Chaitanya Charitamrta | Antya Lila | Chapter 1 | Section 159

After Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, taking all His devotees with Him, performed the Guṇḍicā- mārjana [washing and cleansing of the Guṇḍicā temple], He went to the garden known as Āiṭoṭā and accepted prasādam at a picnic within the garden. (62) When Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Rūpa Gosvāmī saw that all the devotees were accepting prasādam and chanting the holy name of Hari, they both were greatly pleased. (63) When they received the remnants of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s prasādam through Govinda, they respected it, and then they both began to dance in ecstasy. (64) On the next day, when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to see Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, the omniscient Lord spoke as follows. (65) “Do not try to take Kṛṣṇa out of Vṛndāvana, for He does not go anywhere else at any time. (66)

“‘The Kṛṣṇa known as Yadu- kumāra is Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa. He is different from the Kṛṣṇa who is the son of Nanda Mahārāja. Yadu- kumāra Kṛṣṇa manifests His pastimes in the cities of Mathurā and Dvārakā, but Kṛṣṇa the son of Nanda Mahārāja never at any time leaves Vṛndāvana.'” (67) After saying this, Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to perform His noontime duties, leaving Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī somewhat surprised. (68) “Satyabhāmā ordered me to write two different dramas,” Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī thought. “Now I understand that this order has been confirmed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (69) “Formerly I wrote the two dramas as one composition. Now I shall divide it and describe the incidents in two separate works. (70) “I shall write two separate invocations of good fortune and two different introductions. Let me think deeply about the matter and then describe two different sets of incidents.” (71) During the Ratha- yātrā ceremony Rūpa Gosvāmī saw Lord Jagannātha. He also saw Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu dancing and chanting in front of the ratha. (72)

When Rūpa Gosvāmī heard a verse uttered by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu during the ceremony, he immediately composed another verse dealing with the same subject. (73) I have already described all these incidents, but I still wish to add briefly something more. (74) Generally Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu recited a verse while dancing and chanting before the ratha, but no one knew why He was reciting that particular verse. (75) Only Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī knew the purpose for which the Lord recited that verse. According to the Lord’s attitude, he used to quote other verses to enable the Lord to relish mellows. (76) Rūpa Gosvāmī, however, could understand the intention of the Lord, and thus he composed another verse that appealed to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (77)

“That very personality who stole my heart during my youth is now again my master. These are the same moonlit nights of the month of Caitra. The same fragrance of mālatī flowers is there, and the same sweet breezes are blowing from the kadamba forest. In our intimate relationship, I am also the same lover, yet still my mind is not happy here. I am eager to go back to that place on the bank of the Revā under the Vetasī tree. That is my desire.” (78) “My dear friend, now I have met My very old and dear friend Kṛṣṇa on this field of Kurukṣetra. I am the same Rādhārāṇī, and now We are meeting together. It is very pleasant, but I would still like to go to the bank of the Yamunā beneath the trees of the forest there. I wish to hear the vibration of His sweet flute playing the fifth note within that forest of Vṛndāvana.” (79)

After writing this verse on a palm leaf, Rūpa Gosvāmī put it somewhere in his thatched roof and went to bathe in the sea. (80) At that time, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went there to meet him, and when He saw the leaf pushed into the roof and saw the verse, He began to read it. (81) After reading the verse, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was overwhelmed by ecstatic love. At that very time, Rūpa Gosvāmī returned, having finished bathing in the sea. (82) Seeing the Lord, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī fell flat in the courtyard to offer obeisances. The Lord slapped him mildly in love and spoke as follows. (83) “My heart is very confidential. How did you know My mind in this way?” After saying this, He firmly embraced Rūpa Gosvāmī. (84) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took that verse and showed it to Svarūpa Dāmodara for him to examine. Then the Lord questioned him. (85) “How could Rūpa Gosvāmī have understood My heart?” the Lord asked. Svarūpa Dāmodara replied, “I can understand that You have already bestowed Your causeless mercy upon him. (86)

“No one could otherwise understand this meaning. I can therefore guess that previously You bestowed upon him Your causeless mercy.” (87) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “Rūpa Gosvāmī met Me at Prayāga. Knowing him to be a suitable person, I naturally bestowed My mercy upon him. (88) “I thereupon also bestowed upon him My transcendental potency. Now you also should give him instructions. In particular, instruct him in transcendental mellows.” (89) Svarūpa Dāmodara said, “As soon as I saw the unique composition of this verse, I could immediately understand that You had bestowed upon him Your special mercy. (90) “‘By seeing a result, one can understand the cause of that result.’ (91) “‘The river Ganges flowing in the heavenly planets is full of golden lotus flowers, and we, the residents of those planets, eat the stems of the flowers. Thus we are very beautiful, more so than the inhabitants of any other planet. This is due to the law of cause and effect, for if one eats food in the mode of goodness, the mode of goodness increases the beauty of his body.'” (92)

After the four months of Cāturmāsya [Śrāvaṇa, Bhādra, Āśvina and Kārttika], all the Vaiṣṇavas of Bengal returned to their homes, but Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī remained in Jagannātha Purī under the shelter of the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (93) One day while Rūpa Gosvāmī was writing his book, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu suddenly appeared. (94) As soon as Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Rūpa Gosvāmī saw the Lord coming, they both stood up and then fell down to offer Him their respectful obeisances. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced them both and then sat down. (95) The Lord inquired, “What kind of book are you writing?” He held up a palm leaf that was a page of the manuscript, and when He saw the fine handwriting, His mind was very pleased. (96) Thus being pleased, the Lord praised the writing by saying, “The handwriting of Rūpa Gosvāmī is just like rows of pearls.” (97) While reading the manuscript, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw a verse on that page, and as soon as He read it He was overwhelmed by ecstatic love. (98)

“I do not know how much nectar the two syllables ‘Kṛṣ- ṇa’ have produced. When the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is chanted, it appears to dance within the mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert.” (99) When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu chanted this verse, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, upon hearing the vibration, became jubilant and began to dance while praising its meaning. (100) One has to learn about the beauty and transcendental position of the holy name of the Lord by hearing the revealed scriptures from the mouths of devotees. Nowhere else can we hear of the sweetness of the Lord’s holy name. (101) Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced Haridāsa and Rūpa Gosvāmī and left for the seaside to perform His noontime duties. (102)

On the next day, after visiting the temple of Jagannātha as usual, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu met Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Rāmānanda Rāya and Svarūpa Dāmodara. They all went together to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, and on the way the Lord greatly praised his qualities. (103-104) When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu recited the two important verses, He felt great pleasure; thus, as if He had five mouths, He began to praise His devotee. (105) Just to examine Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and Rāmānanda Rāya, the Lord began to praise the transcendental qualities of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī before them. (106) Characteristically, the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not take seriously an offense committed by a pure devotee. The Lord accepts whatever small service a devotee renders as being such a great service that He is prepared to give even Himself, what to speak of other benedictions. (107)

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known as Puruṣottama, the greatest of all persons, has a pure mind. He is so gentle that even if His servant is implicated in a great offense, He does not take it very seriously. Indeed, if His servant renders some small service, the Lord accepts it as being very great. Even if an envious person blasphemes the Lord, the Lord never manifests anger against him. Such are His great qualities.” (108) When Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Rūpa Gosvāmī saw that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had come with His intimate devotees, they both immediately fell down like logs and offered prayers to their lotus feet. (109) Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His personal devotees met Rūpa Gosvāmī and Haridāsa Ṭhākura. The Lord then sat down in an elevated place with His devotees. (110) Rūpa Gosvāmī and Haridāsa Ṭhākura sat at the foot of the elevated place where Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was sitting. Although everyone asked them to sit on the same level as the Lord and His associates, they did not do so. (111)

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ordered Rūpa Gosvāmī to read the verse they had previously heard, Rūpa Gosvāmī, because of great shyness, did not read it but instead remained silent. (112) Then Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī recited the verse, and when all the devotees heard it, their minds were struck with wonder. (113) “‘My dear friend, now I have met My very old and dear friend Kṛṣṇa on this field of Kurukṣetra. I am the same Rādhārāṇī, and now We are meeting together. It is very pleasant, but I would still like to go to the bank of the Yamunā beneath the trees of the forest there. I wish to hear the vibration of His sweet flute playing the fifth note within that forest of Vṛndāvana.'” (114) After hearing this verse, Rāmānanda Rāya and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “Without Your special mercy, how could this Rūpa Gosvāmī have understood Your mind?” (115)

Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya said that previously Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had empowered his heart so that he could express elevated and conclusive statements to which even Lord Brahmā has no access. (116) “Had You not previously bestowed Your mercy on him,” they said, “it would not have been possible for him to express Your internal feelings.” (117) Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “My dear Rūpa, please recite that verse from your drama which, upon being heard, makes all people’s unhappiness and lamentation go away.” (118)

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