20221214 The Festival of Punishment by Lord Nityānanda

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on December 14th, 2022 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book. Today's chapter is entitled as:

The Festival of Punishment by Lord Nityānanda
Under the section: The Meeting of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.52

svagrāma haite ciḍā-mahotsavera dravyādi ānayana:—

sei-kṣaṇe nija-loka pāṭhāilā grāme
bhakṣya-dravya loka saba grāma haite āne

Translation: Raghunātha dāsa immediately sent his own men to the village to purchase all kinds of eatables and bring them back.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Raghunatha dāsa immediately became active and started to arrange for the festival that Lord Nityānanda had asked for. He was very enthused and all over the world we observe the ciḍā-dadhi mahotsva and help Raghunatha dāsa serve Lord Nityānanda and His associates.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.53

ciḍā, dadhi, dugdha, sandeśa, āra cini, kalā
saba dravya ānāñā caudike dharilā

Translation: Raghunātha dāsa brought chipped rice, yogurt, milk, sweetmeats, sugar, bananas and other eatables and placed them all around.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this was in the summer season which has mangoes and other tropical fruits available, he got all these together.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.54

mahotsava varṇana:—

‘mahotsava’-nāma śuni’ brāhmaṇa-sajjana
āsite lāgila loka asaṅkhya-gaṇana

Translation: As soon as they heard that a festival was going to be held, all kinds of brāhmaṇas and other gentlemen began to arrive. Thus there were innumerable people.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, when the word mahotsava is spoken, it means there will be a festival and there will be prasāda distribution, so all the brāhmaṇas, sajjanas, came to observe and participate in the festival and the feast.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.55

āra grāmāntara haite sāmagrī ānila
śata dui-cāri holnā tāṅhā ānāila

Translation: Seeing the crowd increasing, Raghunātha dāsa arranged to get more eatables from other villages. He also brought two to four hundred large, round earthen pots.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.56

baḍa baḍa mṛt-kuṇḍikā ānāila pāṅca sāte
eka vipra prabhu lāgi’ ciḍā bhijāya tāte

Translation: He also obtained five or seven especially large earthen pots, and in these pots a brāhmaṇa began soaking chipped rice for the satisfaction of Lord Nityānanda.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the big pots were especially for mixing special combinations to be offered to Lord Nityānanda for His pleasure.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.57

eka-ṭhāñi tapta-dugdhe ciḍā bhijāñā
ardheka chānila dadhi, cini, kalā diyā

Translation: In one place, chipped rice was soaked in hot milk in each of the large pots. Then half the rice was mixed with yogurt, sugar and bananas.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, some of the chipped rice was served with condensed milk, some was given with yoghurt, both had various fruits.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.58

āra ardheka ghanāvṛta-dugdhete chānila
cāṅpā-kalā, cini, ghṛta, karpūra tāte dila

Translation: The other half was mixed with condensed milk and a special type of banana known as cāṅpā-kalā. Then sugar, clarified butter and camphor were added.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, cāṅpā-kalā is said to be a special banana which is available in Bengal, which is very sweet and slightly golden in color and scientific study has shown that it has the highest Vitamin C among all bananas.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.59

prabhura pīṭhe upaveśana:—

dhuti pari’ prabhu yadi piṇḍāte vasilā
sāta-kuṇḍī vipra tāṅra āgete dharilā

Translation: After Nityānanda Prabhu had changed His cloth for a new one and sat on a raised platform, the brāhmaṇa brought before Him the seven huge pots.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.60

baṭavṛkṣatale catvaropari prabhusaṅgi-bhaktagaṇera upaveśana:—

cabutarā-upare yata prabhura nija-gaṇe
baḍa baḍa loka vasilā maṇḍalī-racane

Translation: On that platform, all the most important associates of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, as well as other important men, sat down in a circle around the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda was making a special festival and He had all His important associates and important people sitting around Him.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.61

nityānandagaṇera upaveśana:—

rāmadāsa, sundarānanda, dāsa-gadādhara
murāri, kamalākara, sadāśiva, purandara

Translation: Among them were Rāmadāsa, Sundarānanda, Gadādhara dāsa, Murāri, Kamalākara, Sadāśiva and Purandara.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.62

dhanañjaya, jagadīśa, parameśvara-dāsa
maheśa, gaurīdāsa, hoḍa-kṛṣṇadāsa

Translation: Dhanañjaya, Jagadīśa, Parameśvara dāsa, Maheśa, Gaurīdāsa and Hoḍa Kṛṣṇadāsa were also there.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, they were all very dear associates of Lord Nityānanda, they are mentioned in Ādi-līlā of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.63

uddhāraṇa datta ādi yata nija-gaṇa
upare vasilā saba, ke kare gaṇana?

Translation: Similarly, Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura and many other personal associates of the Lord sat on the raised platform with Nityānanda Prabhu. No one could count them all.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda is a descendant of Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura but he doesn’t mention that much, but it is important to note.

Purport: By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupāda The devotees mentioned herein are described by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura in his Anubhāṣya. For further information one may consult the following references in the Ādi-līlā: Rāmadāsa — chapter ten, texts 116-118, and chapter eleven, texts 13-16. Sundarānanda — 11.23.Gadādhara dāsa — 10.53, 11.13-15 and 11.17. Murāri — The Murāri mentioned herein is different from Murāri Gupta. His full name is Murāri Caitanya dāsa, and he is a personal associate of Nityānanda Prabhu. Thus one should consult chapter eleven, text 20. Kamalākara — 11.24. Sadāśiva — 11.38. Purandara — 11.28. Dhanañjaya — 11.31. Jagadīśa — 11.30. Parameśvara — 11.29. Maheśa — 11.32. Gaurīdāsa — 11.26. Hoḍa Kṛṣṇadāsa — 11.47. Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura — 11.41.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Murāri Caitanya dāsa is a disciple of Śāraṅga Ṭhākura. He was dead and floating in the Ganges and was brought back to life by Śāraṅga Ṭhākura giving him initiation

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.64

vaiṣṇave jātibuddhihīna vipragaṇera mahāprasāda-sammāna:—

śuni’ paṇḍita bhaṭṭācārya yata vipra āilā
mānya kari’ prabhu sabāre upare vasāilā

Translation: Hearing about the festival, all kinds of learned scholars, brāhmaṇas and priests went there. Lord Nityānanda Prabhu honored them and made them sit on the raised platform with Him.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.65

dui dui mṛt-kuṇḍikā sabāra āge dila
eke dugdha-ciḍā, āre dadhi-ciḍā kaila

Translation: Everyone was offered two earthen pots. In one was put chipped rice with condensed milk, and in the other chipped rice with yogurt.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, these flavors were with the condensed milk, and flavors with yoghurt. In various places around the world, we celebrate this ciḍā-dadhi festival. We make different mixtures of ciḍā and condensed milk and ciḍā and yoghurt and also some salty salad preparations because people of different countries, they like salads.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.66

āra yata loka saba cautarā-talāne
maṇḍalī-bandhe vasilā, tāra nā haya gaṇane

Translation: All the other people sat in groups around the platform. No one could count how many people there were.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, there was a field around the tree and people were sitting on the field around the platform.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.67

ekeka janāre dui dui holnā dila
dadhi-ciḍā dugdha-ciḍā, duite bhijāila

Translation: Each and every one of them was supplied two earthen pots — one of chipped rice soaked in yogurt and the other of chipped rice soaked in condensed milk.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.68

kona kona vipra upare sthāna nā pāñā
dui holnāya ciḍā bhijāya gaṅgā-tīre giyā

Translation: Some of the brāhmaṇas, not having gotten a place on the platform, went to the bank of the Ganges with their two earthen pots and soaked their chipped rice there.

Jayapatākā Swami: The field was also filled and not getting a place there people went to the Ganges and stood in the water, first up to their ankles, up to their knees and taking the prasāda.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.69

tīre sthāna nā pāñā āra kata jana
jale nāmi’ dadhi-ciḍā karaye bhakṣaṇa

Translation: Others, who could not get a place even on the bank of the Ganges, got down into the water and began eating their two kinds of chipped rice.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.70

keha upare, keha tale, keha gaṅgā-tīre
biśa-jana tina-ṭhāñi pariveśana kare

Translation: Thus, some sat on the platform, some at the base of the platform,and some on the bank of the Ganges, and they were all supplied two pots each by the twenty men who distributed the food.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Raghunatha dāsa Prabhu was distributing and seeing that everyone got the two pots of chipped rice prasāda. This festival still held in Pānihāṭi and there is no advertisement but everyone comes. Thousands of people come, it’s a special festival that’s spontaneously observed, people come and mix the ciḍā-dadhi, and ciḍā and milk and distribute it others. ISKCON by His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami does a massive prasāda distribution.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, The Festival of Punishment by Lord Nityānanda
Under the section: The Meeting of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī