Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu merged the entire world into the ocean of ecstatic love by performing His beautiful dances within the temple of Jagannātha. He danced exquisitely and jumped high. (1) All glories to Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityānanda Prabhu! All glories to Śrī Advaita Prabhu! And all glories to all the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu! (2) The next day Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya requested Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to give him permission to submit a statement without fear. (3) The Lord gave the Bhaṭṭācārya assurance that he could speak without fear, but added that if his statement were suitable He would accept it, and if it were not, He would reject it. (4) Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said, “There is a king named Pratāparudra Rāya. He is very anxious to meet You, and he wants Your permission.” (5) As soon as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard this proposal, He immediately covered His ears with His hands and said, “My dear Sārvabhauma, why are you requesting such an undesirable thing from Me? (6)
“Since I am in the renounced order, it is as dangerous for Me to meet a king as to meet a woman. To meet either would be just like drinking poison.” (7) Greatly lamenting, the Lord then informed Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, “‘Alas, for a person who is seriously desiring to cross the material ocean and engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord without material motives, seeing a materialist engaged in sense gratification or seeing a woman who is similarly interested is more abominable than drinking poison willingly.’” (8) Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya replied, “My dear Lord, what You have said is correct, but this King is not an ordinary king. He is a great devotee and servant of Lord Jagannātha.” (9) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Although it is correct that the King is a great devotee, he is still to be considered a venomous snake. Similarly, even though a woman be made of wood, one becomes agitated simply by touching her form. (10) “‘Just as one is immediately frightened upon seeing a live serpent or even the form of a serpent, one endeavoring for self- realization should similarly fear a materialistic person and a woman. Indeed, he should not even glance at their bodily features.’ (11)
“Bhaṭṭācārya, if you continue to speak like this, you will never see Me here again. Therefore you should never let such a request come from your mouth.” (12) Being afraid, Sārvabhauma returned home and began to meditate on the matter. (13) At this time, Mahārāja Pratāparudra arrived at Jagannātha Purī, Puruṣottama, and, accompanied by his secretaries, ministers and military officers, went to visit the temple of Lord Jagannātha. (14) When King Pratāparudra returned to Jagannātha Purī, Rāmānanda Rāya came with him. Rāmānanda Rāya immediately went to meet Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu with great pleasure. (15) Upon meeting Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Rāmānanda Rāya offered his obeisances. The Lord embraced him, and both of them began to cry in the great ecstasy of love. (16) Seeing Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s intimate dealings with Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya, all the devotees there were astonished. (17)
Rāmānanda Rāya said, “I duly informed King Pratāparudra of Your order for me to retire from service. By Your grace, the King was pleased to relieve me of these material activities. (18) “I said, ‘Your Majesty, I am now not willing to engage in political activities. I desire only to stay at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Kindly give me permission.’ (19) “When I submitted this proposal, the King immediately became very pleased upon hearing Your name. Indeed, he instantly rose from his throne and embraced me. (20) “My dear Lord, as soon as the King heard Your holy name, he was immediately overwhelmed by great ecstatic love. Catching my hand, he displayed all the symptoms of love. (21) “As soon as he heard my petition, he immediately granted me a pension without reductions. Thus the King granted me a full salary as a pension and requested me to engage without anxiety in the service of Your lotus feet. (22)
“Then Mahārāja Pratāparudra very humbly said, ‘I am most fallen and abominable, and I am unfit to receive an interview with the Lord. One’s life is successful if one engages in His service.’ (23) “The King then said, ‘Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa, the son of Mahārāja Nanda. He is very merciful, and I hope that in a future birth He will allow me an interview.’ (24) “My Lord, I don’t think that there is even a fraction of Mahārāja Pratāparudra’s loving ecstasy in me.” (25) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then said, “My dear Rāmānanda Rāya, you are the foremost of all the devotees of Kṛṣṇa; therefore whoever loves you is certainly a very fortunate person. (26) “Because the King has shown so much love for you, Lord Kṛṣṇa will certainly accept him. (27) “[Lord Kṛṣṇa told Arjuna:] ‘Those who are My direct devotees are actually not My devotees, but those who are the devotees of My servant are factually My devotees.’ (28)
“‘My devotees take great care and respect in rendering Me service. They offer obeisances to Me with all their bodily limbs. They worship other devotees and find all living entities related to Me. For Me they engage the entire energy of their bodies. They engage the power of speech in the glorification of My qualities and form. They also dedicate their minds unto Me and try to give up all kinds of material desires. Thus My devotees are characterized.’ (29 30) “[Lord Śiva told the goddess Durgā:] ‘My dear Devī, although the Vedas recommend worship of demigods, the worship of Lord Viṣṇu is topmost. However, above the worship of Lord Viṣṇu is the rendering of service to Vaiṣṇavas, who are related to Lord Viṣṇu.’ (31) “‘Those whose austerity is meager can hardly obtain the service of the pure devotees progressing on the path back to the kingdom of Godhead, the Vaikuṇṭhas. Pure devotees engage one hundred percent in glorifying the Supreme Lord, who is the Lord of the demigods and the controller of all living entities.’” (32)
Paramānanda Purī, Brahmānanda Bhāratī Gosāñi, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosāñi, Lord Nityānanda, Jagadānanda, Mukunda and others were present before the Lord at that time. (33) Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya therefore offered his obeisances to all the Lord’s devotees, in particular to the four spiritual masters. Thus Rāmānanda Rāya suitably met all the devotees. (34) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu next asked Rāmānanda Rāya, “Have you already visited the temple of the lotus- eyed Lord Jagannātha?” Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “I shall now go visit the temple.” (35) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “What have you done, My dear Rāya? Why did you not first see Lord Jagannātha and then come here? Why have you come here first?” (36) Rāmānanda Rāya said, “The legs are like the chariot, and the heart is like the charioteer. Wherever the heart takes the living entity, the living entity is obliged to go.” (37) Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya continued, “What shall I do? My mind has brought me here. I could not consider going first to Lord Jagannātha’s temple.” (38)
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised, “Immediately go to Lord Jagannātha’s temple to see the Lord. Then go home and meet your family members.” (39) Having received Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s permission, Rāmānanda Rāya hastily went to the temple of Lord Jagannātha. Who can understand the devotional service of Rāya Rāmānanda? (40) When King Pratāparudra returned to Jagannātha Purī, he called for Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. When the Bhaṭṭācārya went to see the King, the King offered him respects and made the following inquiries. (41) The King asked, “Have you submitted my petition to the Lord?” Sārvabhauma replied, “Yes, with much endeavor I have tried my best. (42) “Yet despite my great endeavor, the Lord would not agree to see a king. Indeed, He said that if He were asked again, He would quit Jagannātha Purī and go elsewhere.” (43)
Hearing this, the King became very unhappy and, greatly lamenting, began to speak as follows. (44) The King said, “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has descended just to deliver all kinds of sinful, lowborn persons. Consequently He has delivered sinners like Jagāi and Mādhāi. (45) “Alas, has Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu incarnated to deliver all kinds of sinners with the exception of a king named Mahārāja Pratāparudra? (46) “‘Alas, has Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu made His advent deciding that He will deliver all others with the exception of me? He bestows His merciful glance upon many lower- class men who are usually not even to be seen.’” (47) Mahārāja Pratāparudra continued, “If Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is determined not to see me, then I am determined to give up my life if I do not see Him. (48) “If I do not receive Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy, my body and my kingdom are certainly useless.” (49) Hearing King Pratāparudra’s determination, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya became thoughtful. Indeed, he was very much astonished to see the King’s determination. (50)
Finally Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said, “My dear King, do not worry. Because of your firm determination, I am sure that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy will definitely be bestowed upon you.” (51) As soon as the Bhaṭṭācārya saw the King’s firm determination, he declared, “The Supreme Lord is approached only by pure love. Your love for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very, very deep; therefore without a doubt He will be merciful upon you.” (52) Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya then suggested, “There is one means by which you can directly see Him. (53) “On the day of the car festival, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu will dance before the Deity in great ecstatic love. (54) “On that Ratha- yātrā festival day, after dancing before the Lord, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu will enter the Guṇḍicā garden. At that time you should go there alone, without your royal dress. (55)
“When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu enters the Guṇḍicā garden, you should also go there and read the five chapters of Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam about Lord Kṛṣṇa’s dancing with the gopīs. In this way you can catch hold of the Lord’s lotus feet. (56) “Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu will be in a mood of ecstatic love, without external consciousness. At that time, as you recite those chapters from Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam, He will embrace you, knowing you to be a pure Vaiṣṇava. (57) “The Lord has already changed His mind due to Rāmānanda Rāya’s description of your pure love for Him.” (58)
Deepen your Bhakti-yoga practice, harmonize relationships, and receive guided coaching — all at Vedavarsity.com
