Things that are very difficult to do become easy to execute if one somehow or other simply remembers Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. But if one does not remember Him, even easy things become very difficult. To this Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu I offer my respectful obeisances. (1) All glories to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu and all the devotees of Lord Caitanya! (2) I have thus described in brief the advent of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who appeared as the son of mother Śacī exactly as Kṛṣṇa appeared as the son of mother Yaśodā. (3) I have already briefly spoken about the pastimes of His birth in chronological order. Now I shall give a synopsis of His childhood pastimes. (4)

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the childhood pastimes of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. Although such pastimes appear exactly like those of an ordinary child, they should be understood as various pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (5) In His first childhood pastimes the Lord turned upside down while lying on His bed, and thus He showed His parents the marks of His lotus feet. (6) When the Lord tried to walk, in His small footprints the specific marks of Lord Viṣṇu were visible, namely the flag, thunderbolt, conchshell, disc and fish. (7) Seeing all these marks, neither His father nor His mother could understand whose footprints they were. Thus struck with wonder, they could not understand how those marks could be possible in their home. (8) Jagannātha Miśra said, “Certainly child Kṛṣṇa is with the śālagrāma- śilā. Taking His childhood form, He is playing within the room.” (9)

While mother Śacī and Jagannātha Miśra were talking, child Nimāi woke up and began to cry, and mother Śacī took Him on her lap and allowed Him to suck her breast. (10) While mother Śacī was feeding the child from her breast, she saw on His lotus feet all the marks that were visible on the floor of the room, and she called for Jagannātha Miśra. (11) When Jagannātha Miśra saw the wonderful marks on the sole of his son, he became very joyful and privately called for Nīlāmbara Cakravartī. (12) When Nīlāmbara Cakravartī saw those marks, he smilingly said, “Formerly I ascertained all this by astrological calculation and noted it in writing. (13) “There are thirty-two bodily marks that symptomize a great personality, and I see all those marks on the body of this child. (14)

“‘There are thirty- two bodily symptoms of a great personality: five of his bodily parts are large, five fine, seven reddish, six raised, three small, three broad and three grave.’ (15) “This baby has all the symptoms of Lord Nārāyaṇa on His palms and soles. He will be able to deliver all the three worlds. (16) “This child will preach the Vaiṣṇava cult and deliver both His maternal and paternal families. (17) “I propose to perform a name- giving ceremony. We should observe a festival and call for the brāhmaṇas because today is very auspicious. (18) “In the future this child will protect and maintain all the world. For this reason He is to be called Viśvambhara.” (19) After hearing Nīlāmbara Cakravartī’s prediction, Śacīmātā and Jagannātha Miśra observed the name- giving festival in great joy, inviting all the brāhmaṇas and their wives. (20)

After some days the Lord began to crawl on His knees, and He caused various wonderful things to be seen. (21) The Lord caused all the ladies to chant the holy names of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā- mantra on the plea of His crying, and while they chanted the Lord would smile. (22) After some days the Lord began to move His legs and walk. He mixed with other children and exhibited various sports. (23) One day while the Lord was enjoying His playful sports with the other little children, mother Śacī brought a dish filled with fused rice and sweetmeats and asked the child to sit down and eat them. (24) But when she returned to her household duties, the child hid from His mother and began to eat dirt. (25) Seeing this, mother Śacī hastily returned and exclaimed, “What is this! What is this!” She snatched the dirt from the hands of the Lord and inquired why He was eating it. (26)

Crying, the child inquired from His mother, “Why are you angry? You have already given Me dirt to eat. What is My fault? (27) “Fused rice, sweetmeats and all other eatables are but transformations of dirt. This is dirt, that is dirt. Please consider. What is the difference between them? (28) “This body is a transformation of dirt, and the eatables are also a transformation of dirt. Please reflect upon this. You are blaming Me without consideration. What can I say?” (29) Astonished that the child was speaking Māyāvāda philosophy, mother Śacī replied, “Who has taught You this philosophical speculation that justifies eating dirt?” (30) Replying to the Māyāvāda idea of the child philosopher, mother Śacī said, “My dear boy, if we eat earth transformed into grain, our body is nourished, and it becomes strong. But if we eat dirt in its crude state, the body becomes diseased instead of nourished, and thus it is destroyed. (31) “In a waterpot, which is a transformation of dirt, I can bring water very easily. But if I poured water on a lump of dirt, the lump would soak up the water, and my labor would be useless.” (32)

The Lord replied to His mother, “Why did you conceal self- realization by not teaching Me this practical philosophy in the beginning? (33) “Now that I can understand this philosophy, no more shall I eat dirt. Whenever I am hungry I shall suck your breast and drink your breast milk.” (34) After saying this, the Lord, smiling slightly, climbed on the lap of His mother and sucked her breast. (35) Thus under various excuses the Lord exhibited His opulences as much as possible in His childhood, and later, after exhibiting such opulences, He hid Himself. (36) On one occasion the Lord ate the food of a brāhmaṇa guest three times, and later, in confidence, the Lord delivered that brāhmaṇa from material engagement. (37) In His childhood the Lord was taken away by two thieves outside His home. The Lord, however, got up on the shoulders of the thieves, and while they were thinking they were safely carrying the child to rob His ornaments, the Lord misled them, and thus instead of going to their own home the thieves came back to the home of Jagannātha Miśra. (38)

Pretending to be sick, the Lord asked some food from the house of Hiraṇya and Jagadīśa on the Ekādaśī day. (39) As usual for small children, He learned to play, and with His playmates He went to the houses of neighboring friends, stealing their eatables and eating them. Sometimes the children fought among themselves. (40) All the children lodged complaints with Śacīmātā about the Lord’s fighting with them and stealing from the neighbors’ houses. Therefore sometimes she used to chastise or rebuke her son. (41) Śacīmātā said, “Why do You steal others’ things? Why do You beat the other children? And why do You go inside others’ houses? What do You not have in Your own house?” (42) Thus rebuked by His mother, he Lord would go in anger to a room and break all the pots within it. (43) Then Śacīmātā would take her son on her lap and pacify Him, and the Lord would be very much ashamed, admitting His faults. (44)

I wish the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by whose mercy even one who is fallen can describe the pastimes of the Lord. (1) All glories to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu! All glories to Advaitacandra! All glories to Lord Nityānanda Prabhu! (2) All glories to Gadādhara Prabhu! All glories to Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura! All glories to Mukunda Prabhu and Vāsudeva Prabhu! All glories to Haridāsa Ṭhākura! (3)

All glories to Svarūpa Dāmodara and Murāri Gupta! All these brilliant moons have together dissipated the darkness of this material world. (4) All glories to the moons who are devotees of the principal moon, Lord Caitanyacandra! Their bright moonshine illuminates the entire universe. (5)Thus I have spoken the preface of the Caitanya- caritāmṛta. Now I shall describe Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s pastimes in chronological order. (6) First let me give a synopsis of the Lord’s pastimes. Then I shall describe them in detail. (7) Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, adventing Himself in Navadvīpa, was visible for forty- eight years, enjoying His pastimes. (8)

In the year 1407 of the Śaka Era (A.D. 1486), Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared, and in the year 1455 (A.D. 1534) He disappeared from this world. (9) For twenty- four years Lord Caitanya lived in the gṛhastha- āśrama [household life], always engaging in the pastimes of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. (10) After twenty- four years He accepted the renounced order of life, sannyāsa, and He resided for twenty- four years more at Jagannātha Purī. (11) Of these last twenty- four years, He spent the first six continuoually touring India, sometimes in South India, sometimes in Bengal and sometimes in Vṛndāvana. (12)

For the remaining eighteen years He continuously stayed in Jagannātha Purī. Chanting the nectarean Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā- mantra, He inundated everyone there in a flood of love of Kṛṣṇa.(13) The pastimes of His household life are known as the ādi-līlā, or the original pastimes. His later pastimes are known as the Madhya-līlā and Antya-līlā, or the middle and final pastimes. (14) All the pastimes enacted by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His ādi-līlā were recorded in summary form by Murāri Gupta. (15) His later pastimes [the Madhya-līlā and Antya-līlā] were recorded in the form of notes by His secretary, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, and thus kept within a book. (16)

By seeing and hearing the notes recorded by these two great personalities, a Vaiṣṇava, a devotee of the Lord, can know these pastimes one after another. (17) In His original pastimes there are four divisions: bālya, paugaṇḍa, kaiśora and yauvana [childhood, early boyhood, later boyhood and youth ]. (18) I offer my respectful obeisances unto the full- moon evening in the month of Phālguna, an auspicious time full of auspicious symptoms, when Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advented Himself with the chanting of the holy name, Hare Kṛṣṇa. (19) On the full- moon evening of the month of Phālguna when the Lord took birth, coincidentally there was also a lunar eclipse. (20)

In jubilation everyone was chanting the holy name of the Lord-“Hari! Hari!”-and Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then appeared, after first causing the appearance of the holy name. (21) At His birth, in His childhood and in His early and later boyhood, as well as in His youth, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, under different pleas, induced people to chant the holy name of Hari [the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā- mantra]. (22) In His childhood, when the Lord was crying He would stop immediately upon hearing the holy names Kṛṣṇa and Hari. (23) All the friendly ladies who came to see the child would chant the holy names, “Hari, Hari!” as soon as the child would cry.(24)

His childhood lasted until the date of hāte khaḍi, the beginning of His education, and His age from the end of His childhood until He married is called paugaṇḍa.(26) After His marriage His youth began, and in His youth He induced everyone to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā- mantra anywhere and everywhere. (27) During His paugaṇḍa age He became a serious student and also taught disciples. In this way He used to explain the holy name of Kṛṣṇa everywhere.(28) When teaching a course in grammar [vyākaraṇa] and explaining it with notes, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught His disciples about the glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa. All explanations culminated in Kṛṣṇa, and His disciples would understand them very easily. Thus His influence was wonderful.(29)

When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a student, He asked whomever He met to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā- mantra. In this way He inundated the whole town of Navadvīpa with the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. (30) Just prior to His youthful life, He began the saṅkīrtana movement. Day and night He used to dance in ecstasy with His devotees. (31) The saṅkīrtana movement went on from one part of the town to another, as the Lord wandered everywhere performing kīrtana. In this way He inundated the whole world by distributing love of Godhead. (32) Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu lived in the Navadvīpa area for twenty- four years, and He induced every person to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā- mantra and thus merge in love of Kṛṣṇa. (33)

For His remaining twenty- four years, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, after accepting the renounced order of life, stayed at Jagannātha Purī with His devotees.(34) For six of these twenty- four years in Nīlācala [Jagannātha Purī], He distributed love of Godhead by always chanting and dancing. (35) Beginning from Cape Comorin and extending through Bengal to Vṛndāvana, during these six years He toured all of India, chanting, dancing and distributing love of Kṛṣṇa. (36) The activities of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His travels after He accepted sannyāsa are His principal pastimes. His activities during His remaining eighteen years are called the Antya-līlā- līlā, or the final portion of His pastimes. (37)

For six of the eighteen years He continuously stayed in Jagannātha Purī, He regularly performed kīrtana, inducing all the devotees to love Kṛṣṇa simply by chanting and dancing. (38) For the remaining twelve years He stayed in Jagannātha Purī, He taught everyone how to taste the transcendental mellow ecstasy of love of Kṛṣṇa by tasting it Himself. (39) Day and night Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu felt separation from Kṛṣṇa. Manifesting symptoms of this separation, He cried and talked very inconsistently, like a madman. (40) As Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī talked inconsistently when She met Uddhava, so also Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu relished, both day and night, such ecstatic talk in the mood of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. (41)

The Lord used to read the books of Vidyāpati, Jayadeva and Caṇḍīdāsa, relishing their songs with His confidential associates like Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya and Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī. (42) In separation from Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu relished all these ecstatic activities, and thus He fulfilled His own desires. (43) The pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu are unlimited. How much can a small living entity elaborate about those transcendental pastimes? (44) If Śeṣa Nāga Ananta personally were to make the pastimes of Lord Caitanya into sūtras, even with His thousands of mouths there is no possibility that He could find their limit. (45)

Devotees like Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara and Murāri Gupta have recorded all the principal pastimes of Lord Caitanya in the form of notes, after deliberate consideration. (46) The notes kept by Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara and Murāri Gupta are the basis of this book. Following those notes, I write of all the pastimes of the Lord. The notes have been described elaborately by Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura. (47)

Srīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura, the authorized writer of the pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, is as good as Śrīla Vyāsadeva. He has described the pastimes in such a way as to make them sweeter and sweeter. (48) Being afraid of his book’s becoming too voluminous, he left some places without vivid descriptions. I shall try to fill those places as far as possible. (49) The transcendental pastimes of Lord Caitanya have actually been relished by Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura. I am simply trying to chew the remnants of food left by him. (50)