19860622 Caitanya-caratāmṛta Antya-līlā 6.2-110

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on June 22^nd 1986 in Atlanta Georgia. The class begins with a reading from Sri Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya Līlā chapter 6, text 2 to 110.

 

vande 'ham sri-guroh sri-yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaisnavams ca

sri-rupam sagrajatam saha-gana-raghunathanvitam tam sa-jivam

sadvaitam savadhutam parijana-sahitam Kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devam

sri-radha-Kṛṣṇa-padan saha-gana-lalita-sri-visakhanvitams ca

 

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Maharaj:

 

All glory to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

All glory to Lord Nityānanda 

All glory to Śrī Advaita ācārya

And all glories to all the devotees of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

 

ei-mata vihare gaura lañā bhakta-gaṇa

raghunātha-milana ebe śuna, bhakta-gaṇa

 

The Lord thus enjoyed His life with His devotees. O devotees of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, now hear how Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī met the Lord.

Lord Caitanya used to be in great separation of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa when he was chanting but He was hide his feelings of separation not to cause the other devotees suffering but He couldn't divert himself at night His separation from Kṛṣṇa would increase.

 

At that time Rāmānanda Rāya and Swarup Damodar used to pacify him just like Subla Saka and Lalitā Saki used to pacify Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā Rāṇī when they were respectively feeling separation.

 

So now we can hear how Raghunātha dāsa another great devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu met Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

 

pūrve śāntipure raghunātha yabe āilā

mahāprabhu kṛpā kari’ tāṅre śikhāilā

 

When Raghunātha dāsa, during his family life, went to meet Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Śāntipura, the Lord gave him worthy instructions by His causeless mercy.

 

prabhura śikṣāte teṅho nija-ghare yāya

markaṭa-vairāgya chāḍi’ hailā ‘viṣayi-prāya’

Instead of becoming a so-called renunciant, Raghunātha dāsa, following the instructions of the Lord, returned home and played exactly like a pounds-and-shillings man.

 

bhitare vairāgya, bāhire kare sarva-karma

dekhiyā ta’ mātā-pitāra ānandita mana

 

Raghunātha dāsa was inwardly completely renounced, even in family life, but he did not express his renunciation externally. Instead, he acted just like an ordinary businessman. Seeing this, his father and mother were satisfied.

 

‘mathurā haite prabhu āilā’, — vārtā yabe pāilā

prabhu-pāśa calibāre udyoga karilā

 

When he received a message that Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had returned from Mathurā City, Raghunātha dāsa endeavored to go to the lotus feet of the Lord.

 

hena-kāle mulukera eka mleccha adhikārī

saptagrāma-mulukera se haya ‘caudhurī’

 

At that time there was a Muslim official collecting the taxes of Saptagrāma.

 

Purport:

 

Formerly, when the Muslim government was in power, the person appointed tax collector would collect the taxes of the local zamindars, or landholders. He would keep one fourth of the collection for himself as a profit, and the balance he would deliver to the treasury of the government.

hiraṇya-dāsa muluka nila ‘makrari’ kariyā

tāra adhikāra gela, mare se dekhiyā

 

When Hiraṇya dāsa, Raghunātha dāsa’s uncle, made an agreement with the government to collect taxes, the Muslim caudhurī, or tax collector, having lost his position, became extremely envious of him.

 

bāra lakṣa deya rājāya, sādhe biśa lakṣa

se ‘turuk’ kichu nā pāñā haila pratipakṣa

 

Hiraṇya dāsa was collecting 2,000,000 coins and therefore should have delivered 1,500,000 to the government. Instead, he was giving only 1,200,000, thus making an extra profit of 300,000 coins. Seeing this, the Muslim caudhurī, who was a Turk, became his rival.

rāja-ghare kaiphiyat diyā ujīre ānila

hiraṇya-dāsa palāila, raghunāthere bāndhila

 

After sending a confidential account to the government treasury, the caudhurī brought the minister in charge. The caudhurī came, wanting to arrest Hiraṇya dāsa, but Hiraṇya dāsa had left home. Therefore, the caudhurī arrested Raghunātha dāsa.

Just went Raghunātha dāsa wanted to go to see Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He got arrested to see how maya works huh.

 

prati-dina raghunāthe karaye bhartsanā

‘bāpa-jyeṭhāre āna’, nahe pāibā yātanā

 

Every day, the Mohamad din would chastise Raghunātha dāsa and tell him, “Bring your father and his elder brother. Otherwise, you will be punished.”

 

mārite ānaye yadi dekhe raghunāthe

mana phiri’ yāya, tabe nā pāre mārite

 

The caudhurī wanted to beat him, but as soon as he saw Raghunātha’s face, his mind changed, and he could not beat him.

 

viśeṣe kāyastha-buddhye antare kare ḍara

mukhe tarje garje, mārite sabhaya antara

 

Indeed, the caudhurī was afraid of Raghunātha dāsa because Raghunātha dāsa belonged to the kāyastha community. Although the caudhurī would chastise him with oral vibrations, he was afraid to beat him.

 

Purport:

 

Raghunātha dāsa belonged to a very aristocratic family of the kāyastha community. He had substantial influence with the local people, and therefore the caudhurī, or minister, was afraid to beat him. Superficially he would chastise Raghunātha dāsa with threatening vibrations, but he did not beat him. The members of the kāyastha community in India are generally very intelligent and expert in business management. Formerly they were mostly government officers. They were mentioned even by Yājñavalkya, as quoted by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya:

 

mahā-sāhasikādibhiḥ cāṭa-taskara-durvṛttair

kāyasthaiś ca viśeṣataḥ pīḍyamānā prajā rakṣet

 

From this verse it appears that the governmental officials of the kāyastha community would sometimes chastise the citizens, and thus it was the duty of the king to protect the people in general from the atrocities of the kāyasthas. In Bengal the kāyastha community is honored almost as much as the brāhmaṇa community, but in the up-country of India the kāyasthas are considered śūdras because they generally eat meat and drink wine. In any case, from history the kāyasthas appear very intelligent. Thus, the Mohamed din caudhurī was afraid of Raghunātha dāsa because he belonged to the kāyastha community.

tabe raghunātha kichu cintilā upāya

vinati kariyā kahe sei mleccha-pāya

 

While this was going on, Raghunātha dāsa thought of a tricky method of escape. Thus, he humbly submitted this plea at the feet of the Mohammedan caudhurī.

 

“āmāra pitā, jyeṭhā haya tomāra dui bhāi

bhāi-bhāiye tomarā kalaha kara sarvadāi

 

“My dear sir, my father and his elder brother are your brothers. All brothers always fight about something.

kabhu kalaha, kabhu prīti — ihāra niścaya nāi

kāli punaḥ tina bhāi ha-ibā eka-ṭhāñi

“Sometimes brothers fight among themselves, and sometimes they have very friendly dealings. There is no certainty when such changes will take place. Thus, I am sure that although today you are fighting, tomorrow you three brothers will be sitting together in peace.

āmi yaiche pitāra, taiche tomāra bālaka

āmi tomāra pālya, tumi āmāra pālaka

 

“Just as I am my father’s son, so I am also yours. I am your dependent, and you are my maintainer.

pālaka hañā pālyere tāḍite nā yuyāya

tumi sarva-śāstra jāna ‘jindā-pīra’-prāya”

 

“For a maintainer to punish the person he maintains is not good. You are an expert in all the scriptures. Indeed, you are like a living saint.”

                                  

eta śuni’ sei mlecchera mana ārdra haila

dāḍi vāhi’ aśru paḍe, kāṅdite lāgila

 

When the Muslim heard Raghunātha dāsa’s appealing voice, his heart softened. He began to cry, and tears glided down his beard.

 

mleccha bale, — “āji haite tumi — mora ‘putra’

āji chāḍāimu tomā’ kari’ eka sūtra”

 

The Mohammedan caudhurī told Raghunātha dāsa, “You are my son from this day on. Today, by some means, I shall have you released.”

 

ujire kahiyā raghunāthe chāḍāila

prīti kari’ raghunāthe kahite lāgila

 

After informing the minister, the caudhurī released Raghunātha dāsa and then began to speak to him with great affection.

 

“tomāra jyeṭhā nirbuddhi aṣṭa-lakṣa khāya

āmi — bhāgī, āmāre kichu dibāre yuyāya

 

“Your father’s elder brother is less intelligent,” he said. “He enjoys 800,000 coins, but since I am also a shareholder, he should give some portion of it to me.

 

yāha tumi, tomāra jyeṭhāre milāha āmāre

ye-mate bhāla haya karuna, bhāra diluṅ tāṅre

 

“Now you go arrange a meeting between me and your uncle. Let him do whatever he thinks best. I shall completely depend on his decision.”

                                  

raghunātha āsi’ tabe jyeṭhāre milāila

mleccha-sahita vaśa kaila — saba śānta haila

 

Raghunātha dāsa arranged a meeting between his uncle and the caudhurī. The matter was settled, and everything was peaceful.

 

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: So, in this way Raghunātha dāsa he passed the year very nicely like a first-class business manager saved his uncle then he started to run away and his father catch and bring him back and it run away and they catch him bring him back they run away and they catch him bring him back finally the mother was saying

 

“putra ‘bātula’ ha-ila, ihāya rākhaha bāndhiyā”

tāṅra pitā kahe tāre nirviṇṇa hañā

 

“indra-sama aiśvarya, strī apsarā-sama

e saba bāndhite nārileka yāṅra mana

 

daḍira bandhane tāṅre rākhibā ke-mate?

janma-dātā pitā nāre ‘prārabdha’ khaṇḍāite

 

Our son has become mad she said just keep him by binding him with ropes his father being very unhappy replied to her as follows Raghunātha dāsa our son has opulence like Indra the heavenly king and his wife is as beautiful as an angel it all this could not tie down his mind how then could we keep this boy home by binding him with ropes it is not possible even for once father to nullify the reactions are once past activities.                                        

caitanya-candrera kṛpā hañāche iṅhāre

caitanya-candrera ‘bātula’ ke rākhite pāre?”

 

“Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has fully bestowed His mercy on him. Who can keep home such a madman of Caitanyacandra?”

 

tabe raghunātha kichu vicārilā mane

nityānanda-gosāñira pāśa calilā āra dine

 

Then Raghunātha dāsa considered something in his mind, and the next day he went to Nityānanda Gosāñi.

pānihāṭi-grāme pāilā prabhura daraśana

kīrtanīyā sevaka saṅge āra bahu-jana

 

In the village of Pānihāṭi, Raghunātha dāsa obtained an interview with Nityānanda Prabhu, who was accompanied by many kīrtana performers, servants and others.

 

gaṅgā-tīre vṛkṣa-mūle piṇḍāra upare

vasiyāchena — yena koṭī sūryodaya kare

 

Sitting on a rock under a tree on the bank of the Ganges, Lord Nityānanda seemed as effulgent as hundreds of thousands of rising suns.

 

tale upare bahu-bhakta hañāche veṣṭita

dekhi’ prabhura prabhāva raghunātha — vismita

 

Many devotees sat on the ground surrounding Him. Seeing the influence of Nityānanda Prabhu, Raghunātha dāsa was astonished.

 

daṇḍavat hañā sei paḍilā kata-dūre

sevaka kahe, — ‘raghunātha daṇḍavat kare’

 

Raghunātha dāsa offered his obeisance’s by falling prostrate at a distant place, and the servant of Nityānanda Prabhu pointed out, “There is Raghunātha dāsa, offering You obeisances.”

 

śuni’ prabhu kahe, — “corā dili daraśana

āya, āya, āji tora karimu daṇḍana”

 

Hearing this, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu said, “You are a thief. Now you have come to see Me. Come here, come here. Today I shall punish you!”

                           

prabhu bolāya, teṅho nikaṭe nā kare gamana

ākarṣiyā tāṅra māthe prabhu dharilā caraṇa

 

The Lord called him, but Raghunātha dāsa did not go near the Lord. Then the Lord forcibly caught him and placed His lotus feet upon Raghunātha dāsa’s head.

 

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: Nitāi gaura premānande Hari Hari Bol,

 

Nitāi Chandra kripa premānande hari hari bol

Devotees: Haribol.

 

This is the mercy of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu even you don't want the mercy even you don't come near Him He attracts you and forcibly gives you the mercy of your love for Kṛṣṇa gives you the mercy of love for Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

 

Lord Nityānanda prabhu is inconceivably merciful and Lord Nityānanda Prabhu had a very deep sense of humor actually the same place where Lord Nityānanda was sitting the same tree is still standing today and the side of the Ganges river and hundreds of thousands of people come there every year.

 

Prabhupāda personally took the devotees of ISKCON at least two occasions to the pani hati tree to Pani hati dham.

 

I remember he took us there and he was very inspired by that place he told us that he'd like us to get the sevā, sevā means the right of worship of that tree or at least to build a temple there since is a public place you can't build a temple that would stop the people from going to the trees so he said we can build a temple with huge columns 20 feet in the air and the temple would be above so that the people can still freely whatever's there would still remain as it is but over that we would have a huge temple and I will go up about 15 stories and he said he wanted to have regular yachts going from Kolkata to Panihati, Pani hati to Māyāpur and this way there'd be daily steamer a motorboat service so one could go from Calcutta to Māyāpur with stop in Pani hati Dham for a little refreshment of cheer day prasad.

 

So, this was a very special place to Śrīla Prabhupāda it's a place that has many esoteric meanings the very few places in the world that Lord Caitanya said that he is always there but he said that he's always present in the house of Raghunātha in Pani Hati and Nityānanda one can feel immediately His presence when one goes to Pani Hati Dham and chants the holy names of the Lord.

 

So, let us see how Nityānanda gave mercy here to Raghunātha Dāsa.

 

kautukī nityānanda sahaje dayāmaya

raghunāthe kahe kichu hañā sadaya

 

Lord Nityānanda was by nature very merciful and funny. Being merciful, He spoke to Raghunātha dāsa as follows.

 

“nikaṭe nā āisa, corā, bhāga’ dūre dūre

āji lāg pāñāchi, daṇḍimu tomāre

 

“You are just like a thief, for instead of coming near, you stay away at a distant place. Now that I have captured you, I shall punish you.

 

Every time Raghunātha dāsa is trying to go to Lord Caitanya but he's avoiding Nityānanda prabhu but the way to get easily the mercy of Lord Caitanya is by going first to Lord Nityānanda.

 

So, in this way Lord Nityānanda was very close because Nityānanda prabhu was preaching always in Bengal.

 

Raghunātha dāsa was not going to Lord Nityānanda when he is going to Lord Caitanya Lord Caitanya was telling him to stay at his house he couldn't understand that why Lord Caitanya was not accepting him even though he was giving him His mercy.

 

So now this may be a clue to the secret if you want to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya we have to go through Lord Nityānanda that's the easiest way.

 

So Lord Nityānanda of course He's not angry He's very merciful but the actual thing is it's very difficult to approach Kṛṣṇa it's very difficult to approach Caitanya Mahāprabhu even though they're the most merciful but it's very easy to approach them through Lord Nityānanda  through Balarama is easier to approach Lord Krsna through God Nityānanda  it's easiest to approach to Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

 

So Lord Niyananda whatever He does is the absolute if He punishes someone it's absolute it's His mercy if He blesses someone this is mercy whatever Lord Nityānanda  does is all for all good for only for the upliftment of the conditioned souls of his devotees.

 

dadhi, ciḍā bhakṣaṇa karāha mora gaṇe”

śuni’ ānandita haila raghunātha mane

 

 

The punishment deemed by Lord Nityānanda given down by the supreme judge you are sentenced to make a festival and feed all my associates yogurt and chipped rice hearing this Raghunātha dāsa was greatly pleased.

 

sei-kṣaṇe nija-loka pāṭhāilā grāme

bhakṣya-dravya loka saba grāma haite āne

 

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

 

ciḍā, dadhi, dugdha, sandeśa, āra cini, kalā

saba dravya ānāñā caudike dharilā

 

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

 

‘mahotsava’-nāma śuni’ brāhmaṇa-sajjana

āsite lāgila loka asaṅkhya-gaṇana

 

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

 

Mahotsava in India in Bengal when you say Mahotsava for a great festival everyone knows that mahotsava means also a big feast no festivals complete without feasts but people hear it said brahmana such ended many brahmanas many gentlemen came because soon as he here there's going to be a big festival they know this opportunity to get much spiritual advancement to get the blessings of the Lord so they all come.

 

Sanskrit we know maha means great utsava means festival the great festival utt means just like uttama good means above or to uplift to Utsava means to uplift everyone's consciousness so a great festival means in sanskrit a spiritual festival uplifts everyone's consciousness in the material world a festival is something else where people become more and more in the mode of ignorance they take intoxication they they take meat they take various kinds of things which actually bring their consciousness down into the mode of ignorance and then in this way in the end they make a big mess but the next day they have hangovers they feel bad but a spiritual festival or Mahotsav they are everyone's consciousness have lifted to kirtans, trough feast, through lecture through ceremonies through various kinds of spiritual activities and the day after the festival you still feel happy not that you remember yesterday was a great time I know I have a headache today this is a mode of ignorance what's all the mahotsava spiritual actually uplifts the people that's what people need.

 

There's some big gatherings today in the material world but afterwards this business it is no different there's no change simply a just a show joying everyone's hands together around the world or cross but ultimately what is the difference there's no change the government is spend once the senate once of the government wants something like a hundred and fifty eight million dollars to stop drug addiction to stop drug abuse but if they gave us 158 million dollars to spread Krsna consciousness all over America have big prasadam feast, kirtans and everything you would find so many people would stop taking drugs what is the meat they will get so much happiness and instead they'll spend so much money which ultimately is misused in many ways and what is the result?

 

Simply it raises the price of the drugs people go I'm taking because they have no substitute people are starving for some little bit of happiness and because they don't know that there's the unlimited ocean of happiness and spiritual bliss they're looking for that happiness through their dull material senses and as they get more and more dulled they need higher and higher doses to be able to feel relief from the suffering of the material world until finally they overdose this is very sad.

 

It's actually Prabhupada told the solution as people have to be more God conscious than automatically these type of social ills are eradicated but the Godless leaders they are putting all their faith in their material arrangements and they're neglecting to take the real solution.

 

So here when there was a big festival even today when the big festival is announced everybody comes.

 

In fact we found that in travelling sankirtan in India whenever we would go to a place even without any advanced information without telling anyone we just show up in a place at 5:00 in the afternoon and limo suddenly we just announced to people we're going to have a festival at seven o'clock at eight o'clock at night that within these two hours’ notice 10,000 15,000 people would gather festival and then we couldn't even distribute food to them which is an utsava not a mahotsav just how do you know utsava still.

 

In fact at one place we went the police superintendent he saw the huge crowd that gathered in just a few hours’ time in a hole there wasn't it was behind the library there was a football field and one end of the football field they had a covered stage which they used for dramas as well as for some other religious festivals or something and we use that as a stage where we showed the movie and did kirtan arati to Nitai Gaura travelling deities and an entire football field was packed up the people start standing on the perimeter wall around it standing on the rooftops to watch the program and people who are trying to get in but they couldn't get in they had to go back disappointed there was no room to go in it was completely packed with people.

 

And the superintendent police said that about three weeks ago the Chief Minister of the state he had done advertisement for one month saying he was coming for a big political rally but with one month of advertisement he couldn't get half as many people and without any advertisement the whole place is completely packed what is it that you have that attracts to people this is the mercy of Lord Nityānanda , Caitanya Mahāprabhu and of course any other people are still very pious there we may hear that theirs is Nitai Gaura festival they are come running so this was happening 500 years ago at Pani hati.

 

āra grāmāntara haite sāmagrī ānila

śata dui-cāri holnā tāṅhā ānāila

 

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.

 

baḍa baḍa mṛt-kuṇḍikā ānāila pāṅca sāte

eka vipra prabhu lāgi’ ciḍā bhijāya tāte

 

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.

wholeness wholeness are huge huge earthen pots bigger than a man like six feet high high you know but huge they used it to store rice over the over the rainy season they put the rice or things inside that can use it as a big storage so it can hold hundreds and hundreds of kilos that whole nuns are pretty big and so they're using those for mixing that you and I and these very huge drums me none of these large earthen pots.

 

eka-ṭhāñi tapta-dugdhe ciḍā bhijāñā

ardheka chānila dadhi, cini, kalā diyā

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.

 

āra ardheka ghanāvṛta-dugdhete chānila

cāṅpā-kalā, cini, ghṛta, karpūra tāte dila

 

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.

 

Champa Cola scientists have studied that this is the sweetest banana in the world it is known in Bengal chini champa or sugar champa the Champa is also the name of the Champa flower. Champa flower is one of the special flowers that were Champa luta Champa flower used to be picked by the gopis and given to Radha and Krsna. So Champa coal also has a very nice fragrance and they also study there to scientists and found it has the highest percent of vitamin C.

 

But they are very they come sometime very small and Brahmananda he told me that they have brought some of these over to Africa and there they're known as butter bananas because there look the color of butter and they're very soft also.

 

So here of course we just have Chiquita what can we do to meditation we have to bring I say in Bengal there are many kinds of bananas at least 10,15 varieties of major varieties some of them taste like strawberries also some are very light I wanted to bring they had a few nice varieties of bananas in South America but the Agriculture Department doesn't allow imported fruit to America so without all kind of rigmarole so but we do have the other things here to offer to Lord Nityānanda .

 

dhuti pari’ prabhu yadi piṇḍāte vasilā

sāta-kuṇḍī vipra tāṅra āgete dharilā

 

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.

 

cabutarā-upare yata prabhura nija-gaṇe

baḍa baḍa loka vasilā maṇḍalī-racane

 

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.

 

rāmadāsa, sundarānanda, dāsa-gadādhara

murāri, kamalākara, sadāśiva, purandara

 

Among them were Rāmadāsa, Sundarānanda, Gadādhara dāsa, Murāri, Kamalākara, Sadāśiva and Purandara. Dhanañjaya, Jagadīśa, Parameśvara dāsa, Maheśa, Gaurīdāsa and Hoḍa Kṛṣṇadāsa were also there.

 

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.

 

Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura is a predecessor or ancestor of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada was born directly in the family of Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura and his vamsa so we can see that Srila Prabhupada had a special relationship from generations pani hottie not everyone could sit on the raised platform a Nityānanda  so the very intimate devotees they were allowed to sit and the raised platform of Nityānanda  apart from that everyone else sat all around.

 

śuni’ paṇḍita bhaṭṭācārya yata vipra āilā

mānya kari’ prabhu sabāre upare vasāilā

 

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.

dui dui mṛt-kuṇḍikā sabāra āge dila

eke dugdha-ciḍā, āre dadhi-ciḍā kaila

 

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

 

āra yata loka saba cautarā-talāne

maṇḍalī-bandhe vasilā, tāra nā haya gaṇane

 

All the other people sat in groups around the platform. No one could count how many people there were. Each and every one of them was supplied two earthen pots one of chipped rice soaked in yoghurt and the other of chipped rice soaked in condensed milk some of the brahmanas 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 others who could not get a place even on the bank of the Ganges got down into the water and began eating there two kinds of chipped rice.

 

You see pani hati is about a hundred miles from the Bay of Bengal from the island of sagar where kapila muni still meditates and worthy ancestors of Bhagi maharaja sagar maharaja were burnt and delivered by the Ganges going there so up to that point up to pani hati and beyond there is still the effect of tide high and low tides. So what happens is sometimes the Ganges is a little low at that time there is they kind of a shore and sometimes the Ganges very high in the bank is just on the grass.

 

So maybe at this time there was a little place to stand because maybe the Ganges wasn't fully all the way at the high tide so they were but that means it's very muddy because then you know when the tides down that's very muddy so you have to stand it is sinking in the Ganges mud which is very tricky and soft and then after that then you stand in the water and this way everyone was standing somehow another and even today when they have this festival there's so many people that you find people are standing in the water taking the chipped rice.

 

In fact they have so many kirtans that people are so happy chanting their names of

 

Sri Krsna Caitanya prabhu Nityānanda  Sri Advaita Gadadhara Srivasadi Gaura bhakta vrinda

 

that you see the sun and people they just they slip in the mud sometimes going it by the side again you're so crowded summer they somehow they slip they just start rolling in the mud chanting Hare Krsna people they just become totally oblivious to they just become so just merged in transcendental bliss so those there standing in the water they also taking they were honouring their Prashadam in summer sat on a platform, some of the base of the platforms, some of the bank of the Ganges and this way twenty men were distributing the Prashadam people are coming getting their prashad at that time Raghava pandit arrived there and he said he didn't know about yet I'll prepare he please Nityānanda  He came and laughed in great surprise and then he asked that I he brought all kinds of food cooked in ghee and offered to the Lord and any place this Prashad to Lord Nityānanda  and distributed.

 

So, he said I already offered food to the deity but if you're engaged in a festival here so the food is lying there untouched Lord Nityānanda  reply let me eat all this food here during the day and I shall eat at your home at night.

 

I belong to a community of cowherd boys and therefore I generally have many collared associates with me I am happy when we eat together in a picnic like this by the sandy bank of the river Lord Nityānanda  made by Raghava pandit sit down and had two pots of (In audible: 35.19) to him also there were two kinds of chipped rice soaked in them otherwise Raghava pandit came to give Nityānanda  prashad he said you sit down I'm a cowherd boy I am enjoying with my cowherd friends you sit down you also take prashad here I'll take there at night.

 

So this is the special mood of pani hati that actually everyone was converted into a cowherd boy associate of Nityānanda  and his transcendental ecstasy and he was sitting there with hundreds of thousands of cowherd boys enjoying in that ecstasy then he became totally absorbed in that ecstasy and he wasn't seeing that these are a bunch of conditioned souls he was simply at that time in the ecstasy that I'm a cowherd boy I'm back in my Krsna lila like when I was Balarama and these are all my cowherd boy associates and in that ecstasy of his meditation he brought Caitanya Mahāprabhu there and when Lord caitanya Mahāprabhu arrived Nityānanda  stood up and then He saw how everyone was enjoying this festival taking their chipped rice and their condensed milk and then Lord Nityānanda  He started to dance and He started to go to each person and taking a little little chipped rice little condensed milk chip rice and He would take a morsel and push it in the mouth of the Caitanya Mahāprabhu as a joke.

 

Just like Krsna and Balarama used to joke putting flour in the other's mouth putting little Prashad playing His cowherd boy they didn't have any sense that who's bigger who's smaller who' more they were simply friends cowherd boys and this mood they were enjoying.

 

So Nityānanda  He's gone completely was absorbed in this ecstasy and there with Caitanya Mahāprabhu He is going but of course the people couldn't see Caitanya Mahāprabhu they could only see Lord Nityānanda  and going taking food from from the pot putting it in the air and having it disappear they didn't always going on well Lord Caitanya, Lord Caitanya He was going and He also took little Prashad then He pushed it in the mouth of Nityānanda  laughing as He made Nityānanda  eat it and there's the two brothers Nitai and Lord Caitanya they were totally absorbed in this spiritual ecstasy and this way Lord Nityānanda  was walking through all the groups of eaters and all the Vaishnava standing there were seeing the fun no one could understand what Nityānanda  prabhu was doing as He walked about some however were very fortunate could see that Lord Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu was also present.

 

Remember at this time Caitanya Mahāprabhu was actually physically in Jagannatha puri hundreds and hundreds of miles away five six hundred miles away but by the spiritual potency of Lord Nityānanda  He was brought personally there to participate in this festival.

 

So after that Lord Nityānanda  smiled and sat down on his right side he kept four pots of chipped rice that had not been made from boiled paddy then Lord Nityānanda  offered Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu a place and had Him sit down then together the two brothers began to eat chipped rice seeing Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu eating with Him Lord Nityānanda  became very happy and He exhibited varieties of ecstatic love.

 

Lord Nityānanda  prabhu ordered “All you eat chanting the holy names of Hari”. immediately the holy names Hari Hari resounded filling the entire universe everyone everyone started to chant,

 

ājñā dilā, — ‘hari bali’ karaha bhojana’

‘hari’ ‘hari’-dhvani uṭhi’ bharila bhuvana

 

all the hundreds of thousands of people that they all start to cheer

Haribol Haribol

 

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama rama Hare Hare

 

‘hari’ ‘hari’ bali’ vaiṣṇava karaye bhojana

pulina-bhojana sabāra ha-ila smaraṇa

 

When all the Vaiṣṇavas were chanting the holy names “Hari, Hari” and eating, they remembered how Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma ate with Their companions the cowherd boys on the bank of the Yamunā.

 

nityānanda mahāprabhu — kṛpālu, udāra

raghunāthera bhāgye eta kailā aṅgīkāra

 

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Nityānanda Prabhu are extremely merciful and liberal. It was Raghunātha dāsa’s good fortune that They accepted all these dealings.

who can understand the influence and mercy of Lord Nityānanda  prabhu He is so powerful that He induced Lord Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu to come and eat chipped rice on the bank of the Ganges?

 

So, this is transcendental mercy of Lord Nityānanda  that he could bring Caitanya Mahāprabhu and they took chipped rice.

 

So today we simply offer Lord Nitai and Gaura the chipped rice preparations for lunch and they take here in the forest of Pani hati and actually by Krsna's arrangement here the property and the Parker there just ate the forest and the Ganges up course is the continuous flow of nectar of Krsna's name that is always flowing and those currents are moving the devotees in different ways.

 

So, in this way we can take this opportunity to accept the mercy of Nitai Gaura to assist them in their transcendental pastimes.

 

Actually, it was Srila Prabhupada bhakti vedanta swami that revealed these pastimes we can see that Srila Prabhupada he enjoyed a special transcendental ecstasy here and new pani hati dham which are now overdue to discuss and to relish by the devotees.

 

So just after this we're going to the devotees are going to go and have a take Prabhupada from his quarters and bringing here just as he was brought here to the temple some years ago when he visited the pani hati dham and revealed the transcendental mercy of Lord Nityānanda  and Sri Krsna Caitanya, Gaura chandra those devotees who were present with Nityānanda  and Lord Chiatnya at Pani hati they are considered very confidential this is explained but all the confidential devotees who were cowherd boys headed by sri ramadasa who always in ecstatic love they thought to bank of the Ganges to be the bank of the Jamuna. So like that maybe this road is actually the Ganges when you look at a distance but actually some boats are there isn't it boats going there in the distance and other side of the park something moving I can't see anyway by Srila Prabhupada mercy's transformed so many materialistic people into associates of Nitai Gaura.

 

Just as this festival brought so many people and made them all engaged in the service of the Lord said when the shopkeepers from different villages came to sell their chipped rice yoghurt sweet meats and bananas they also sold all their goods that may also took some of the chipped rice they got absorbed in the festival and they forgot that they're coming there to sell things and they just became absorbed in the same spiritual festival so in this way anyone who came even just to see what is this funny thing is going on there also fed it takes some chipped rice yoghurt bananas even last night a few intoxicated youth came by they - Tecna figure out what's going on here what type of intoxication is this everyone's laughing and having it but our intoxication is simply their love of Nityānanda  prabhu which fills everyone's heart with joy.

 

So in this way when Nityānanda  prabhu finished eating He washed His hands and mouth and gave Raghunātha dāsa  the food remaining in the four pots there was still three big pots left Nityānanda 's personal pots and these were distributed to all the devotees giving a little morsel to each then Lord Nityānanda  was brought a fresh flower garland and sandalwood pulp was spread all over his body that should be done also after the prasad offering today we should offer fresh Garland's to Nityānanda  possible and offer standard wood pulp on his body then offering Nityānanda  various betel nuts and other things.

 

So in this way Raghunātha dāsa  was very happy to take a little bit of remnants of the Prasad left by Lord Nityānanda  prabhu and this way Lord Nityānanda  prabhu had this festival of chipped rice and yogurt. So then they have to arrest a little bit and when the day ended he went and here another they had a big congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord and then Lord Nityānanda  induced all the devotees had to dance everyone they all had to dance then finally He himself began dancing thus and undoing the entire world and ecstatic love and Lord Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu He was still there He was observing the dancing of Lord Nityānanda  prabhu Nityānanda  prabhu could see this but others could not that is dancing of Lord Nityānanda  prabhu like the dancing of Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu cannot be compared to anything within these three worlds no one can properly describe the sweetness of Lord Nityānanda  dancing Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally comes to see it so after the dancing then again Raghava pundit submitted his request that the Lord takes supper and so then finally in the evening Lord Nityānanda  prabhu sat down for supper with His personal associates and made another seating place for Caitanya Mahāprabhu on his side Lord Caitanya sat there sat down at His place seeing this Raghava pandit felt increasing happiness Raghava pandit brought the Prasad before the two brothers and thereafter distributed Prashad to all the other vaishnavas there were varieties of cakes sweet rice and fine cooked rice that surpassed the taste of nectar.

 

Transcripted by: Pundarika Mahajana Das

Transcripted on: 09-02-2020

 

Proof Reading By: Amrita Padma Devi Dasi

On 16/10/2020