda philosophy, which takes everything to be one. The necessities of the body, namely, eating, sleeping, mating and defending, are all unnecessary in spiritual life. When one is elevated to the spiritual platform there are no more bodily necessities, and in activities pertaining to the bodily necessities there are no spiritual considerations. In other words, the more we eat, sleep, have sex and try to defend ourselves, the more we engage in material activities. Unfortunately, Māyāvādī philosophers consider devotional activities to be bodily activities. They cannot understand the simple explanation in Bhagavad-gītā (14.26):
māṁ ca yo ‘vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
“Anyone who engages in spiritual devotional service without motivation, rendering such service for the satisfaction of the Lord, is elevated immediately to the spiritual platform, and all his activities are spiritual.” Brahma-bhūyāya refers to Brahman (spiritual) activities. Although Māyāvādī philosophers are very eager to merge into the Brahman effulgence, they have no Brahman activities. To a certain extent they recommend Brahman activities, which for them means engagement in studying the Vedānta and Sāṅkhya philosophies, but their interpretations are but dry speculation. Lacking the varieties of spiritual activity, they cannot stay for long on that platform of simply studying Vedānta or Sāṅkhya philosophy.
Life is meant for varieties of enjoyment. The living entity is by nature full of an enjoying spirit, as stated in the Vedānta-sūtra (1.1.12): ānanda-mayo ‘bhyāsāt. In devotional service the activities are variegated and full of enjoyment. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (9.2), all devotional activities are easy to perform (su-sukhaṁ kartum) and they are eternal and spiritual (avyayam). Since Māyāvādī philosophers cannot understand this, they take it for granted that a devotee’s activities (śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, etc.) are all material and are therefore māyā. They also consider Kṛṣṇa’s advent in this universe and His activities to be māyā. Therefore, because they consider everything māyā, they are known as Māyāvādīs.
Actually, any activities performed favorably for the satisfaction of the Lord, under the direction of the spiritual master, are spiritual. But for a person to disregard the order of the spiritual master and act by concoction, accepting his nonsensical activities to be spiritual, is māyā. One must achieve the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the mercy of the spiritual master. Therefore one must first please the spiritual master, and if he is pleased, then we should understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also pleased. But if the spiritual master is displeased by our actions, they are not spiritual. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura confirms this: yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ‘pi. Activities that please the spiritual master must be considered spiritual, and they should be accepted as satisfying to the Lord.
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as the supreme spiritual master, instructed His mother about the Māyāvāda philosophy. By saying that the body is dirt and eatables are also dirt, He implied that everything is māyā. This is Māyāvāda philosophy. The philosophy of the Māyāvādīs is defective because it maintains that everything is māyā but the nonsense they speak. While saying that everything is māyā, the Māyāvādī philosopher loses the opportunity of devotional service, and therefore his life is doomed. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore advised, māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa (Cc. Madhya 6.169). If one accepts the Māyāvāda philosophy, his advancement is doomed forever.
TEXT 30
antare vismita śacī balila tāhāre
“māṭi khāite jñāna-yoga ke śikhāla tore
SYNONYMS
antare-within herself; vismita-surprised; śacī-mother Śacī; balila-replied; tāhāre-unto Him; māṭi-dirt; khāite-to eat; jñāna-yoga-philosophical speculation; ke-who; śikhāla-taught; tore-You.
TRANSLATION
Astonished that the child was speaking Māyāvāda philosophy, mother Śacī replied, “Who has taught You this philosophical speculation that justifies eating dirt?”
PURPORT
In the philosophical discourse between the mother and the son, when the son said that everything is one, as impersonalists say, the mother replied, “If everything is one, why do people in general not eat dirt but eat the food grains produced from the dirt?”
TEXT 31
māṭira vikāra anna khāile deha-puṣṭi haya
māṭi khāile roga haya, deha yāya kṣaya
SYNONYMS
māṭira-of the dirt; vikāra-transformation; anna-food grains; khāile-by eating; deha-of the body; puṣṭi-nourishment; haya-becomes; māṭi-the dirt; khāile-by eating; roga-disease; haya-becomes; deha-the body; yāya-goes; kṣaya-to destruction.
TRANSLATION
Replying to the Māyāvāda idea of the child philosopher, mother Śacī said, “My dear boy, if we eat earth transformed into grains, our body is nourished, and it becomes strong. But if we eat dirt in its crude state, the body becomes diseased instead of nourished, and thus it is destroyed.
TEXT 32
māṭira vikāra ghaṭe pāni bhari’ āni
māṭi-piṇḍe dhari yabe, śoṣi’ yāya pāni”
SYNONYMS
māṭira-of the dirt; vikāra-transformation; ghaṭe-in the waterpot; pāni-water; bhari’-filling; āni-I can bring; māṭi-of dirt; piṇḍe-on the lump; dhari-I hold; yabe-when; śoṣi’-soaking; yāya-goes; pāni-the water.
TRANSLATION
“In a waterpot, which is a transformation of dirt, I can bring water very easily. But if I poured water on a lump of dirt, the lump would soak up the water, and my labor would be useless.”
PURPORT
This simple philosophy propounded by Śacīmātā, even though she is a woman, can defeat the Māyāvādī philosophers who speculate on oneness. The defect of Māyāvāda philosophy is that it does not accept the variety that is useful for practical purposes. Śacīmātā gave the example that although both the lump of dirt and the earthen pot are basically one, for practical purposes the waterpot is useful whereas the lump of dirt is useless. Sometimes scientists argue that matter and spirit are one, with no difference between them. Factually, in a higher sense, there is no difference between matter and spirit, but one should have practical knowledge that matter, being an inferior state, is useless for our spiritual, blissful life, whereas spirit, being a finer state of existence, is full of bliss. In this connection the Bhāgavatam gives the example that dirt and fire are practically one and the same. From the earth grow trees, and from their wood come fire and smoke. Nevertheless, for heat we can utilize the fire but not the earth, smoke or wood. Therefore, for the ultimate realization of the goal of life, we are concerned with the fire of the spirit, but not the dull wood or earth of matter.
TEXT 33
ātma lukāite prabhu balilā tāṅhāre
“āge kena ihā, mātā, nā śikhāle more
SYNONYMS
ātma-Himself; lukāite-to hide; prabhu-the Lord; balilā-replied; tāṅhāre-unto Śacīmātā; āge-in the beginning; kena-why; ihā-this; mātā-My dear mother; nā śikhāle-you didn’t teach; more-unto Me.
TRANSLATION
The Lord replied to His mother, “Why did you conceal self-realization by not teaching Me this practical philosophy in the beginning?
PURPORT
If one is taught from the beginning of life the Vaiṣṇava philosophy of duality or variety, the monistic philosophy will not very much bother him. In reality, everything is an emanation from the supreme source (janmādy asya yataḥ). The original energy is exhibited in varieties, exactly like the sunshine, the original energy emanating from the sun, which acts as light and heat in variety. One cannot say that light is heat and heat is light, yet one cannot separate one from the other. Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s philosophy is acintya-bhedābheda, inconceivable nonseparation and distinction. Although there is an affinity between the two physical manifestations light and heat, there is a difference between them. Similarly, although the whole cosmic manifestation is the Lord’s energy, the energy is nevertheless exhibited in varieties of manifestations.
TEXT 34
ebe se jānilāṅ, āra māṭi nā khāiba
kṣudhā lāge yabe, tabe tomāra stana piba”
SYNONYMS
ebe-now; se-that; jānilāṅ-I understand; āra-more; māṭi-dirt; nā-not; khāiba-I shall eat; kṣudhā-hunger; lāge-arises; yabe-when; tabe-at that time; tomāra-your; stana-breast; piba-I shall suck.
TRANSLATION
“Now that I can understand this philosophy, no more shall I eat dirt. Whenever I am hungry I shall suck your breast and drink your breast’s milk.”
TEXT 35
eta bali’ jananīra kolete caḍiyā
stana pāna kare prabhu īṣat hāsiyā
SYNONYMS
eta bali’-saying this; jananīra-of the mother; kolete-on the lap; caḍiyā-rising; stana pāna-sucking the nipple; kare-does; prabhu-the Lord; īṣat-slightly; hāsiyā-smiling.
TRANSLATION
After saying this, the Lord, smiling slightly, climbed on the lap of His mother and sucked her breast.
TEXT 36
eimate nānā-chale aiśvarya dekhāya
bālya-bhāva prakaṭiyā paścāt lukāya
SYNONYMS
eimate-in this way; nānā-chale-under different excuses; aiśvarya-opulence; dekhāya-exhibits; bālya-bhāva-the status of a child; prakaṭiyā-manifesting; paścāt-thereafter; lukāya-hides Himself.
TRANSLATION
Thus under various excuses the Lord exhibited His opulences as much as possible in His childhood, and later, after exhibiting such opulences, He hid Himself.
TEXT 37
atithi-viprera anna khāila tina-bāra
pāche gupte sei vipre karila nistāra
SYNONYMS
atithi-guest; viprera-of a brāhmaṇa; anna-food; khāila-ate; tina-bāra-thrice; pāche-afterwards; gupte-in privacy; sei-that; vipre-unto the brāhmaṇa; karila-made; nistāra-deliverance.
TRANSLATION
On one occasion the Lord ate the food of a brāhmaṇa guest three times, and later, in confidence, the Lord delivered that brāhmaṇa from material engagement.
PURPORT
The story of the deliverance of this brāhmaṇa is as follows. One brāhmaṇa who was touring all over the country, traveling from one place of pilgrimage to another, reached Navadvīpa and became a guest in the house of Jagannātha Miśra. Jagannātha Miśra gave him all ingredients for cooking, and the brāhmaṇa prepared his food. When the brāhmaṇa was offering the food to Lord Viṣṇu in meditation, the child Nimāi came before him and began to eat it, and because of this the brāhmaṇa thought the whole offering spoiled. Therefore by the request of Jagannātha Miśra he cooked for a second time, but when he was meditating the child again came before him and began to eat the food, again spoiling the offering. By the request of Jagannātha Miśra the brāhmaṇa cooked for a third time, but for a third time the Lord came before him and began to eat the food, although the child had been locked within a room and everyone was sleeping because it was late at night. Thus, thinking that on that day Lord Viṣṇu was not willing to accept his food and that he was therefore ordained to fast, the brāhmaṇa became greatly agitated and cried aloud, hāya hāya: “What has been done! What has been done!”. When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw the brāhmaṇa in that agitated state, He told him, “Formerly I was the son of mother Yaśodā. At that time you also became a guest in the house of Nanda Mahārāja, and I disturbed you in this way. I am very much pleased by your devotion. Therefore I am eating the food you have prepared.” Understanding the favor offered to him by the Lord, the brāhmaṇa was greatly pleased, and he was overwhelmed with love of Kṛṣṇa. He was thankful to the Lord, for he felt himself greatly fortunate. Then the Lord asked the brāhmaṇa not to disclose the incident to anyone else. This is very elaborately explained in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi-līlā, Chapter Three.
TEXT 38
core lañā gela prabhuke bāhire pāiyā
tāra skandhe caḍi’ āilā tāre bhulāiyā
SYNONYMS
core-two thieves; lañā-taking; gela-went; prabhuke-the Lord; bāhire-outside; pāiyā-finding Him; tāra-their; skandhe-on the shoulders; caḍi’-rising; āilā-came back; tāre-them; bhulāiyā-misleading.
TRANSLATION
In His childhood the Lord was taken away by two thieves outside His home. The Lord, however, got up on the shoulders of the thieves, and while they were thinking they were safely carrying the child to rob His ornaments, the Lord misled them, and thus instead of going to their own home the thieves came back to the home of Jagannātha Miśra.
PURPORT
In His childhood the Lord was profusely decorated with gold ornaments. Once upon a time He was playing outside His house, and two thieves passing on the street saw the opportunity to rob the Lord and therefore took Him on their shoulders, pleasing Him by offering Him some sweetmeats. The thieves thought they would carry the child to the forest and then kill Him and take away the ornaments. The Lord, however, expanded His illusory energy upon the thieves, so much so that instead of carrying Him to the forest they came right back in front of His house. When they came before His house they became afraid because everyone from the house of Jagannātha Miśra and all the inhabitants of that quarter were busy searching for the child. Therefore the thieves, thinking it dangerous to remain, went away and left Him. The child was brought within the house and given to mother Śacī, who was in great anxiety, and she became satisfied. This incident is also very elaborately explained in the Ādi-līlā of Caitanya-bhāgavata, Third Chapter.
TEXT 39
vyādhi-chale jagadīśa-hiraṇya-sadane
viṣṇu-naivedya khāila ekādaśī-dine
SYNONYMS
vyādhi-chale-on the plea of being diseased; jagadīśa-hiraṇya-of the names Jagadīśa and Hiraṇya; sadane-in the house of; viṣṇu-naivedya-food offered to Lord Viṣṇu; khāila-ate; ekādaśī-of Ekādaśī; dine-on the day.
TRANSLATION
Pretending to be sick, the Lord asked some food from the house of Hiraṇya and Jagadīśa on the Ekādaśī day.
PURPORT
The Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi-līlā, Chapter Six, fully describes the Lord’s accepting viṣṇu-prasāda on the Ekādaśī day at the house of Jagadīśa and Hiraṇya. Regular prasāda is offered to Lord Viṣṇu on Ekādaśī because, while fasting is recommended for devotees on Ekādaśī, it is not recommended for Lord Viṣṇu. Once on Ekādaśī in the house of Jagadīśa and Hiraṇya Paṇḍita there were arrangements for preparing special prasāda for Lord Viṣṇu, and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked His father to go there to ask for the viṣṇu-prasāda because He was feeling sick. The house of Jagadīśa and Hiraṇya Paṇḍita was situated about two miles from the house of Jagannātha Miśra. Therefore when Jagannātha Miśra, on the request of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, came to ask Jagadīśa and Hiraṇya for the prasāda, they were a little astonished. How could the boy understand that special prasāda was being prepared for Lord Viṣṇu? They immediately concluded that the boy Nimāi must have supernatural mystic power. Otherwise how could He understand that they were preparing special prasāda? Therefore they immediately sent the food to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu through His father, Jagannātha Miśra. Nimāi was feeling sick, but immediately after eating the viṣṇu-prasāda He was cured, and He also distributed the prasāda among His playmates.
TEXT 40
śiśu saba laye pāḍā-paḍasīra ghare
curi kari’ dravya khāya māre bālakere
SYNONYMS
śiśu-children; saba-all; laye-taking with Him; pāḍā-paḍasīra-neighboring; ghare-in the houses; curi kari’-stealing; dravya-eatables; khāya-eats; māre-fights; bālakere-with other children.
TRANSLATION
As usual for small children, He learned to play, and with His playmates He went to the houses of neighboring friends, stealing their eatables and eating them. Sometimes the children fought among themselves.
TEXT 41
śiśu saba śacī-sthāne kaila nivedana
śuni’ śacī putre kichu dilā olāhana
SYNONYMS
śiśu saba-all the children; śacī-sthāne-in the presence of mother Śacī; kaila-made; nivedana-petition; śuni’-hearing that; śacī-mother Śacī; putre-unto her son; kichu-some; dilā-gave; olāhana-chastisement or rebuke.
TRANSLATION
All the children lodged complaints with Śacīmātā about the Lord’s fighting with them and stealing from the neighbors’ houses. Therefore sometimes she used to chastise or rebuke her son.
TEXT 42
“kene curi kara, kene māraha śiśure
kene para-ghare yāha, kibā nāhi ghare”
SYNONYMS
kene curi kara-why do You steal; kene māraha śiśure-why do You beat other children; kene-why; para-ghare-in others’ houses; yāha-You go; kibā-what; nāhi-is not there; ghare-in Your own house.
TRANSLATION
Śacīmātā said, “Why do You steal others’ things? Why do You beat the other children? And why do You go inside others’ houses? What do You not have in Your own house?”
PURPORT
According to the Vedānta-sūtra (janmādy asya yataḥ), since creation, maintenance and annihilation exist in the Supreme Absolute, whatever we find within this material world is already in the spiritual world. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa Himself. How is He stealing, and how is He fighting? It is not as a thief or an enemy but as a friend in a loving condition. He steals as a child not because He is in want but out of a natural instinct. In this material world also, small children, without enmity or bad will, sometimes go to a neighboring house and steal, and sometimes they fight. Kṛṣṇa also, like other children, did all these things in His childhood. Without the existence of the stealing propensity and fighting propensity in the spiritual world, they cannot exist here in this material world. The difference between the material and spiritual worlds is that stealing in the spiritual world is done in friendship and love, whereas fighting and stealing within this material world are executed on the basis of enmity and envy. Therefore we should understand that in the spiritual world all these activities exist, but there is no inebriety, whereas in the material world all activities are full of miserable conditions.
TEXT 43
śuni’ kruddha hañā prabhu ghara-bhitara yāñā
ghare yata bhāṇḍa chila, phelila bhāṅgiyā
SYNONYMS
śuni’-hearing; kruddha-angry; hañā-becoming; prabhu-the Lord; ghara-bhitara-within the room; yāñā-going; ghare-in the room; yata-all; bhāṇḍa-pots; chila-there were; phelila-He threw them; bhāṅgiyā-breaking.
TRANSLATION
Thus rebuked by His mother, he Lord would go in anger to a room and break all the pots within it.
TEXT 44
tabe śacī kole kari’ karāila santoṣa
lajjita ha-ilā prabhu jāni’ nija-doṣa
SYNONYMS
tabe-at that time; śacī-mother Śacīdevī; kole-on the lap; kari’-taking; karāila-made; santoṣa-pacified; lajjita-ashamed; ha-ilā-became; prabhu-the Lord; jāni’-knowing; nija-His own; doṣa-fault.
TRANSLATION
Then Śacīmātā would take her son on her lap and pacify Him, and the Lord would be very much ashamed, admitting His own faults.
PURPORT
There is a nice description of the faults of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His childhood in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi-līlā, Chapter Three, where it is said that as a child the Lord used to steal all kinds of eatables from the houses of neighboring friends. In some houses He would steal milk and drink it, and in others He would steal and eat prepared rice. Sometimes He would break cooking pots. If there were nothing to eat but there were small babies, the Lord would tease the babies and make them cry. Sometimes a neighbor would complain to Śacīmātā, “My child is very small, but your child puts water in his ears and makes him cry.”
TEXT 45
kabhu mṛdu-haste kaila mātāke tāḍana
mātāke mūrcchitā dekhi’ karaye krandana
SYNONYMS
kabhu-sometimes; mṛdu-haste-by His soft hand; kaila-did; mātāke-His mother; tāḍana-chastise; mātāke-His mother; mūrcchitā-fainted; dekhi’-seeing; karaye-was; krandana-crying.
TRANSLATION
Once the child, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, chastised His mother with His soft hand, and His mother pretended to faint. Seeing this, the Lord began to cry.
TEXT 46
nārīgaṇa kahe,–“nārikela deha āni’
tabe sustha ha-ibena tomāra jananī”
SYNONYMS
nārī-gaṇa-all the ladies; kahe-say; nārikela-coconut; deha-give; āni’-bringing from somewhere; tabe-then; sustha ha-ibena-will be cured; tomāra-Your; jananī-mother.
TRANSLATION
The neighboring ladies told Him, “Dear child, please bring a coconut from somewhere, and then Your mother will be cured.”
TEXT 47
bāhire yāñā ānilena dui nārikela
dekhiyā apūrva haila vismita sakala
SYNONYMS
bāhire-outside; yāñā-going; ānilena-He immediately brought; dui-two; nārikela-coconuts; dekhiyā-seeing; apūrva-this wonder; haila-became; vismita-astonished; sakala-all.
TRANSLATION
He then immediately went outside the house and brought two coconuts. All the ladies were astonished to see such wonderful activities.
TEXT 48
kabhu śiśu-saṅge snāna karila gaṅgāte
kanyāgaṇa āilā tāhāṅ devatā pūjite
SYNONYMS
kabhu-sometimes; śiśu-saṅge-along with other children; snāna-bathing; karila-did; gaṅgāte-in the Ganges; kanyā-gaṇa-the girls; āilā-came there; tāhāṅ-on the bank of the Ganges; devatā-demigods; pūjite-to worship.
TRANSLATION
Sometimes the Lord would go with other children to bathe in the Ganges, and the neighboring girls would also come there to worship various demigods.
PURPORT
According to the Vedic system, when small girls ten or twelve years old would go to the bank of the Ganges to take their bath, they would especially worship Lord Śiva with prayers to get good husbands in the future. They especially wanted to get a husband like Lord Śiva because Lord Śiva is very peaceful and at the same time most powerful. Formerly, therefore, small girls in Hindu families would worship Lord Śiva, especially in the month of Vaiśākha (April-May). To take a bath in the Ganges is a great pleasure for everyone, not only for adults but for children also.
TEXT 49
gaṅgā-snāna kari’ pūjā karite lāgilā
kanyāgaṇa-madhye prabhu āsiyā basilā
SYNONYMS
gaṅgā-snāna-bath in the Ganges; kari’-having taken; pūjā-worship; karite-to do; lāgilā-began; kanyā-gaṇa-the girls; madhye-in the midst of; prabhu-the Lord; āsiyā-coming there; basilā-sat down.
TRANSLATION
When the girls engaged in worshiping the different demigods after bathing in the Ganges, the young Lord would come there and sit down among them.
TEXT 50
kanyāre kahe,–āmā pūja, āmi diba vara
gaṅgā-durgā–dāsī mora, maheśa–kiṅkara
SYNONYMS
kanyāre kahe-addressing the girls, the Lord would say; āmā pūja-“Worship Me”; āmi-I; diba-shall give; vara-nice husband; gaṅgā-the Ganges; durgā-Goddess Durgā; dāsī-maidservants; mora-My; maheśa-Lord Śiva; kiṅkara-servant.
TRANSLATION
Addressing the girls, the Lord would say, “Worship Me, and I shall give you good husbands or good benedictions. The Ganges and Goddess Durgā are My maidservants. What to speak of other demigods, even Lord Śiva is My servant.”
PURPORT
There is a misconception about the Hindu religion among people who profess other religions, such as Christians and Muslims, who say that in the Hindu religion there are many Gods. Actually that is not a fact. God is one, but there are many other powerful living entities who are in charge of different departments of administration. They are called demigods. All the demigods are servants who carry out the orders of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu disclosed this fact in His childhood. Out of ignorance, sometimes people worship the demigods to receive some particular boon, but actually, one who becomes a devotee and worshiper of the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not need to go to the demigods for any benediction because he obtains everything by the grace of the Supreme Lord. The Bhagavad-gītā (7.20, 28) therefore condemns such demigod worship:
kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ
prapadyante ‘nya-devatāḥ
taṁ taṁ niyamam āsthāya
prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā
“Only persons whose intelligence is lost and who are mad with lusty desires worship the demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures.”
yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ
janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā
bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ
“But persons who are freed from all sinful activities and the duality of delusion engage themselves in the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with determination.” Only the less intelligent worship the demigods for their various purposes. The most intelligent worship only the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.
Sometimes we, the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, are accused of not approving of the worship of demigods. But how can we approve of this when it is condemned by Lord Caitanya and Lord Kṛṣṇa? How can we allow people to become foolish and hṛta-jñāna, bereft of intelligence? Our propaganda is simply meant to enable intelligent people to understand the distinction between matter and spirit and understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the whole spiritual identity. That is our mission. How could we mislead people into worshiping so-called gods in material bodies within this material world?
Our position of not allowing worship of the many hundreds of demigods is confirmed by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu even in His childhood. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung in this connection:
anya devāśraya nāi, tomāre kahinu bhāi,
ei bhakti parama karaṇa
“To become a staunch, pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead without deviation [ananya-bhāk], one should not divert his attention to the worship of the demigods. Such control is a symptom of pure devotional service.”
TEXT 51
āpani candana pari’ parena phula-mālā
naivedya kāḍiyā khā’na–sandeśa, cāla, kalā
SYNONYMS
āpani-Himself; candana-pulp of sandalwood; pari’-smearing over the body; parena-takes; phula-mālā-the flower garlands; naivedya-offering of food; kādiyā-snatching; khā’na-begins to eat; sandeśa-the sweetmeats; cāla-rice; kalā-bananas.
TRANSLATION
Without the permission of the girls, the Lord would take the sandalwood pulp and smear it on His own body, put the flower garlands on His neck, and snatch and eat all the offerings of sweetmeats, rice and bananas.
PURPORT
According to the system of worship, when something is offered to deities outside one’s home, it is generally not cooked food but raw rice, bananas and sweetmeats. Out of His causeless mercy, the Lord would snatch the offerings from the girls and eat them, admonishing the girls not to worship the demigods but to worship Him. This worship of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is recommended in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.32):
kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣnaṁ
sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair
yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ
“One should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead who appears in this Age of Kali with His associates as the Pañca-tattva: the Lord Himself and His associates Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Advaita Prabhu, Śrī Gadādhara Prabhu and Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. In this age an intelligent person worships the Pañca-tattva by the method of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and, if possible, distributing prasāda.” Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is introducing this bona fide method of worship in the Western world. Its members are going from village to village and town to town with Deities of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, teaching people how to worship the Lord by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, offering prasāda and distributing prasāda to people in general.
TEXT 52
krodhe kanyāgaṇa kahe–śuna, he nimāñi
grāma-sambandhe hao tumi āmā sabāra bhāi
SYNONYMS
krodhe-in anger; kanyā-gaṇa-all the girls; kahe-said; śuna-hear; he-O; nimāñi-of the name Nimāi; grāma-village; sambandhe-in relationship; hao-are; tumi-You; āmā-of us; sabāra-everyone; bhāi-the brother.
TRANSLATION
All the girls became very angry at the Lord for this behavior. “Dear Nimāi,” they told Him, “You are just like our brother in our village relationship.
TEXT 53
āmā sabākāra pakṣe ihā karite nā yuyāya
nā laha devatā sajja, nā kara anyāya
SYNONYMS
āmā sabākāra-of all of us; pakṣe-on the behalf; ihā-this; karite-to do; nā-not; yuyāya-is suitable; nā-don’t; laha-take; devatā-demigods; sajja-worshipable paraphernalia; nā-don’t; kara-do; anyāya-mischief.
TRANSLATION
“Therefore it does not behoove You to act like this. Don’t take our paraphernalia for worship of the demigods. Don’t create a disturbance in this way.”
TEXT 54
prabhu kahe,–“tomā sabāke dila ei vara
tomā sabāra bhartā habe parama sundara
SYNONYMS
prabhu kahe-the Lord replied; tomā-you; sabāke-to all; dila-I give; ei-this; vara-benediction; tomā sabāra-of all of you; bhartā-the husbands; habe-will be; parama-very; sundara-beautiful.
TRANSLATION
The Lord replied, “My dear sisters, I give you the benediction that your husbands will be very handsome.
TEXT 55
paṇḍita, vidagdha, yuvā, dhana-dhānyavān
sāta sāta putra habe–cirāyu, matimān”
SYNONYMS
paṇḍita-learned; vidagdha-expert and humorous; yuvā-young man; dhana-dhānyavān-very rich, possessing wealth and rice; sāta sāta-seven each; putra-sons; habe-you will have; cirāyu-born with a long life; matimān-and intelligent.
TRANSLATION
“They will be learned, clever and young and possess abundant wealth and rice. Not only that, but you will each have seven sons, who will all live long lives and be very intelligent.”
PURPORT
Generally it is the ambition of a young girl to have a very handsome husband who is learned, clever, young and rich. According to the Vedic culture, one is rich if he possesses a large stock of food grains and a very large number of animals. Dhānyena dhanavān gavayā dhanavān: one is rich if he possesses food grains, cows and bulls. A girl also desires to have many children, especially sons (putra) who are very intelligent and long-lived. Now because society has deteriorated there is propaganda to have one or two children and kill the rest by contraceptive methods. But the natural ambition of a girl is to possess not only more than one child but at least half a dozen.
In exchange for the paraphernalia of worship He usurped for Himself, Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to bless the girls to fulfill all their ambitions and desires. One can easily become happy and obtain the material benefits of a good husband, wealth, food grains and a number of nice children by worshiping Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted sannyāsa at an early age, it is not necessary for His devotees to follow Him by also taking sannyāsa. One can stay a householder, but one must be a devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Then one will be happy, with all the material opulences of a good home, good children, good mate, good wealth and everything he desires. Therefore the śāstras advise, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ (Bhāg. 11.5.32). Every householder, therefore, who is actually intelligent should introduce the saṅkīrtana movement home to home and live peacefully in this life and go back to Godhead in the next.
TEXT 56
vara śuni’ kanyā-gaṇera antare santoṣa
bāhire bhartsana kare kari’ mithyā roṣa
SYNONYMS
vara śuni’-hearing the benediction; kanyā-gaṇera-of the girls; antare-within; santoṣa-very much satisfaction; bāhire-externally; bhartsana-rebuking; kare-they do; kari’-making; mithyā-false; roṣa-anger.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this benediction from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the girls were inwardly very happy, but externally, as is natural for girls, they rebuked the Lord under the pretense of anger.
PURPORT
This double-dealing is natural for girls. When they are satisfied within, they externally show dissatisfaction. Such feminine dealings are very palatable to boys who try to make friendships with them.
TEXT 57
kona kanyā palāila naivedya la-iyā
tāre ḍāki’ kahe prabhu sakrodha ha-iyā
SYNONYMS
kona kanyā-some of the girls; palāila-fled; naivedya-the plate of worshipable things; la-iyā-taking away; tāre-unto them; ḍāki’-calling; kahe-says; prabhu-the Lord; sakrodha-angry; ha-iyā-becoming.
TRANSLATION
When some of the girls fled, the Lord called them in anger and advised them as follows:
TEXT 58
yadi naivedya nā deha ha-iyā kṛpaṇī
buḍā bhartā habe, āra cāri cāri satinī
SYNONYMS
yadi-if; naivedya-offering; nā-do not; deha-give Me; ha-iyā-becoming; kṛpaṇī-miser; buḍā-old; bhartā-husband; habe-will have; āra-and; cāri-four; cāri-four; satinī-co-wives.
TRANSLATION
“If you are miserly and do not give Me the offerings, every one of you will have an old husband with at least four co-wives.”
PURPORT
In India in those days and even until fifty years ago, polygamy was freely allowed. Any man, especially of the higher castes-the brāhmaṇas, the vaiśyas and particularly the kṣatriyas-could marry more than one wife. In the Mahābhārata, or the old history of India, we see that kṣatriya kings especially used to marry many wives. According to Vedic civilization there was no restriction against this, and even a man more than fifty years old could marry. But to be married to a man who had many wives was not a very pleasing situation because the husband’s love would be divided among his many wives. To punish the girls unwilling to offer Him the naivedya, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu apparently wanted to curse them to be married to men who had at least four wives.
The social structure allowing a man to marry more than one wife can be supported in this way. Generally in every society the female population is greater in number than the male population. Therefore if it is a principle in the society that all girls should be married, unless polygamy is allowed it will not be possible. If all the girls are not married there is a good chance of adultery, and a society in which adultery is allowed cannot be very peaceful or pure. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness society we have restricted illicit sex life. The practical difficulty is to find a husband for each and every girl. We are therefore in favor of polygamy, provided, of course, that the husband is able to maintain more than one wife.
TEXT 59
ihā śuni’ tā-sabāra mane ha-ila bhaya
kona kichu jāne, kibā devāviṣṭa haya
SYNONYMS
ihā śuni’-hearing this; tā-sabāra-of all the girls; mane-in the minds; ha-ila-became; bhaya-fear; kona kichu-something uncommon; jāne-He knows; kibā-what if; deva-āviṣṭa-empowered by demigods; haya-He is.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this supposed curse by Lord Caitanya, the girls, considering that He might know something uncommon or be empowered by demigods, were afraid that His curse might be effective.
TEXT 60
āniyā naivedya tārā sammukhe dharila
khāiyā naivedya tāre iṣṭa-vara dila
SYNONYMS
āniyā-bringing; naivedya-offering; tārā-all of them; sammukhe-in front; dharila-held; khāiyā-eating; naivedya-offering; tāre-them; iṣṭa-vara-desired benediction; dila-gave.
TRANSLATION
The girls then brought the offerings before the Lord, who ate them all and blessed the girls to their satisfaction.
TEXT 61
ei mata cāpalya saba lokere dekhāya
duḥkha kāro mane nahe, sabe sukha pāya
SYNONYMS
ei mata-in this way; cāpalya-cunning behavior; saba lokere-unto the people in general; dekhāya-exhibits; duḥkha-unhappiness; kāro-distress; mane-in the mind; nahe-there is no such thing; sabe-everyone; sukha-happiness; pāya-enjoys.
TRANSLATION
When this cunning behavior of the Lord with the girls became known to the people in general, it did not create misunderstandings among them. Rather, they enjoyed happiness in these dealings.
TEXT 62
eka-dina vallabhācārya-kanyā ‘lakṣmī’ nāma
devatā pūjite āila kari gaṅgā-snāna
SYNONYMS
eka-dina-one day; vallabhācārya-kanyā-the daughter of Vallabhācārya; lakṣmī-Lakṣmī; nāma-named; devatā-demigods; pūjite-to worship; āila-came; kari-taking; gaṅgā-snāna-bath in the Ganges.
TRANSLATION
One day a girl of the name Lakṣmī, the daughter of Vallabhācārya, came to the bank of the Ganges to take bath in the river and worship the demigods.
PURPORT
According to the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, verse 45, Lakṣmī was formerly Jānakī, the wife of Lord Rāmacandra, and Rukmiṇī, the wife of Lord Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā. The same goddess of fortune descended as Lakṣmī to become the wife of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
TEXT 63
tāṅre dekhi’ prabhura ha-ila sābhilāṣa mana
lakṣmī citte prīta pāila prabhura darśana
SYNONYMS
tāṅre dekhi’-seeing her; prabhura-of the Lord; ha-ila-there was; sa-her; abhilāsa-attachment; mana-mind; lakṣmī-Lakṣmī also; citte-in the heart; prīta-satisfaction; pāila-attained; prabhura-of the Lord; darśana-meeting.
TRANSLATION
Seeing Lakṣmīdevī, the Lord became attached to her, and Lakṣmī, upon seeing the Lord, felt great satisfaction within her mind.
TEXT 64
sāhajika prīti duṅhāra karila udaya
bālya-bhāvācchanna tabhu ha-ila niścaya
SYNONYMS
sāhajika-natural; prīti-affection; duṅhāra-both of them; karila-made; udaya-appearance; bālya-childhood; bhāva-ācchanna-covered by emotion; tabhu-still; ha-ila-it so became; niścaya-fixed up.
TRANSLATION
Their natural love for one another awakened, and although it was covered by childhood emotions, it became apparent that they were mutually attracted.
PURPORT
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lakṣmīdevī are eternal husband and wife. Therefore it was quite natural for their dormant love to awaken when they saw each other. Their natural feelings were immediately awakened by their meeting.
TEXT 65
duṅhā dekhi’ duṅhāra citte ha-ila ullāsa
deva-pūjā chale kaila duṅhe parakāśa
SYNONYMS
duṅhā-both of them; dekhi’-seeing; duṅhāra-of both of them; citte-in the minds; ha-ila-there was; ullāsa-pleasure; deva-pūjā-worshiping the demigods; chale-on the plea of; kaila-there was; duṅhe-both of them; parakāśa-manifestation.
TRANSLATION
They both enjoyed natural pleasure in seeing each nother, and under the pretext of demigod worship they manifested their feelings.
TEXT 66
prabhu kahe, ‘āmā’ pūja, āmi maheśvara
āmāre pūjile pābe abhīpsita vara’
SYNONYMS
prabhu kahe-the Lord said; āmā’ pūja-just worship Me; āmi-I am; maheśvara-the Supreme Lord; āmāre-unto Me; pūjile-if you worship; pābe-you will get; abhīpsita-desired; vara-benediction.
TRANSLATION
The Lord told Lakṣmī, “Just worship Me, for I am the Supreme Lord. If you worship Me, certainly you will get the benediction you desire.”
PURPORT
This is the same philosophy declared by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself:
sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.” (Bg. 18.66) People do not understand this. They are accustomed to flatter or worship many demigods, human beings, or even cats and dogs, but when requested to worship the Supreme Lord, they refuse. This is called illusion. Factually, if one worships the Supreme Lord there is no need to worship anyone else. For example, in a village of a limited area one may use different wells for different purposes, but when one goes to a river where there is water constantly flowing in waves, that water can serve all his purposes. When there is a river, one can take drinking water, wash his clothes, bathe and so on, for that water will serve all purposes. Similarly, if one worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, all his goals will be achieved. Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante ‘nya-devatāḥ: only men who have lost their intelligence worship the various demigods to fulfill their desires (Bg. 7.20).
TEXT 67
lakṣmī tāṅra aṅge dila puṣpa-candana
mallikāra mālā diyā karila vandana
SYNONYMS
lakṣmī-Lakṣmīdevī; tāṅra-His; aṅge-on the body; dila-gave; puṣpa-flowers; candana-sandalwood pulp; mallikāra-of the flower of the name mallikā; mālā-garland; diyā-giving; karila-offered; vandana-prayers.
TRANSLATION
On hearing the order of the Supreme Lord, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Lakṣmī immediately worshiped Him, offering sandalwood pulp and flowers for His body, garlanding Him with mallikā flowers, and offering prayers.
TEXT 68
prabhu tāṅra pūjā pāñā hāsite lāgilā
śloka paḍi’ tāṅra bhāva aṅgīkāra kailā
SYNONYMS
prabhu-the Lord; tāṅra-her; pūjā-worship; pāñā-receiving; hāsite-to smile; lāgilā-began; śloka paḍi’-reciting one verse; tāṅra-her; bhāva-emotion; aṅgīkāra kailā-accepted.
TRANSLATION
Being worshiped by Lakṣmī, the Lord began to smile. He recited a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and thus accepted the emotion she expressed.
PURPORT
The verse quoted in this connection is the twenty-fifth verse of the Twenty-second Chapter, Tenth Canto, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The gopīs worshiped the goddess Durgā, or Kātyāyanī, but their inner desire was to get Lord Kṛṣṇa as their husband. Kṛṣṇa, as Paramātmā, could realize the ardent desire of the gopīs, and therefore He enjoyed the pastime of vastra-haraṇa. When the gopīs went to bathe in the river Yamunā, they left their garments on the land and dipped into the water completely naked. Taking this opportunity, Kṛṣṇa stole all their garments and sat down in the top of a tree with them, desiring to see the girls naked just to become their husband. The gopīs desired to have Kṛṣṇa as their husband, and since it is only before her husband that a woman can be naked, to fulfill their desire Lord Kṛṣṇa accepted their prayers by this pastime of stealing their garments. When the gopīs received their garments back from Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa recited this verse.
TEXT 69
saṅkalpo viditaḥ sādhvyo
bhavatīnāṁ mad-arcanam
mayānumoditaḥ so ‘sau
satyo bhavitum arhati
SYNONYMS
saṅkalpaḥ-desire; viditaḥ-has been understood; sādhvyaḥ-O all of you chaste ladies; bhavatīnām-of all of you; mat-arcanam-for worshiping Me; mayā-by Me; anumoditaḥ-accepted; saḥ-that; asau-that determination or desire; satyaḥ-successful; bhavitum-to become; arhati-deserves.
TRANSLATION
“My dear gopīs, I accept your desire to have Me as your husband and thus worship Me. I wish your desire to be fulfilled because it deserves to be so.”
PURPORT
The gopīs, the girlfriends of Kṛṣṇa, were almost of the same age as He. Within their minds they desired that Kṛṣṇa be their husband, but because of feminine bashfulness they could not express their desire. Therefore later on, after stealing their garments, Kṛṣṇa informed them, “I immediately understood your desire and approved of it. Because I have now stolen your garments, you have presented yourselves before Me completely naked, which means that I have accepted all of you as My wives.” Sometimes foolish rascals, not knowing the purpose of the Lord or the purpose of the gopīs, unnecessarily criticize from their own angle of vision, but the real purpose of vastra-haraṇa is expressed by the Lord in this verse.
TEXT 70
ei-mata līlā kari’ duṅhe gelā ghare
gambhīra caitanya-līlā ke bujhite pāre
SYNONYMS
ei-mata-in this way; līlā-pastimes; kari’-executing; duṅhe-both of them; gelā-returned; ghare-home; gambhīra-very grave; caitanya-līlā-the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; ke-who; bujhite-to understand; pāre-is able.
TRANSLATION
After thus expressing their feelings to each other, Lord Caitanya and Lakṣmī returned home. Who can understand the grave pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu?
TEXT 71
caitanya-cāpalya dekhi’ preme sarva jana
śacī-jagannāthe dekhi’ dena olāhana
SYNONYMS
caitanya-Lord Caitanya; cāpalya-naughtiness; dekhi’-seeing; preme-out of love; sarva jana-all people; śacī-before Śacīmātā; jagannāthe-and Jagannātha Miśra; dekhi’-seeing them; dena-gave; olāhana-a little rebuke.
TRANSLATION
When the neighboring people saw the naughty behavior of Lord Caitanya, out of love for Him they lodged complaints with Śacīmātā and Jagannātha Miśra.
TEXT 72
ekadina śacī-devī putrere bhartsiyā
dharibāre gelā, putra gelā palāiyā
SYNONYMS
eka-dina-one day; śacī-devī-mother Śacī; putrere-unto the son; bhartsiyā-rebuking; dharibāre-to catch Him; gelā-went; putra-the son; gelā-went; palāiyā-running away.
TRANSLATION
One day mother Śacī went to catch her son, wanting to rebuke Him, but He fled from the spot.
TEXT 73
ucchiṣṭa-garte tyakta-hāṇḍīra upara
basiyāchena sukhe prabhu deva-viśvambhara
SYNONYMS
ucchiṣṭa-garte-in the pit where the remnants of food were thrown; tyakta-rejected; hāṇḍīra-pots; upara-upon; basiyāchena-sat down; sukhe-very pleasingly; prabhu-the Lord; deva-the Supreme God; viśvambhara-the maintainer of the universe.
TRANSLATION
Although He is the maintainer of the entire universe, once the Lord sat upon some rejected pots in the pit where the remnants of food were thrown, after the pots had been used for cooking.
PURPORT
Formerly it was the custom of brāhmaṇas to worship Lord Viṣṇu daily at home and cook food in new pots. This system is still going on in Jagannātha Purī. The food would be cooked in earthen pots, all fresh and new, and after cooking, the pots would be thrown away. By the side of the house there was generally a big pit where such pots were thrown. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu sat down on the pots very pleasingly, just to give His mother a lesson.
TEXT 74
śacī āsi’ kahe,–kene aśuci chuṅilā
gaṅgā-snāna kara yāi’–apavitra ha-ilā
SYNONYMS
śacī āsi’-mother Śacī, coming there; kahe-said; kene-why; aśuci-untouchable; chuṅilā-You have touched; gaṅgā-snāna-bathing in the Ganges; kara-do; yāi’-going there; apavitra ha-ilā-You have become impure.
TRANSLATION
When mother Śacī saw her boy sitting on the rejected pots, she protested, “Why have You touched these untouchable pots? You have now become impure. Go and bathe in the Ganges.”
TEXT 75
ihā śuni’ mātāke kahila brahma-jñāna
vismitā ha-iyā mātā karāila snāna
SYNONYMS
ihā śuni’-hearing this; mātāke-unto His mother; kahila-explained; brahma-jñāna-absolute knowledge; vismitā-amazed; ha-iyā-becoming; mātā-the mother; karāila-forced; snāna-bathing.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught His mother about absolute knowledge. Although amazed by this, His mother forced Him to take a bath.
PURPORT
The absolute knowledge explained by the Lord to His mother is described by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya as follows: “The Lord said, ‘Mother, that this is pure and that is impure is surely a worldly sentiment with no basis in fact. You have cooked food for Lord Viṣṇu within these pots and offered the food to Him. How then can these pots be untouchable? Everything in relationship with Viṣṇu is to be considered an expansion of Viṣṇu’s energy. Viṣṇu, the Supersoul, is eternal and uncontaminated. How then may these pots be considered pure or impure?’ Hearing this discourse on absolute knowledge, His mother was very much astonished and forced Him to take a bath.”
TEXT 76
kabhu putra-saṅge śacī karilā śayana
dekhe, divyaloka āsi’ bharila bhavana
SYNONYMS
kabhu-sometimes; putra-saṅge-taking the boy; śacī-mother Śacī; karilā śayana-took rest; dekhe-sees; divya-loka-celestial denizens; āsi’-coming there; bharila-filled up; bhavana-the whole house.
TRANSLATION
Sometimes, taking her son with her, mother Śacī would lie down on her bed, and she would see that denizens of the celestial world had come there, filling the entire house.
TEXT 77
śacī bale,–yāha, putra, bolāha bāpere
mātṛ-ājñā pāiyā prabhu calilā bāhire
SYNONYMS
śacī bale-mother Śacī said; yāha-go; putra-my dear son; bolāha-call; bāpere-Your father; mātṛ-ājñā-the order of His mother; paiyā-getting; prabhu-the Lord; calilā-went; bāhire-out.
TRANSLATION
Once mother Śacī told the Lord, “Please go call Your father.” Receiving this order from His mother, the Lord went out to call him.
TEXT 78
calite caraṇe nūpura bāje jhanjhan
śuni’ camakita haila pitā-mātāra mana
SYNONYMS
calite-while going; caraṇe-on the lotus feet; nūpura-ankle bells; bāje-sounded; jhanjhan-tinkling; śuni’-hearing; camakita-struck with wonder; haila-became; pitā-of His father; mātāra-and mother; mana-the minds.
TRANSLATION
When the child was going out, there was a tinkling of ankle bells from His lotus feet. Hearing this, His father and mother were struck with wonder.
TEXT 79
miśra kahe,–ei baḍa adbhuta kāhinī
śiśura śūnya-pade kene nūpurera dhvani
SYNONYMS
miśra kahe-Jagannātha Miśra said; ei baḍa-this is very; adbhuta-wonderful; kāhinī-incident; śiśura-of the child; śūnya-pade-on the naked legs; kene-why; nūpurera-of the ankle bells; dhvani-sound.
TRANSLATION
Jagannātha Miśra said, “This is a very wonderful incident. Why is there a sound of ankle bells from the bare feet of my child?”
TEXT 80
śacī kahe,–āra eka adbhuta dekhila
divya divya loka āsi’ aṅgana bharila
SYNONYMS
śacī kahe-mother Śacī said; āra-another; eka-one; adbhuta-wonderful; dekhila-I saw; divya-celestial; divya-celestial; loka-people; āsi’-coming there; aṅgana-courtyard; bharila-filled up.
TRANSLATION
Mother Śacī said, “I also saw another wonder. People were coming down from the celestial kingdom and crowding the entire courtyard.
TEXT 81
kibā kelāhala kare, bujhite nā pāri
kāhāke vā stuti kare–anumāna kari
SYNONYMS
kibā-what; kelāhala-rowdy sounds; kare-they make; bujhite-to understand; nā-not; pāri-I am able; kāhāke-to whom; vā-or; stuti-prayer; kare-they offer; anumāna-guess; kari-I do.
TRANSLATION
“They made noisy sounds I could not understand. I guess they were offering prayers to someone.”
TEXT 82
miśra bale,–kichu ha-uk, cintā kichu nāi
viśvambharera kuśala ha-uk,–ei mātra cāi
SYNONYMS
miśra bale-Jagannātha Miśra replied; kichu ha-uk-whatever it may be; cintā kichu nāi-don’t be worried; viśvambharera-of Viśvambhara; kuśala-auspiciousness; ha-uk-let there be; ei-this; mātra-only; cāi-I want.
TRANSLATION
Jagannātha Miśra replied, “Never mind what it is. There is no need to worry. Let there always be good fortune for Viśvambhara. This is all I want.”
TEXT 83
eka-dina miśra putrera cāpalya dekhiyā
dharma-śikṣā dila bahu bhartsanā kariyā
SYNONYMS
eka-dina-one day; miśra-Jagannātha Miśra; putrera-of his son; cāpalya-the mischievous behavior; dekhiyā-seeing; dharma-śikṣā-religious teaching; dila-gave; bahu-much; bhartsanā-rebuking; kariyā-doing.
TRANSLATION
On another occasion, Jagannātha Miśra, seeing the mischievous acts of his son, gave Him lessons in morality after rebuking Him greatly.
TEXT 84
rātre svapna dekhe,–eka āsi’ brahmaṇa
miśrere kahaye kichu sa-roṣa vacana
SYNONYMS
rātre-at night; svapna dekhe-he dreamt; eka-one; āsi’-coming; brāhmana-brāhmaṇa; miśrere-unto Jagannātha Miśra; kahaye-spoke; kichu-something; sa-roṣa-with anger; vacana-words.
TRANSLATION
On that very night, Jagannātha Miśra dreamt that a brāhmaṇa had come before him speaking these words in great anger:
TEXT 85
“miśra, tumi putrera tattva kichui nā jāna
bhartsana-tāḍana kara,–putra kari’ māna”
SYNONYMS
miśra-my dear Jagannātha Miśra; tumi-you; putrera-of your son; tattva-truth; kichui-something; nā-do not; jāna-know; bhartsana-rebuking; tāḍana-chastisement; kara-you do; putra-son; kari’-making Him; māna-you regard.
TRANSLATION
“My dear Miśra, you do not know anything about your son. You think Him your son, and therefore you rebuke and chastise Him.”
TEXT 86
miśra kahe,–deva, siddha, muni kene naya
ye se baḍa ha-uk mātra āmāra tanaya
SYNONYMS
miśra kahe-Jagannātha Miśra replied; deva-demigod; siddha-mystic yogī; muni-great saintly person; kene naya-may be so or not; ye se-whatever; baḍa-great; ha-uk-He may be; mātra-only; āmāra-my; tanaya-son.
TRANSLATION
Jagannātha Miśra replied, “This boy may be a demigod, a mystic yogī or a great saintly person. It doesn’t matter what He is, for I think He is only my son.
TEXT 87
putrera lālana-śikṣā–pitāra sva-dharma
āmi nā śikhāle kaiche janibe dharma-marma
SYNONYMS
putrera-of the son; lālana-maintenance; śikṣā-education; pitara-of the father; sva-dharma-duty; āmi-if I; nā-do not; śikhāle-give education; kaiche-how; janibe-He will know; dharma-marma-religion and morality.
TRANSLATION
“It is the duty of a father to educate his son in both religion and morality. If I do not give Him this education, how will He know of it?”
TEXT 88
vipra kahe,–putra yadi daiva-siddha haya
svataḥ-siddha-jñāna, tabe śikṣā vyartha haya
SYNONYMS
vipra kahe-the brāhmaṇa replied; putra-son; yadi-if; daiva-transcendental; siddha-mystic; haya-were; svataḥ-siddha-jñāna-self-illuminated perfect knowledge; tabe-at that time; śikṣā-education; vyartha-futile; haya-becomes.
TRANSLATION
The brāhmaṇa replied, “If your son is a transcendental mystic boy with self-effulgent perfect knowledge, what is the use of your education?”
PURPORT
The brāhmaṇa Jagannātha Miśra saw in his dream told him that his son was not an ordinary human being. If He were a transcendental person, He would have self-effulgent knowledge, and thus there would be no need to educate Him.
TEXT 89
miśra kahe,–“putra kene nahe nārāyaṇa
tathāpi pitāra dharma–putrera śikṣaṇa”
SYNONYMS
miśra kahe-Jagannātha Miśra replied; putra-my son; kene-may be; nahe-why not; nārāyaṇa-the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tathāpi-still; pitāra-of a father; dharma-the duty; putrera-of the son; śikṣaṇa-instruction.
TRANSLATION
Jagannātha Miśra replied, “Even if my son is not a common man but Nārāyaṇa, still it is the duty of a father to instruct his son.”
TEXT 90
ei-mate duṅhe karena dharmera vicāra
viśuddha-vātsalya miśrera, nāhi jāne āra
SYNONYMS
ei-mate-in this way; duṅhe-both of them; karena-do; dharmera-of religion; vicāra-consideration; viśuddha-unalloyed; vātsalya-parental affection; miśrera-of Jagannātha Miśra; nāhi-there is not; jāne-he knew; āra-anything else.
TRANSLATION
In this way Jagannātha Miśra and the brāhmaṇa discussed the principles of religion in the dream, yet Jagannātha Miśra was absorbed in unalloyed parental mellow and did not want to know anything else.
PURPORT
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.8.45) it is said: “Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is worshiped with exalted hymns by all the Vedas and Upaniṣads and by great personalities through sāṅkhya-yoga in the mode of goodness, was considered by mother Yaśodā and Nanda to be their own little son.” Similarly, Jagannātha Miśra also considered Lord Caitanya Mahāprahhu his beloved little boy, although He is worshiped with all veneration by learned brāhmaṇas and saintly persons.
TEXT 91
eta śuni’ dvija gelā hañā ānandita
miśra jāgiyā ha-ilā parama vismita
SYNONYMS
eta śuni’-after hearing so much; dvija-the brāhmaṇa; gelā-returned; hañā-becoming; ānandita-very much pleased; miśra-Jagannātha Miśra; jāgiyā-being awakened; ha-ilā-became; parama-highly; vismita-astonished.
TRANSLATION
Being very much pleased, the brāhmaṇa left after talking with Jagannātha Miśra, and when Jagannātha Miśra awakened from his dream, he was very much astonished.
TEXT 92
bandhu-bāndhava-sthāne svapna kahila
śuniyā sakala loka vismita ha-ila
SYNONYMS
bandhu-bāndhava-of friends and relatives; sthāne-in the presence; svapna-dream; kahila-explained; śuniyā-after hearing; sakala-all; loka-the people; vismita-astonished; ha-ila-became.
TRANSLATION
He related the dream to his friends and relatives, and every one of them was very much astonished to hear of it.
TEXT 93
ei mata śiśu-līlā kare gauracandra
dine dine pitā-mātāra bāḍāya ānanda
SYNONYMS
ei-this; mata-like; śiśu-līlā-childhood pastimes; kare-does; gauracandra-Śrī Gaurahari; dine dine-day after day; pitā-mātāra-of His parents; bāḍāya-He increases; ānanda-the pleasure.
TRANSLATION
In this way Gaurahari performed His childhood pastimes and day after day increased the pleasure of His parents.
TEXT 94
kata dine miśra putrera hāte khaḍi dila
alpa dine dvādaśa-phalā akṣara śikhila
SYNONYMS
kata dine-after some days; miśra-Jagannātha Miśra; putrera-of his son; hāte-in the hand; khaḍi-chalk; dila-gave; alpa-within a very few; dine-days; dvādaśa-phalā-twelve combinations of letters; akṣara-letters; śikhila-learned.
TRANSLATION
After some days Jagannātha Miśra inaugurated the primary education of his son by performing the hāte khaḍi ceremony. Within a very few days the Lord learned all the letters and combinations of letters.
PURPORT
The twelve phalā, or combinations of letters, are called repha, mūrdhanya (cerebral), ṇa, dāntavya (dental), na, ma, ya, ra, la, va, ṛ, ṝ, ḷ and ḷ. Hāte khaḍi is the primary educational beginning. At the age of four or five years, on an auspicious day called vidyārambha marking the beginning of primary education, there is a ceremony worshiping Lord Viṣṇu, and after that the teacher gives the child a long chalk pencil. Then, guiding the hand of the student, he instructs him how to write the letters of the alphabet (a, ā, i, etc.) by writing big letters on the floor. When the child is a little advanced in writing, he is given a slate for his primary education, which ends when he learns the two-letter combinations, which are called phalā, as mentioned above.
TEXT 95
bālyalīlā-sūtra ei kaila anukrama
ihā vistāriyāchena dāsa-vṛndāvana
SYNONYMS
bālya-līlā-sūtra-synopsis of the pastimes of childhood; ei-this; kaila-did; anukrama-in chronological order; ihā-this; vistāriyāchena-has elaborately explained; dāsa-vṛndāvana-Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura.
TRANSLATION
This is a synopsis of the childhood pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, placed herewith in chronological order. Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura has already elaborately explained these pastimes in his book Caitanya-bhāgavata.
TEXT 96
ataeva ei-līlā saṅkṣepe sūtra kaila
punarukti-bhaye vistārirā nā kahila
SYNONYMS
ataeva-therefore; ei-līlā-these pastimes; saṅkṣepe-in brief; sūtra-synopsis; kaila-made; punar-ukti-repetition; bhaye-being afraid of; vistārirā-elaborate explanation; nā-did not; kahila-say.
TRANSLATION
I have therefore made only a brief summary. Being afraid of repetition, I have not elaborated upon this subject matter.
TEXT 97
śrī-rūpa-raghunātha-pade yāra āśa
caitanya-caritāmṛta kahe kṛṣṇadāsa
SYNONYMS
śrī-rūpa-Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī; raghunātha-Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī; pade-at the lotus feet; yāra-whose; āśa-expectation; caitanya-caritāmṛta-the book named Caitanya-caritāmṛta; kahe-describes; kṛṣṇa-dāsa-Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī.
TRANSLATION
Praying at the lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Raghunātha, always desiring their mercy, I, Kṛṣṇadāsa, narrate Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, following in their footsteps.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, Fourteenth Chapter, describing Lord Caitanya’s childhood pastimes.