Chaitanya Charitamrta | Madhya Lila | Chapter 11 | Section 96

When Nityānanda Prabhu, Jagadānanda Prabhu, Dāmodara Prabhu and Mukunda Prabhu met Haridāsa Ṭhākura, they all became very pleased. (196)

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When Nityānanda Prabhu, Jagadānanda Prabhu, Dāmodara Prabhu and Mukunda Prabhu met Haridāsa Ṭhākura, they all became very pleased. (196) When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned to His residence after taking a bath in the sea, all the devotees, headed by Advaita Prabhu, went to bathe in the sea. (197) After bathing in the sea, Advaita Prabhu and all the other devotees returned, and on their return they saw the top of the Jagannātha temple. They then went to the residence of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to take their luncheon. (198) One after the other, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu made all the devotees sit in their proper places. He then began to distribute prasādam with His own transcendental hand. (199) All the devotees were served prasādam on plantain leaves, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu distributed on each leaf a quantity suitable for two or three men to eat, for His hand could not distribute less than that. (200)

All the devotees kept their hands raised over the prasādam distributed to them, for they did not want to eat without seeing the Lord eat first. (201) Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī then informed Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “Unless You sit and take prasādam, no one will accept it. (202) “Gopīnātha Ācārya has invited all the sannyāsīs who remain with You to come and take prasādam. (203) “Gopīnātha Ācārya has already come, bringing sufficient remnants of food to distribute to all the sannyāsīs, and sannyāsīs like Paramānanda Purī and Brahmānanda Bhāratī are waiting for You. (204) “You may sit down and accept the luncheon with Nityānanda Prabhu, and I shall distribute the prasādam to all the Vaiṣṇavas.” (205) After this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu carefully delivered some prasādam into the hands of Govinda to be given to Haridāsa Ṭhākura. (206) Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally sat down to accept lunch with the other sannyāsīs, and Gopīnātha Ācārya began to distribute the prasādam with great pleasure. (207)

Then Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, Dāmodara Paṇḍita and Jagadānanda all began to distribute prasādam to the devotees with great pleasure. (208) They ate all kinds of cakes and sweet rice, filling themselves up to their throats, and at intervals they vibrated the holy name of the Lord in great jubilation. (209) After everyone had finished his lunch and washed his mouth and hands, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally decorated everyone with flower garlands and sandalwood pulp. (210) After thus accepting prasādam, they all went to take rest at their respective residences, and in the evening they again came to meet Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (211) At this time Rāmānanda Rāya also came to meet Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and the Lord took the opportunity to introduce him to all the Vaiṣṇavas. (212) The great Personality of Godhead, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then took all of them to the temple of Jagannātha and began the congregational chanting of the holy name there. (213) After seeing the dhūpa- ārati of the Lord, they all began congregational chanting. Then the paḍichā, the superintendent of the temple, came and offered flower garlands and sandalwood pulp to everyone. (214)

Four parties were then distributed in four directions to perform saṅkīrtana, and in the middle of them the Lord Himself, known as the son of mother Śacī, began to dance. (215) In the four groups there were eight mṛdaṅgas and thirty- two cymbals. All together they began to vibrate the transcendental sound, and everyone said, “Very good! Very good!” (216) When the tumultuous vibration of saṅkīrtana resounded, all good fortune immediately awakened, and the sound penetrated the whole universe through the fourteen planetary systems. (217) When the congregational chanting began, ecstatic love immediately overflooded everything, and all the residents of Jagannātha Purī came running. (218) Everyone was astonished to see such a performance of saṅkīrtana, and they all agreed that never before had kīrtana been so performed and ecstatic love of God so exhibited. (219) At this time Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu circumambulated the temple of Jagannātha and continuously danced about the whole area. (220) As the circumambulation was performed, the four kīrtana parties sang in front and in the rear. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu fell down to the ground, Śrī Nityānanda Rāya Prabhu lifted Him up. (221)

While kīrtana was going on, there was a transformation of ecstatic love and much tears, jubilation, trembling, perspiration and deep resounding in the body of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Upon seeing this transformation, all the people present became very much astonished. (222) The tears from the eyes of the Lord came out with great force, like water from a syringe. Indeed, all the people who surrounded Him were moistened by His tears. (223) After circumambulating the temple, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu for some time remained at the rear of the temple and continued His saṅkīrtana. (224) On all four sides the four saṅkīrtana groups chanted very loudly, and in the middle Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced, jumping high. (225) After dancing for a long time, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became still and ordered four great personalities to begin to dance. (226) In one group Nityānanda Prabhu began to dance, and in another group Advaita Ācārya began to dance. (227) Vakreśvara Paṇḍita began to dance in another group, and in yet another group Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura began to dance. (228) While this dancing was going on, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu watched them and performed a miracle. (229)

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stood in the middle of the dancers, and all the dancers in all directions perceived that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was looking at them. (230) Wanting to see the dancing of the four great personalities, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu exhibited this miracle of seeing everyone simultaneously. (231) Everyone who saw Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu could understand that He was performing a miracle, but they did not know how it was that He could see on all four sides. (232) In His own pastimes in Vṛndāvana, when Kṛṣṇa used to eat on the bank of the Yamunā and sit in the center of His friends, every one of the cowherd boys would perceive that Kṛṣṇa was looking at him. In the same way, when Caitanya Mahāprabhu observed the dancing, everyone saw that Caitanya Mahāprabhu was facing him. (233) When someone came nearby while dancing, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would tightly embrace him. (234) Upon seeing the great dancing, great love and great saṅkīrtana, all the people of Jagannātha Purī floated in an ecstatic ocean of love. (235) Hearing the greatness of the saṅkīrtana, King Pratāparudra went up to the top of his palace and watched the performance with his personal associates. (236)

The King was very much astonished to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s kīrtana, and the King’s anxiety to meet Him increased unlimitedly. (237) After the saṅkīrtana ended, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu watched the offering of flowers to the Lord Jagannātha Deity. Then He and all the Vaiṣṇavas returned to His residence. (238) The superintendent of the temple then brought large quantities of prasādam, which Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally distributed to all the devotees. (239) Finally they all departed to rest in bed. In this way Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the son of Śacīmātā, performed His pastimes. (240) As long as the devotees remained at Jagannātha Purī with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the pastime of saṅkīrtana was performed with great jubilation every day. (241) In this way I have explained the Lord’s pastime of saṅkīrtana, and I bless everyone with this benediction: By listening to this description, one will surely become a servant of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (242) 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. (243)

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