20210726 Nawab Hussain Shah Bādasāha Receives the Breaking News – A sannyāsī has come to the village of Rāmakeli

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 26th July 2021 in Śrīdhāma 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!

Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, the chapter entitled:

Nawab Hussain Shah Bādasāha Receives the Breaking News – A sannyāsī has come to the village of Rāmakeli

Under the Section: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.3

hena mate prabhu sarva jīva uddhāriyā
mathurāya calilena bhakta-goṣṭhī laiyā

Translation: After delivering all living entities in this way, Lord Caitanya departed for Mathurā along with His devotees.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.4

gaṅgā-tīre-tīre prabhu lailena patha
snāna-pāne purāṇa gaṅgāra manoratha

Translation: Lord Caitanya took the path along the side of the Ganges and fulfilled her desire by bathing in and drinking her waters.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 1.166

aiche cali, āilā prabhu ‘rāmakeli’ grāma
gauḍera nikaṭa grāma ati anupāma

Translation: Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu eventually arrived at a village named Rāmakeli. This village is situated on the border of Bengal and is very exquisite.

Purport: Rāmakeli-grāma is situated on the banks of the Ganges on the border of Bengal. Śrīla Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs had their residences in this village

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 1.167

tāhāṅ nṛtya kare prabhu preme acetana
koṭi koṭi loka āise dekhite caraṇa

Translation: While performing saṅkīrtana in Rāmakeli-grāma, Lord danced and sometimes lost consciousness due to love of God. While at Rāmakeli-grāma, an unlimited number of people came to see His lotus feet.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.5

rāmakelite 4/5 divasa gupta-bhāve sthiti—

gauḍera nikaṭe gaṅgā-tīre eka grāma
brāhmaṇa-samāja-tāra ‘rāmakeli’ nāma

Translation: There is one village on the bank of the Ganges near the capital of Gauḍa named Rāmakeli. The inhabitants of that village were all brāhmaṇas.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī): Śrī Rāmakeli is situated eight and a half miles south of English Bazaar, near the present city of Maldah. Within this village there is a concrete-paved area, and in the middle of this there is a large tamāla tree with two kadamba trees on each side of it. The two kadamba trees on the right side are referred to as Śrī Advaita Prabhu, the middle tamāla tree is referred to as Śrī Gaurasundara, and the two kadamba trees on the left side are referred to as Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. It is said that Śrīman Mahāprabhu first met Śrīla Rūpa and Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī Prabhus in the dead of night under this tree. Sitting in this place, Śrīman Mahāprabhu instructed Śrī Sanātana to join Him. Next to the kadamba trees there is a small temple wherein Śrī Madana-mohanadeva is worshiped. The Deity of Śrī Madana-mohanadeva was established by Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana. There are four sets of Deities within this temple. One of those sets is Śrī Baladeva and Revatī. The names of the Deities, from left, are (1) Vraja-mohana (with Rādhā), (2) Revatī-ramaṇa (with Revatī), and (3) Madana-mohana and (4) Gopīnātha (both with Rādhā). There are also śālagrāma-śilās in the temple. In the midst of the Deities there are two Deities of Śrī Gaurasundara, one of Śrī Advaita Prabhu, and one of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. There are one hundred twenty-five bighās of land (about forty-two acres) allotted to the service of the Deities. From the public a sum of one hundred twenty-two rupees was collected, out of which eighty rupees was given to the government. North of the Śrī Madana-mohana temple is Śrī Sanātana-kuṇḍa. Around that place are eight other kuṇḍas headed by Rādhā-kuṇḍa, Śyāma-kuṇḍa, Lalitā-kuṇḍa, and Viśākhā-kuṇḍa. A little distance from here is a large lake named Śrī Rūpa-sāgara, which was established by Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī. This Rūpa-sāgara is situated between the Śrī Madana-mohana temple and the court of Hussain Shah. The bathing ghāṭas of Rūpa-sāgara are covered with marble. On one of those marble slabs it is written: “This Rūpa-sāgara-ghāṭa of Śrī Rāmakeli was built in 1268 of the Bengali era from the donations of the mercantile communities of the Maldah district of Bengal. The water covers ten bighās (about three and a half acres), and with the banks it covers 20 bighās (about six and a half acres).” About a quarter of a mile south of Śrī Rāmakeli is a large hall that is named Bāra-duyārī, because it has twelve doors. Up to 1801, during the time of Krent Sahib, the pillars of this hall were covered with gold. This hall is known by people as the court of Hussain Shah. It is said that Dabira Khāsa had his office in this court. There are four gateways situated on the four sides of this hall. It is said that the King used to enjoy hāoyā, or fresh air, at the Hāoyāsa-khāna-ghāṭa. It is further said that when Śrī Sanātana escaped from prison by giving seven thousand gold coins to the Yavana guard, he crossed the Ganges that night, came to this place, and began to cry out, “Śrī Gaurāṅga! Śrī Gaurāṅga!” At that time a crocodile came there and circumambulated Śrī Sanātana seven times. Śrī Sanātana then sat on the back of that crocodile and crossed the Ganges. Śrī Gaṅgādevī presently flows about a half mile from the Śrī Madana-mohana temple. Apart from these, many glories of Hussain Shah Bādasāha are still present there. There is a dakhala-daraoyājā (the main entrance), a parikhā (the moat), and a phiroja khān (the oldest ruin—a tall tower from which one could see the entire city of ancient Gauḍa). There are also ruins of the treasury, the library, and the Loṭana Mosque (which is one of the finest examples of architectural work). Before Moslem rule, this place was the capital of Lakṣmaṇa Sena known as Lakṣmaṇāvatī. Its ruins can still be seen here. The capital of the Sena dynasty situated in the Maldah district was the capital of Gauḍa. The Ganges presently flows some distance from this place. The village of Rāmakeli is situated a short distance from the capital of Gauḍa. Both Śrī Sanātana and Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī used to live in this village of Rāmakeli.

Jayapatākā Swami: The present temple of Radha Madana Mohana with all the Deities mentioned is still there, its not clear that they still have 42 acres. I don’t know how much land is still possessed by these Deities. ISKCON is looking to but some bighās about 2 acres on the southern side of Rūpa-sāgara and this is to create some preaching facility in this important Vaiṣṇava site. Sanātana Gosvāmī was the prime minister and Rūpa Gosvāmī was the finance minister of the then Nawab Hussain Shah and all these structures are still standing. Here also Jīva Gosvāmī was born, so it is a very important place and here Lord Caitanya initiated Rūpa and Sanātana and gave them their names Rūpa and Sanātana otherwise they were known as Dabira Khāsa and Sākāra Mallika. They were basically brāhmaṇas from Karnataka, born in Jessore district of Bangladesh, somehow, they came under the service of Hussain Shah and adopted Muslim names. So, this was at that time the capital of Bengal. All these very important places in the history of Bengal in the history of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's disciplic succession.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.6

dina-cāri-pāñca prabhu sei puṇya-sthāne
āsiyā rahilā yena keha nāhi jāne

Translation: Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to that holy place and stayed there for four or five days without the knowledge of others.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.7

prabhura ātmagopana-ceṣṭā-sattveo sarvatra prakāśa—

sūryera udaya ki kakhana gopya haya
sarva loka śunilena caitanya-vijaya

Translation: How is it possible to hide the rising sun? Everyone soon heard about Lord Caitanya's arrival.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.8

sarvalokera prabhu-darśanārtha āgamana—

sarva loka dekhite āise harṣa-mane
strī-bālaka-vṛddha-ādi sajjana-durjjane

Translation: Everyone—women, children, old people, pious persons, and sinners— joyfully came to see Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.9

prabhura premonmāda—

niravadhi prabhura āveśa-maya aṅga
prema-bhakti vinā āra nāhi kona raṅga

Translation: Lord Caitanya was fully absorbed in ecstasy. He did not relish anything other than loving devotional service.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.10

huṅkāra, garjana, kampa, pulaka, krandana
nirantara āchāḍa paḍaye ghane ghana

Translation: Lord Caitanya roared, cried out, trembled, and shed tears. The hairs of His body stood on end, and He repeatedly fell to the ground with great force.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.11

kīrtana vyatīta bhaktagaṇera anya kṛtya nāi—

niravadhi bhakta-gaṇa karena kīrtana
tilārdheko anya karma nāhi kona kṣaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: All the devotees continuously performed kīrtana (congregational chanting of the holy name). They did not do anything else for even a moment.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.12

prabhura ucaca-krandana—

hena se krandana prabhu karena ḍākiyā
loke śune krośekera pathete thākiyā

Translation: Lord Caitanya cried so loudly that people two miles away could hear Him.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya's ecstatic symptoms were so intense that people could hear His crying even two miles or five kilometers away.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.13

bhaktirase ajña haileo prabhura darśane sakalera ānanda—

yadyapiha bhakti-rase ajña sarva loka
tathāpiha prabhu dekhi' sabāra santoṣa

Translation: Although the people were ignorant about the mellows of devotional service, they were all pleased to see Lord Caitanya.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī): Since people made advancement on the paths of material desires, karma, jñāna, yoga, vows, and austerities, they were ignorant about the devotional service of the Lord. Even such ignorant people became pleased upon seeing Śrī Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is the amazing thing about Lord Caitanya and His movement just like the people were satisfied by seeing Lord Caitanya Even today people are satisfied and pleased to see the devotees chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra congregationally.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.14

sakalera dūra haite daṇḍavat o haridhvani—

dūre thāki’ sarva-loka daṇḍavat kari’
sabe meli’ ucca kari’ bale ‘hari hari’

Translation: People offered their prostrate obeisances from a distance and loudly chanted together the name of Hari. Hari Bol!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.15

prabhura loka-mukhe harināma-śravaṇe adhikatara ullāsa-vṛddhi—

śuni’ mātra prabhu ‘hari-nāma’ loka-mukhe
viśeṣe ullāsa bāḍe premānanda-sukhe

Translation: As Lord Caitanya heard the name of Hari from the mouths of the people, the transcendental happiness He relished in ecstatic love increased multifold. 

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.16

‘bola bola bola’ prabhu bale bāhu tuli' 
viśeṣe bolena sabe haye kutūhalī

Translation: Lord Caitanya raised His arms and exclaimed, “Chant! Chant! Chant!” And the people responded with great enthusiasm.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.17

mahāprabhura kṛpāya vidharmīra mukheo harināma o tāhādera mahāprabhuke dūra haite praṇati— hena se ānanda prakāśena gaura-rāya/ yavane o bale ‘hari’ anyera ki dāya

Translation: Lord Gaurāṅga manifested such ecstasy that what to speak of others, even the Yavanas chanted the name of Hari.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was manifesting such ecstasy that everyone was inspired to chant the holy names of Hari.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.18

yavane o dūre thāki’ kare namaskāra
hena gauracandrera kāruṇya-avatāra

Translation: Even the Yavanas offered obeisances from a distance. Such is the merciful incarnation of Lord Gauracandra!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.19

saṅkīrtana-pracāra vyatīta prabhura anya konao kṛtya nāi—

tilārdheko prabhura nāhika anya karma
nirantara laoyāyena saṅkīrtana-dharma

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya had no other engagement other than inducing everyone to participate in the saṅkīrtana (congregational chanting of the holy name) movement.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.20

caturdikāgata lokera prabhura darśanotkaṇṭhā o saṅgatyāge anicchā evaṁ sakalera mukhe haridhvani—

catur-dika haite loka āise dekhite
dekhiyā kāhāro citta nā laya yāite

Translation: People came from the four directions to see Lord Caitanya. After seeing Him, they did not feel like leaving.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.21

sabe meli’ ānande karena hari-dhvani
nirantara catur-dike āra nāhi śuni

Translation: They all joyfully chanted the name of Hari. No other sound could be heard in the four directions.

Jayapatākā Swami: Chanting of the maha-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare was joyfully chanted by all people and the sound of this kīrtana could be heard everywhere. So even today when I was arriving in the American Customs, one of the government officials asked me about the chanting party, that he had not seen it recently and he was missing it. So, what to speak when Lord Caitanya was personally present, that people would come and would immediately be swept away by the kirtana and not want to leave.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.22

vidharmī rājāra janyao hṛdaye bhaya nāi—

nikaṭe yavana-rāja—parama durbāra
tathāpiha citte bhaya nā janme kāhāra

Translation: Although the most cruel Yavana king lived nearby, no one felt any fear at that time.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī): The Yavana king's Bāra-duyārī was near Rāmakeli. The Yavana kings ruled from the capital of the Sena dynasty. Ordinary people knew that those kings would naturally attack the Vedic religion, so they were full of anxiety. But by the mercy of Gaurasundara, His devotees were not afraid of loudly chanting the name of Hari.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is the special mercy of Lord Caitanya that one who feels fearless chanting the holy name and even to this day that inspiration to chant is still there.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.23

nirbhaya haiyā sarva-loke bale ‘hari’
duḥkha-śoka-gṛha-karma sakala pāsari'

Translation: People forgot their distress, lamentation, and household duties as they fearlessly chanted the name of Hari.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 1.168

gauḍeśvara yavana-rājā prabhāva śuniñā
kahite lāgila kichu vismita hañā

Translation: When the Muslim king of Bengal heard of Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s influence in attracting innumerable people, he became very much astonished and began to speak as follows.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī): At that time the Muslim king of Bengal was Nawab Hussain Shah Bādasāha

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.24

kotoyāla-kartṛka rājāra sthāne prabhura mahimā varṇana—

kotoyāla giyā kahileka rāja-sthāne
eka nyāsīāsiyāche rāmakeli-grāme

Translation: The local constable went and informed the King, “A sannyāsī has come to the village of Rāmakeli.

Jayapatākā Swami: The King naturally had the intelligence, so when he heard near to his palace a sannyāsī was chanting Hindu names, he got the information, he was astonished to hear about the character of Lord Caitanya. This is how amazing are the pastimes of Lord Caitanya.

Thus ends the chapter entitled,

Nawab Hussain Shah Bādasāha Receives the Breaking News – A sannyāsī has come to the village of Rāmakeli.

Under the Section: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana