Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, being very compassionate toward a brāhmaṇa named Vāsudeva, cured him of leprosy. He transformed him into a beautiful man satisfied with devotional service. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the glorious Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (1) All glories to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityānanda Prabhu! All glories to Advaita Ācārya! And all glories to all the devotees of Lord Caitanya! (2) After delivering Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, the Lord desired to go to South India to preach. (3) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted the renounced order during the waxing fortnight of the month of Māgha. During the following month, Phālguna, He went to Jagannātha Purī and resided there. (4) At the end of the month of Phālguna, He witnessed the Dola- yātrā ceremony, and in His usual ecstatic love of God, He chanted and danced in various ways on the occasion. (5)
During the month of Caitra, while living at Jagannātha Purī, the Lord delivered Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, and at the beginning of the next month (Vaiśākha), He decided to go to South India. (6) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu called all His devotees together and, holding them by the hand, humbly informed them, “You are all more dear to Me than My life. I can give up My life, but to give you up is difficult for Me. (7-8) “You are all My friends, and you have properly executed the duties of friends by bringing Me here to Jagannātha Purī and giving Me the chance to see Lord Jagannātha in the temple. (9) “I now beg all of you for one bit of charity. Please give Me permission to leave for a tour of South India. (10) “I shall go to search out Viśvarūpa. Please forgive Me, but I want to go alone; I do not wish to take anyone with Me. (11) “Until I return from Setubandha, all of you dear friends should remain at Jagannātha Purī.” (12)
Knowing everything, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was aware that Viśvarūpa had already passed away. A pretense of ignorance was necessary, however, so that He could go to South India and liberate the people there. (13) Upon hearing this message from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the devotees became very unhappy and remained silent with sullen faces. (14) Nityānanda Prabhu then said, “How is it possible for You to go alone? Who can tolerate this? (15) “Let one or two of us go with You; otherwise You may fall into the clutches of thieves and rogues along the way. They may be whomever You like, but two persons should go with You. (16) “Indeed, I know all the paths to the different places of pilgrimage in South India. Just order Me, and I shall go with You.” (17) The Lord replied, “I am simply a dancer, and You are the wire- puller. However You pull the wires to make Me dance, I shall dance in that way. (18) “After accepting the sannyāsa order, I decided to go to Vṛndāvana, but You took Me instead to the house of Advaita Prabhu. (19) “While on the way to Jagannātha Purī, You broke My sannyāsa staff. I know that all of you have great affection for Me, but such things disturb My activities. (20)
“Jagadānanda wants Me to enjoy bodily sense gratification, and out of fear I do whatever he tells Me. (21) “If I sometimes do something against his desire, out of anger he will not talk to Me for three days. (22) “Being a sannyāsī, I have a duty to lie down on the ground and to take a bath three times a day, even during the winter. But Mukunda becomes very unhappy when he sees My severe austerities. (23) “Of course, Mukunda does not say anything, but I know that he is very unhappy within, and upon seeing him unhappy, I become twice as unhappy. (24) “Although I am in the renounced order of life and Dāmodara is a brahmacārī, he still keeps a stick in his hand just to educate Me. (25) “According to Dāmodara, I am still a neophyte as far as social etiquette is concerned; therefore he does not like My independent nature. (26) “Dāmodara Paṇḍita and others are more advanced in receiving the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa; therefore they are independent of public opinion. As such, they want Me to enjoy sense gratification, even though it be unethical. But since I am a poor sannyāsī, I cannot abandon the duties of the renounced order, and therefore I follow them strictly. (27)
“You should all therefore remain here in Nīlācala for some days while I tour the sacred places of pilgrimage alone.” (28) Actually the Lord was controlled by the good qualities of all His devotees. On the pretense of attributing faults, He tasted all these qualities. (29) No one can properly describe Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s affection for His devotees. He always tolerated all kinds of personal unhappiness resulting from His acceptance of the renounced order of life. (30) The regulative principles observed by Caitanya Mahāprabhu were sometimes intolerable, and all the devotees became greatly affected by them. Although strictly observing the regulative principles, Caitanya Mahāprabhu could not tolerate the unhappiness felt by His devotees. (31) Therefore, to prevent them from accompanying Him and becoming unhappy, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu declared their good qualities to be faults. (32)
Four devotees then humbly insisted that they go with the Lord, but Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, being the independent Supreme Personality of Godhead, did not accept their request. (33) Thereupon Lord Nityānanda said, “Whatever You order is My duty, regardless of whether it results in happiness or unhappiness. (34) “Yet I still submit one petition to You. Please consider it, and if You think it proper, please accept it. (35) “You must take with You a loincloth, external clothes and a waterpot. You should take nothing more than this. (36) “Since Your two hands will always be engaged in chanting and counting the holy names, how will You be able to carry the waterpot and external garments? (37) “When, along the way, You fall unconscious in ecstatic love of Godhead, who will protect Your belongings—the waterpot, garments and so forth?” (38) Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu continued, “Here is a simple brāhmaṇa named Kṛṣṇadāsa. Please accept him and take him with You. That is My request. (39) “He will carry Your waterpot and garments. You may do whatever You like; he will not say a word.” (40)
Accepting the request of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, Lord Caitanya took all His devotees and went to the house of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. (41) As soon as they entered his house, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya offered the Lord obeisances and a place to sit. After seating all the others, the Bhaṭṭācārya took his seat. (42) After they had discussed various topics about Lord Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu informed Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, “I have come to your place just to receive your order. (43) “My elder brother, Viśvarūpa, has taken sannyāsa and gone to South India. Now I must go search for Him. (44) “Please permit Me to go, for I must tour South India. With your permission, I shall soon return very happily.” (45) Upon hearing this, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya became very much agitated. Catching hold of the lotus feet of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he gave this sorrowful reply. (46)
“After many births, due to some pious activity I got Your association. Now providence is breaking this invaluable association. (47) “If a thunderbolt falls on my head or if my son dies, I can tolerate it. But I cannot endure the unhappiness of separation from You. (48) “My dear Lord, You are the independent Supreme Personality of Godhead. Certainly You will depart. I know that. Still, I ask You to stay here a few days more so that I can see Your lotus feet.” (49) Upon hearing Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s request, Caitanya Mahāprabhu relented. He stayed a few days longer and did not depart. (50) The Bhaṭṭācārya eagerly invited Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to his home and fed Him very nicely. (51) The Bhaṭṭācārya’s wife, whose name was Ṣāṭhīmātā (the mother of Ṣāṭhī), did the cooking. The narrations of these pastimes are very wonderful. (52) Later I shall tell about this in elaborate detail, but at present I wish to describe Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s South Indian tour. (53)
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