The entire night was passed in this way, in ecstatic love of Godhead. In the morning they both departed to tend to their respective duties. (234) Before departing from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Rāmānanda Rāya fell to the ground and caught hold of the Lord’s lotus feet. He then spoke submissively as follows. (235) Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya said, “You have come here just to show me Your causeless mercy. Therefore stay here for at least ten days and purify my polluted mind. (236) “But for You, there is no one who can deliver all the living entities, for You alone can deliver love of Kṛṣṇa.” (237) The Lord replied, “Having heard about your good qualities, I have come here. I have come to hear about Kṛṣṇa from you and thus purify My mind. (238) “Now that I have actually seen your glories, what I heard about you is confirmed. As far as the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in a loving mood are concerned, you are the limit of knowledge.” (239)
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “To say nothing of ten days, as long as I live I shall find it impossible to give up your company. (240) “You and I shall remain together at Jagannātha Purī. We shall pass our time together in joy, talking about Kṛṣṇa and His pastimes.” (241) In this way they both departed to perform their respective duties. Then, in the evening, Rāmānanda Rāya returned to see Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (242) Thus they met time and time again, sitting in a secluded place and jubilantly discussing devotional service by the question- and- answer process. (243) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked the questions, and Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya gave the answers. In this way they were engaged in discussion throughout the night. (244) On one occasion the Lord inquired, “Of all types of education, which is the most important?” Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “No education is important other than the transcendental devotional service of Kṛṣṇa.” (245)
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then asked Rāmānanda Rāya, “Out of all glorious activities, which is the most glorious?” Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “That person who is reputed to be a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa enjoys the utmost fame and glory.” (246) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked, “Of the many capitalists who possess great riches, who is the topmost?” Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “He who is richest in love for Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is the greatest capitalist.” (247) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked, “Of all kinds of distress, what is the most painful?” Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “Apart from separation from the devotee of Kṛṣṇa, I know of no unbearable unhappiness.” (248) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then inquired, “Out of all liberated persons, who should be accepted as the greatest?” Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “He who has love for Kṛṣṇa has attained the topmost liberation.” (249) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu next asked Rāmānanda Rāya, “Among many songs, which song is to be considered the actual religion of the living entity?” Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “That song describing the loving affairs of Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is superior to all other songs.” (250)
Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked, “Out of all auspicious and beneficial activities, which is best for the living entity?” Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “The only auspicious activity is association with the devotees of Kṛṣṇa.” (251) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked, “What should all living entities constantly remember?” Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “The chief objects of remembrance are always the Lord’s holy name, qualities and pastimes.” (252) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu further inquired, “Out of many types of meditation, which is required for all living entities?” Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “The chief duty of every living entity is to meditate upon the lotus feet of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.” (253) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked, “Where should the living entity live, abandoning all other places?” Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “He should live in the holy place known as Vṛndāvana or Vrajabhūmi, where the Lord performed His rāsa dance.” (254) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked, “Out of all topics people listen to, which is best for all living entities?” Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “Hearing about the loving affairs between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is most pleasing to the ear.” (255) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked, “Among all worshipable objects, which is the chief?” Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “The chief worshipable object is the holy name of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.” (256)
“And what is the destination of those who desire liberation and those who desire sense gratification?” Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked. Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “Those who attempt to merge into the existence of the Supreme Lord will have to accept bodies like those of trees. And those who are overly inclined toward sense gratification will attain the bodies of demigods.” (257) Rāmānanda Rāya continued, “Those who are devoid of all transcendental mellows are like the crows that suck the juice from the bitter fruits of the nimba tree of knowledge, whereas those who enjoy mellows are like the cuckoos who eat the buds of the mango tree of love of Godhead.” (258) Rāmānanda Rāya concluded, “The unfortunate empiric philosophers taste the dry process of philosophical knowledge, whereas the devotees regularly drink the nectar of love of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore they are the most fortunate of all.” (259)
In this way Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Rāmānanda Rāya passed the whole night relishing the mellows of kṛṣṇa- kathā, topics about Kṛṣṇa. While they were chanting, dancing and crying, the night ended. (260) The next morning they both departed to perform their respective duties, but in the evening Rāmānanda Rāya returned to meet the Lord again. (261) That evening, after discussing the topics of Kṛṣṇa for some time, Rāmānanda Rāya caught hold of the lotus feet of the Lord and spoke as follows. (262) “There is a variety of transcendental truths—the truth about Kṛṣṇa, the truth about Rādhārāṇī, the truth about Their loving affairs, the truth about transcendental humors, and the truth about the Lord’s pastimes. (263) “You have manifested all these transcendental truths in my heart. This is exactly the way Nārāyaṇa educated Lord Brahmā.” (264) Rāmānanda Rāya continued, “The Supersoul within everyone’s heart speaks not externally but from within. He instructs the devotees in all respects, and that is His way of instruction.” (265)
“‘O my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, O all- pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmājī, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth.’” (266)
Rāmānanda Rāya then said that he had but one doubt within his heart, and he petitioned the Lord, “Please be merciful upon me and just remove my doubt.” (267) Rāmānanda Rāya then told Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “At first I saw You appear like a sannyāsī, but now I am seeing You as Śyāmasundara, the cowherd boy. (268) “I now see You appearing like a golden doll, and Your entire body appears covered by a golden luster. (269) “I see that You are holding a flute to Your mouth, and Your lotus eyes are moving very restlessly due to various ecstasies. (270) “I actually see You in this way, and this is very wonderful. My Lord, please tell me without duplicity what is causing this.” (271) Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “You have a deep love for Kṛṣṇa, and one who has such deep ecstatic love for the Lord naturally sees things in such a way. Please take this from Me to be certain. (272)
“A devotee advanced on the spiritual platform sees everything movable and inert as the Supreme Lord. For him, everything he sees here and there is but a manifestation of Lord Kṛṣṇa. (273) “The mahā- bhāgavata, the advanced devotee, certainly sees everything mobile and immobile, but he does not exactly see their forms. Rather, everywhere he immediately sees manifest the form of the Supreme Lord.” (274) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “‘A person advanced in devotional service sees within everything the soul of souls, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Consequently he always sees the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the cause of all causes and understands that all things are situated in Him.’ (275) “‘The plants, creepers and trees were full of fruits and flowers due to ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa. Indeed, being so full, they were bowing down. They were inspired by such deep love for Kṛṣṇa that they were constantly pouring showers of honey. In this way the gopīs saw all the forests of Vṛndāvana.’” (276)
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “My dear Rāya, you are an advanced devotee and are always filled with ecstatic love for Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Therefore whatever you see—anywhere and everywhere—simply awakens your Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” (277) Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “My dear Lord, please give up all these serious talks. Please do not conceal Your real form from me.” (278) Rāmānanda Rāya continued, “My dear Lord, I can understand that You have assumed the ecstasy and bodily complexion of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. By accepting this, You are tasting Your own personal transcendental humor and have therefore appeared as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (279) “My dear Lord, You have descended in this incarnation of Lord Caitanya for Your own personal reasons. You have come to taste Your own spiritual bliss, and at the same time You are transforming the whole world by spreading the ecstasy of love of Godhead. (280) “My dear Lord, by Your causeless mercy You have appeared before me to grant me liberation. Now You are playing in a duplicitous way. What is the reason for this behavior?” (281)
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