By the nectar of His personal glance, the cloud known as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu poured water upon the garden of Gauḍa deśa and revived the people, who were like creepers and plants burning in the forest fire of material existence. (1) All glories to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityānanda! All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to all the devotees of the Lord! (2) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu decided to go to Vṛndāvana, and Mahārāja Pratāparudra became very morose upon hearing this news. (3) The King therefore called for Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and Rāmānanda Rāya, and he spoke the following submissive words to them. (4)
Pratāparudra Mahārāja said, “Please endeavor to keep Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu here at Jagannātha Purī, for now He is thinking of going elsewhere. (5) “Without Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, this kingdom is not pleasing to me. Therefore please try to devise some plan to enable the Lord to stay here.” (6) After this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself consulted Rāmānanda Rāya and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, saying, “I shall go to Vṛndāvana.” (7) Rāmānanda Rāya and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya requested the Lord to first observe the Ratha- yātrā festival. Then when the month of Kārttika arrived, He could go to Vṛndāvana. (8) However, when the month of Kārttika came, they both told the Lord, “Now it is very cold. It is better that You wait to see the Dola- yātrā festival and then go. That will be very nice.” (9)
In this way they both presented many impediments, indirectly not granting the Lord permission to go to Vṛndāvana. They did this because they were afraid of separation from Him. (10) Although the Lord is completely independent and no one can check Him, He still did not go without the permission of His devotees. (11) Then, for the third year, all the devotees of Bengal wanted to return again to Jagannātha Purī. (12) All the Bengali devotees gathered around Advaita Ācārya, and in great jubilation the Ācārya departed for Jagannātha Purī to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (13) Although the Lord told Nityānanda Prabhu to stay in Bengal and spread ecstatic love of God, Nityānanda left to go see Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Who can understand Nityānanda Prabhu’s ecstatic love? (14-15) All the devotees of Navadvīpa departed, including Ācāryaratna, Vidyānidhi, Śrīvāsa, Rāmāi, Vāsudeva, Murāri, Govinda and his two brothers and Rāghava Paṇḍita, who took bags of assorted foods. The inhabitants of Kulīna- grāma, carrying silken ropes, also departed. (16-17)
Narahari and Śrī Raghunandana, who were from the village of Khaṇḍa, and many other devotees also departed. Who can count them? (18) Śivānanda Sena, who was in charge of the party, made arrangements to clear the tax collecting centers. He took care of all the devotees and happily traveled with them. (19) Śivānanda Sena took care of all the necessities the devotees required. In particular, he made arrangements for residential quarters, and he knew the roads of Orissa. (20) That year all the devotees’ wives [ṭhākurāṇīs] also went to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Sītādevī, the mother of Acyutānanda, went with Advaita Ācārya. (21) Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita also took his wife, Mālinī, and the wife of Śivānanda Sena also went with her husband. (22) Caitanya dāsa, the son of Śivānanda Sena, also jubilantly accompanied them as they went to see the Lord. (23) The wife of Candraśekhara [Ācāryaratna] also went. I cannot describe the greatness of Candraśekhara’s love for the Lord. (24) To offer Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu various types of food, all the wives of the great devotees brought from home various dishes that pleased Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (25)
As stated, Śivānanda Sena made all arrangements for the party’s necessities. In particular, he pacified the men in charge of levying taxes and found resting places for everyone. (26) Śivānanda Sena also supplied food to all the devotees and took care of them along the way. In this way, feeling great happiness, he went to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Jagannātha Purī. (27) When they all arrived at Remuṇā, they went to see Lord Gopīnātha. In the temple there, Advaita Ācārya danced and chanted. (28) All the priests of the temple had been previously acquainted with Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu; therefore they all came to offer great respects to the Lord. (29) That night, all the great devotees remained in the temple, and the priests brought twelve pots of condensed milk, which they placed before Lord Nityānanda Prabhu. (30)
When the condensed milk was placed before Nityānanda Prabhu, He distributed the prasādam to everyone, and thus everyone’s transcendental bliss increased. (31) They then all discussed the story of Śrī Mādhavendra Purī’s installation of the Gopāla Deity, and they discussed how Gopāla begged sandalwood from him. (32) It was Gopīnātha who stole condensed milk for the sake of Mādhavendra Purī. This incident had been previously related by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself. (33) This same narration was again related by Lord Nityānanda to all the devotees, and their transcendental bliss increased as they heard the story again. (34) Walking and walking in this way, the devotees arrived at the city of Kaṭaka, where they remained for a day and saw the temple of Sākṣi- gopāla. (35) When Nityānanda Prabhu described all the activities of Sākṣi- gopāla, transcendental bliss increased in the minds of all the Vaiṣṇavas. (36) Everyone in the party was very anxious at heart to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu; therefore they hastily went on to Jagannātha Purī. (37)
When they all arrived at a bridge called Āṭhāranālā, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, hearing the news of their arrival, sent two garlands with Govinda. (38) Govinda offered the two garlands to Advaita Ācārya and Nityānanda Prabhu, and They both became very happy. (39) Indeed, They began chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa on that very spot, and in this way, dancing and dancing, Advaita Ācārya and Nityānanda Prabhu reached Jagannātha Purī. (40) Then, for the second time, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sent garlands through Svarūpa Dāmodara and other personal associates. Thus they went forward, sent by the son of mother Śacī. (41) When the devotees from Bengal reached Lake Narendra, Svarūpa Dāmodara and the others met them and offered them the garlands given by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (42) When the devotees finally reached the lion gate, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard the news and personally went to meet them. (43)
Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all His devotees visited Lord Jagannātha. Finally, accompanied by them all, He returned to His own residence. (44) Vāṇīnātha Rāya and Kāśī Miśra then brought a large quantity of prasādam, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu distributed it with His own hand and fed them all. (45) In the previous year, everyone had his own particular residence, and the same residences were again offered. Thus they all went to take rest. (46) For four continuous months all the devotees remained there and enjoyed chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā- mantra with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (47) As in the previous year, they all washed the Guṇḍicā temple when the time for Ratha- yātrā arrived. (48) The inhabitants of Kulīna- grāma delivered silken ropes to Lord Jagannātha, and, as previously, they all danced before the Lord’s car. (49) After dancing a great deal, they all went to a nearby garden and took rest beside a lake. (50)
A brāhmaṇa named Kṛṣṇadāsa, who was a resident of Rāḍha- deśa and a servant of Lord Nityānanda’s, was a very fortunate person. (51) It was Kṛṣṇadāsa who filled a great waterpot and poured it over the Lord while He was taking His bath. The Lord was greatly satisfied by this. (52) The remnants of food offered to the Lord at Balagaṇḍi then arrived in great quantity, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all His devotees ate it. (53) As in the previous year, the Lord, with all the devotees, saw the Ratha- yātrā festival and the Herā- pañcamī festival as well. (54) Advaita Ācārya then extended an invitation to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and there was a great rainstorm connected with that incident. (55) All these episodes have been elaborately described by Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura. Then one day Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura extended an invitation to the Lord. (56) The Lord’s favorite vegetables were cooked by Mālinīdevī, the wife of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. She devotedly considered herself a maidservant of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but in affection she was just like a mother. (57) All the chief devotees, headed by Candraśekhara [Ācāryaratna], used to extend invitations to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu periodically. (58)
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