Before the creation of this cosmic manifestation, the Lord enlightened the heart of Lord Brahmā with the details of the creation and manifested the Vedic knowledge. In exactly the same way, the Lord, being anxious to revive the Vṛndāvana pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa, impregnated the heart of Rūpa Gosvāmī with spiritual potency. By this potency, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī could revive the activities of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana, activities almost lost to memory. In this way, He spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout the world. (1)
All glories to Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityānanda! All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to all the devotees of the Lord! (2) After meeting Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in the village of Rāmakeli, the brothers Rūpa and Sanātana returned to their homes. (3) The two brothers devised a means whereby they could give up their material activities. For this purpose, they appointed two brāhmaṇas and paid them a large amount of money. (4) The brāhmaṇas performed religious ceremonies and chanted the holy name of Kṛṣṇa so that the two brothers might attain shelter at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu very soon. (5) At this time, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī returned home, taking with him large quantities of riches loaded in boats. (6) Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī divided the wealth that he brought back home. He gave fifty percent in charity to brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas and twenty- five percent to his relatives. (7)
He kept one- fourth of his wealth with a respectable brāhmaṇa. He kept this for his personal safety because he was expecting some legal complications. (8) He deposited ten thousand coins, which were later spent by Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, in the custody of a local Bengali grocer. (9) Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī heard that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had returned to Jagannātha Purī and was preparing to go to Vṛndāvana through the forest. (10) Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī sent two people to Jagannātha Purī to find out when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would depart for Vṛndāvana. (11) Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī told the two men, “You are to return quickly and let me know when He will depart. Then I shall make the proper arrangements.” (12) While Sanātana Gosvāmī was in Gauḍa- deśa, he was thinking, “The Nawab is very pleased with me. I certainly have an obligation. (13) “If the Nawab somehow or other becomes angry with me, I shall be greatly relieved. That is my conclusion.” (14)
On the pretext of bad health, Sanātana Gosvāmī remained home. Thus he gave up government service and did not go to the royal court. (15) The greedy masters of his clerical and secretarial staff performed the government duties while Sanātana personally remained home and discussed the revealed scriptures. (16) Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī used to discuss Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam in an assembly of twenty or thirty learned brāhmaṇa scholars. (17) While Sanātana Gosvāmī was studying Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam in the assembly of learned brāhmaṇas, one day the Nawab of Bengal and another person suddenly appeared. (18) As soon as all the brāhmaṇas and Sanātana Gosvāmī saw the Nawab appear, they all stood up and respectfully gave him a sitting place to honor him. (19)
The Nawab said, “I sent my physician to you, and he has reported that you are not diseased. As far as he could see, you are completely healthy. (20) “I am depending on you to carry out so many of my activities, but you have given up your governmental duties to sit here at home. (21) “You have spoiled all my activities. What is your intention? Please tell me frankly.” (22) Sanātana Gosvāmī replied, “You can no longer expect any service from me. Please arrange for someone else to tend to the management.” (23) Becoming angry with Sanātana Gosvāmī, the Nawab said, “Your elder brother is acting just like a plunderer. (24) “By killing many living entities, your elder brother has destroyed all Bengal. Now here you are destroying all my plans.” (25) Sanātana Gosvāmī said, “You are the supreme ruler of Bengal and are completely independent. Whenever someone commits a fault, you punish him accordingly.” (26)
Hearing this, the Nawab of Bengal stood up and returned to his home. He ordered the arrest of Sanātana Gosvāmī so that he would not be able to leave. (27) At this time the Nawab was going to attack the province of Orissa, and he told Sanātana Gosvāmī, “Come along with me.” (28) Sanātana Gosvāmī replied, “You are going to Orissa to give pain to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For this reason I am powerless to go with you.” (29) The Nawab again arrested Sanātana Gosvāmī and kept him in prison. At this time, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu departed for Vṛndāvana from Jagannātha Purī. (30) The two persons who went to Jagannātha Purī to inquire about the Lord’s departure returned and informed Rūpa Gosvāmī that the Lord had already departed for Vṛndāvana. (31)
Upon receiving this message from his two messengers, Rūpa Gosvāmī immediately wrote a letter to Sanātana Gosvāmī saying that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had departed for Vṛndāvana. (32) In his letter to Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī wrote, “We two brothers are starting out to go see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You must also somehow or other get released and come meet us.” (33) Rūpa Gosvāmī further informed Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī: “I have left a deposit of ten thousand coins with the grocer. Use that money to get out of prison. (34) “Somehow or other get yourself released and come to Vṛndāvana.” After writing this, the two brothers [Rūpa Gosvāmī and Anupama] went to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (35) Rūpa Gosvāmī’s younger brother was a great devotee whose actual name was Śrī Vallabha, but he was given the name Anupama Mallika. (36)
Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and Anupama Mallika went to Prayāga, and they were very pleased to hear the news that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was there. (37) At Prayāga, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to see the temple of Bindu Mādhava, and many hundreds of thousands of people followed Him just to meet Him. (38) Some of the people following the Lord were crying. Some were laughing, some dancing and some chanting. Indeed, some of them were rolling on the ground, exclaiming “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!” (39) Prayāga is located at the confluence of two rivers—the Ganges and the Yamunā. Although these rivers were not able to flood Prayāga with water, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu inundated the whole area with waves of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. (40) Seeing the great crowd, the two brothers remained standing in a secluded place. They could see that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was ecstatic to see Lord Bindu Mādhava. (41)
The Lord was loudly chanting the holy name of Hari. Dancing in ecstatic love and raising His arms, He asked everyone to chant “Hari! Hari!” (42) Everyone was astounded to see the greatness of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Indeed, I cannot properly describe the pastimes of the Lord at Prayāga. (43) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had made an acquaintance with a brāhmaṇa from Deccan [in South India], and that brāhmaṇa invited Him for meals and took Him to his place. (44) While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was sitting in a solitary place in the home of that Deccan brāhmaṇa, Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrī Vallabha [Anupama Mallika] came to meet Him. (45) Seeing the Lord from a distance, the two brothers put two clumps of straw between their teeth and immediately fell down on the ground like rods, offering Him obeisances. (46)
Both brothers were overwhelmed with ecstatic emotion, and reciting various Sanskrit verses, they stood up and fell down again and again. (47) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very pleased to see Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, and He told him, “Stand up! Stand up! My dear Rūpa, come here.” (48) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then said, “It is not possible to describe Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, for He has delivered you both from the well of material enjoyment. (49) “[Lord Kṛṣṇa said:] ‘Even though a person is a very learned scholar of the Sanskrit Vedic literatures, he is not accepted as My devotee unless he is pure in devotional service. Even though a person is born in a family of dog- eaters, he is very dear to Me if he is a pure devotee who has no motive to enjoy fruitive activities or mental speculation. Indeed, all respects should be given to him, and whatever he offers should be accepted. Such devotees are as worshipable as I am.”’ (50)
After reciting this verse, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced the two brothers, and out of His causeless mercy He placed His feet on their heads. (51) After receiving the Lord’s causeless mercy, the two brothers folded their hands and in great humility offered the following prayers unto the Lord. (52) “O most munificent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṇa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṇa. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You. (53)
“We offer our respectful obeisances unto that merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead who has converted all three worlds, which were maddened by ignorance, and saved them from their diseased condition by making them mad with the nectar from the treasure- house of love of God. Let us take full shelter of that Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, whose activities are wonderful.” (54) After this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sat them down by His side and asked them, “What news do you have of Sanātana?” (55)
Rūpa Gosvāmī replied, “Sanātana has now been arrested by the government of Hussain Shah. If You kindly save him, he can be liberated from that entanglement.” (56) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately replied, “Sanātana has already been released from his confinement, and he will very soon meet with Me.” (57) The brāhmaṇa then requested Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to accept His lunch. Rūpa Gosvāmī also remained there that day. (58) Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya invited the two brothers to take lunch also. The remnants of food from the plate of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu were offered to them. (59) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu selected His residence beside the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamunā, a place called Triveṇī. The two brothers—Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrī Vallabha—selected their residence near the Lord’s. (60)
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