20210616 Visiting Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura in Kumārahaṭṭa (Hālisahara)

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on June 16th, 2021 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:

Visiting Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura in Kumārahaṭṭa (Hālisahara) 
Under the Section: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 20.13

Translation: He spend five or six days in Rāghava Paṇḍita’s place, and with great joy, affectionately sent Paramānanda to Navadvīpa ahead of himself.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Paramānanda Purī was sent to Navadvīpa to inform of Lord Caitanya's presence in Bengal.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 20.14

Translation: After Paramānanda left, Gauracandra went to Śrīvāsa’s house (in Kumāra-haṭta) and stayed there. Merciful all living beings, he showed compassion to them all.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.205

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura had a house in Navadvīpa and also in Kumārahaṭta. So, Gaurasundara, Lord Caitanya, visited Śrīvāsa in his Kumārhaṭta house.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 16.205

rāghava-bhavane eka dina thākiyā kumāra-haṭṭe śrīvāsa-gṛhe āgamana:— 
eka-dina prabhu tathā kariyā nivāsa
prāte kumārahaṭṭe āilā,—yāhāṅ śrīnivāsa

Translation: The Lord stayed at Rāghava Paṇḍita’s place for only one day. The next morning, He went to Kumārahaṭṭa, where Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura lived.

Purport: The present name of Kumārahaṭṭa is Hālisahara. After Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted sannyāsa, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura left Navadvīpa due to separation from Him and went to Hālisahara to live.

From Kumārahaṭṭa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to Kāñcanapallī (also known as Kāṅcaḍāpāḍā), where Śivānanda Sena lived. After staying two days at Śivānanda’s house, the Lord went to the house of Vāsudeva Datta. From there He went to the western side of Navadvīpa, to the village called Vidyānagara. From Vidyānagara He went to Kuliyā-grāma and stayed at Mādhava dāsa’s house. He stayed there one week and excused the offenses of Devānanda and others. Due to Kavirāja Gosvāmī’s mentioning the name of Śāntipurācārya, some people think that Kuliyā is a village near Kāṅcaḍāpāḍā. Due to this mistaken idea, they invented another place known as New Kuliyāra Pāṭa. Actually, such a place does not exist. Leaving the house of Vāsudeva Datta, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to the house of Advaita Ācārya. From there He went to the western side of Navadvīpa, to Vidyānagara, and stayed at the house of Vidyā-vācaspati. These accounts are given in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Caitanya-maṅgala, Caitanya candrodaya-nāṭaka and Caitanya-carita-kāvya. Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmī has not vividly described this entire tour; therefore, on the basis of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, some unscrupulous people have invented a place called Kuliyāra Pāṭa near Kāṅcaḍāpāḍā.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we do hope all these literatures are being referred to in the future journey of Lord Caitanya, He is gradually heading North. So we know that Advaita lived in Śāntipura, as well as Navadvīpa. So, Lord Caitanya must have gone to Advaita’s house in Śāntipura and Kuliyā is another name of Koladvīpa which is on the western side of the Ganges. The modern-day city of Navadvīpa is in Koladvīpa and that is also known as Kuliyā, since Lord Caitanya forgave Devānanda for His offenses and other devotees were also forgiven there, it’s known as aparādha bhañjana kuliyā pāṭa. That is another name for Koladvīpa, which is one of the nine islands of Navadvipa dhama.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.6

kṛṣṇa-dhyānānande upaviṣṭa śrīvāsera sammukhe dhyānera phala akasmāt prakaṭita— 
kṛṣṇa-dhyānānande vasi’ āchena śrīvāsa
ācambite dhyāna-phala sammukhe prakāśa

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura was sitting in meditation on Lord Kṛṣṇa when he suddenly saw the fruit of his meditation manifested before him.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.7

nija-prāṇa-nātha dekhi’ śrīvāsa paṇḍita
daṇḍavat haiyā paḍilā pṛthivīta

Jayapatākā Swami: Seeing the Lord of his very life, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita fell to the ground offering his prostrate obeisances to Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.8

mahāprabhura padayugala bakṣe dhāraṇapūrvaka śrīvāsera prema-krandana— 
śrī-caraṇa vakṣe kari’ paṇḍita-ṭhākura
uccaiḥ-svare dīrgha-śvāse kāndena pracura

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita Ṭhākura held Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet to his chest and loudly and deeply sighed as he cried profusely.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.9

gauraharira śrīvāsera prati sneha— 
gaurāṅga-sundara śrīvāsere kari’ kole
siñcilena aṅga tāna premānanda-jale

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurasundara embraced Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita and soaked his body with tears of ecstatic love.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.10

sukṛti śrīvāsa-goṣṭhī— 
sukṛti śrīvāsa-goṣṭhī caitanya-prasāde
sabe prabhu dekhi’ ūrddha-bāhu kari’ kānde

Jayapatākā Swami: By the mercy of Lord Caitanya, everyone in Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s household was most pious. They all raised their arms and cried on seeing Lord Caitanya. Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.11

All the wives, children, brothers, everybody in Śrīvāsa’s family were very Kṛṣṇa conscious. Seeing Lord Caitanya they raised their hands and chanted Hari bol!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.11

śrīvāsera ānanda o prabhu-samvardhanā— 
vaikuṇṭha-nāyaka gṛhe pāiyāśrīvāsa
hena nāhi jānena ki janmila ullāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: On receiving the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha in his house, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s happiness knew no bounds.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.12

āpane māthāya kari’ uttama āsana
dilena, vasilā tathi kamala-locana

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita brought a fine seat on his head and offered it to the lotus-eyed Lord Caitanya, who sat down on it.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.13

catur-dike vasilena pāriṣada-gaṇa
sabei gāyana kṛṣṇa-nāma anukṣaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: All Lord Caitanya’s associates sat around Him and continuously sang the holy names of Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.14

pativratāgaṇera jayadhvani— 
jaya jaya kare gṛhe pati-vratā-gaṇa
haila ānanda-maya śrīvāsa-bhavana

Jayapatākā Swami: The chaste married ladies of the household, vibrated auspicious sounds, and said all glories! Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s entire house became filled with ecstasy.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.15

ācārya purandarera āgamana— 
prabhu āilena mātra paṇḍitera ghara
vārtā pāi’ āilā ācārya-purandara

Jayapatākā Swami: When Ācārya Purandara heard that Lord Caitanya had arrived at Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s house, he immediately came there.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.16

tāhāne dekhiyā prabhu ‘pitā kari’ bale
premāveśe matta tāne karilena kole

Jayapatākā Swami: Upon seeing him, Lord Caitanya addressed him as “father”. Then, in ecstatic love, Lord Caitanya embraced him.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.17

parama sukṛti se ācārya-purandara
prabhu dekhi' kānde ati hai' asamvara

Jayapatākā Swami: The Supremely pious and fortunate Ācārya Purandara, he began to cry uncontrollably (asamvara = impatient or “uncontrolled) on seeing Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 20.15

Translation: Staying several days there, hundreds of thousands of people came, absorbed in great bliss. There was no fault in Mahāprabhu’s glory.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 20.16

Jayapatākā Swami: When people learnt that Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu had come to the house of Śrīvāsa, then in great numbers they visited the house of Śrīvāsa to see the Lord. Thus Śrīvāsa’s house became a regular place of pilgrimage

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 20.16

Translation: Some people stood on the road, some in their doors, some in trees, and some on walls, like painted pictures on a wall. Their longing never had an end.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, of course so many people came and there was no place to stand, some climbed up on the tree and some climbed up on walls and everyone had an extreme desire to see Lord Caitanya and to engage in His service.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Visiting Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura in Kumārahaṭṭa (Hālisahara) 
Under the Section: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana.