Formerly, when all the devotees had arrived from Bengal, they all desired to give Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu something to eat. (107) Each devotee would bring a certain type of prasādam. He would entrust it to Govinda and request him, “Please arrange that the Lord will surely eat this prasādam.” (108) Some brought paiḍa [a coconut preparation], some brought sweetballs, and some brought cakes and sweet rice. The prasādam was of different varieties, all very costly. (109)
Govinda would present the prasādam and say to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “This has been given by such- and- such devotee.” The Lord, however, would not actually eat it. He would simply say, “Keep it in storage.” (110) Govinda kept accumulating the food, and soon it filled a corner of the room. There was quite enough to feed at least a hundred people. (111) All the devotees asked Govinda with great eagerness, “Have you given Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu the prasādam brought by me?” (112) When the devotees questioned Govinda, he had to tell them lies. Therefore one day he spoke to the Lord in disappointment. (113) “Many respectable devotees, headed by Advaita Ācārya, make a great endeavor to entrust me with varieties of food for You. (114) “You do not eat it, but they ask me again and again. How long shall I go on cheating them? How shall I be freed from this responsibility?” (115)
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “Why are you so foolishly unhappy? Bring here to Me whatever they have given you.” (116) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sat down to eat. Then Govinda offered Him the preparations one after another, and as he did so he spoke the name of the person who had given each one. (117) “These preparations paiḍa, sweet rice, cakes made with cream, and also amṛta- guṭikā, maṇḍā and a pot of camphor-have been given by Advaita Ācārya. (118) “Next there are varieties of food-cakes, cream, amṛta- maṇḍā and padmacini-given by Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita. (119) “All these are gifts of Ācāryaratna, and these varieties of gifts are from Ācāryanidhi. (120) “And all these varieties of food have been given by Vāsudeva Datta, Murāri Gupta and Buddhimanta Khān. (121) “These are gifts given by Śrīmān Sena, Śrīmān Paṇḍita and Ācārya Nandana. Please eat them all. (122)
“Here are the preparations made by the inhabitants of Kulīna- grāma, and these have been made by the inhabitants of Khaṇḍa.” (123) In this way, Govinda gave everyone’s name as he put the food before the Lord. Being very satisfied, the Lord began to eat it all. (124) The hard sweets made of coconut, mukuta nārikela, the sweetballs, the many kinds of sweet drinks and all the other preparations were at least a month old, but although they were old, they had not become tasteless or stale. Indeed, they had all stayed fresh. That is the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (125 126) Within a very short time, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ate enough for a hundred people. Then He asked Govinda, “Is there anything more left?” (127) Govinda replied, “Now there are only the bags of Rāghava.” The Lord said, “Let them remain today. I shall see them later.” (128) The next day, while taking His lunch in a secluded place, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu opened the bags of Rāghava and inspected their contents one after another. (129)
He tasted a little of everything they contained and praised it all for its flavor and aroma. (130) All the varieties of the remaining prasādam were kept to eat throughout the year. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ate His lunch, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī would serve it little by little. (131) Sometimes Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would take some of it at night. The Lord certainly enjoys preparations made with faith and love by His devotees. (132) Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu spent the entire period of Cāturmāsya [the four months of the rainy season] in the happiness of discussing topics of Kṛṣṇa with His devotees. (133) From time to time, Advaita Ācārya and others would invite Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu for home- cooked rice and varieties of vegetables. (134) They offered pungent preparations made with black pepper, sweet- and- sour preparations, ginger, salty preparations, limes, milk, yogurt, cheese, two or four kinds of spinach, soup made with bitter melon, eggplant mixed with nimba flowers, and fried paṭola. (135-136)
They also offered phula- baḍī, liquid mung dhal and many vegetables, all cooked according to the Lord’s taste. (137) They would mix these preparations with the remnants of food from Lord Jagannātha. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted the invitations, He went sometimes alone and sometimes with His associates. (138) Devotees like Ācāryaratna, Ācāryanidhi, Nandana Ācārya, Rāghava Paṇḍita and Śrīvāsa were all of the brāhmaṇa caste. (139) They would extend invitations to the Lord. Vāsudeva Datta, Gadādhara dāsa, Murāri Gupta, the inhabitants of Kulīna- grāma and Khaṇḍa and many other devotees who were not brāhmaṇas by caste would purchase food offered to Lord Jagannātha and then extend invitations to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (140-141) Now hear about the invitation Śivānanda Sena extended to the Lord. His eldest son was named Caitanya dāsa. (142)
When Śivānanda brought his son, Caitanya dāsa, to be introduced to the Lord, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired about his name. (143) When the Lord heard that his name was Caitanya dāsa, He said, “What kind of name have you given him? It is very difficult to understand.” (144) Śivānanda Sena replied, “He has kept the name that appeared to me from within.” Then he invited Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu for lunch. (145) Śivānanda Sena had bought very costly remnants of Lord Jagannātha’s food. He brought it in and offered it to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who sat down to accept the prasādam with His associates. (146) Because of Śivānanda Sena’s glories, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ate all kinds of prasādam to honor his request. However, the Lord ate more than necessary, and therefore His mind was dissatisfied. (147) The next day, Caitanya dāsa, the son of Śivānanda Sena, extended an invitation to the Lord. He could understand the Lord’s mind, however, and therefore he arranged for a different kind of food. (148)
He offered yogurt, limes, ginger, soft baḍā and salt. Seeing all these arrangements, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very pleased. (149) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “This boy knows My mind. Therefore I am very satisfied to accept his invitation.” (150) After saying this, the Lord ate the rice mixed with yogurt and offered Caitanya dāsa the remnants of His food. (151) The four months of Cāturmāsya passed in this manner, with the Lord accepting invitations from His devotees. Because of a heavy schedule of invitations, however, some of the Vaiṣṇavas could not get an open day on which to invite the Lord. (152) Every month Gadādhara Paṇḍita and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya had fixed dates on which Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would accept their invitations. (153)
Gopīnātha Ācārya, Jagadānanda, Kāśīśvara, Bhagavān, Rāmabhadra Ācārya, Śaṅkara and Vakreśvara, who were all brāhmaṇas, extended invitations to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and offered Him food cooked at home, whereas other devotees would pay two paṇas of small conchshells to purchase Jagannātha’s prasādam and then invite the Lord. (154-155) At first the cost of Jagannātha prasādam for an invitation was four paṇas of conchshells, but when Rāmacandra Purī was there, the price was cut in half. (156) The devotees who came from Bengal stayed with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu for four consecutive months, and then the Lord bade them farewell. After the Bengali devotees departed, the devotees who were the Lord’s constant companions at Jagannātha Purī stayed with the Lord. (157)
Thus I have described how Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted invitations and how He accepted and tasted the prasādam offered by His devotees. (158) In the midst of that narration are descriptions of Rāghava Paṇḍita’s bags of food and the dancing in the temple of Jagannātha. (159) One who hears about the pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu with faith and love will certainly attain ecstatic love for the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu without fail. (160) Narrations of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s activities are just like nectar to hear. Indeed, they satisfy both the ears and mind. One who tastes the nectar of these activities is certainly very fortunate. (161) Praying at the lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Raghunātha, always desiring their mercy, I, Kṛṣṇadāsa, narrate Śrī Caitanya- caritāmṛta, following in their footsteps. (162)
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