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CHAPTER EIGHT

Rāmacandra Purī Criticizes the Lord

The following summary of the eighth chapter is given by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya. This chapter describes the history of the Lord’s dealings with Rāmacandra Purī. Although Rāmacandra Purī was one of the disciples of Mādhavendra Purī, he was influenced by dry Māyāvādīs, and therefore he criticized Mādhavendra Purī. Therefore Mādhavendra Purī accused him of being an offender and rejected him. Because Rāmacandra Purī had been rejected by his spiritual master, he became concerned only with finding faults in others and advising them according to dry Māyāvāda philosophy. For this reason he was not very respectful to the Vaiṣṇavas, and later he became so fallen that he began criticizing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu for His eating. Hearing his criticisms, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu reduced His eating, but after Rāmacandra Purī left Jagannātha Purī, the Lord resumed His usual behavior.

Text

taṁ vande kṛṣṇa-caitanyaṁ
rāmacandra-purī-bhayāt
laukikāhārataḥ svaṁ yo
bhikṣānnaṁ samakocayat

Synonyms

tam — to Him; vande — I offer my respectful obeisances; kṛṣṇacaitanyam — Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; rāmacandra-purī-bhayāt — due to fear of Rāmacandra Purī; laukika — ordinary; āhārataḥ — from eating; svam — His own; yaḥ — who; bhikṣā-annam — quantity of food; samakocayat — reduced.

Translation

Let me offer my respectful obeisances to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who reduced His eating due to fear of the criticism of Rāmacandra Purī.

Text

jaya jaya śrī-caitanya karuṇā-sindhu-avatāra
brahmā-śivādika bhaje caraṇa yāṅhāra

Synonyms

jaya jaya — all glories; śrī-caitanya — to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; karuṇā-sindhu-avatāra — the incarnation of the ocean of mercy; brahmā-śiva-ādika — demigods, beginning from Lord Brahmā and Śiva; bhaje — worship; caraṇa — lotus feet; yāṅhāra — whose.

Translation

All glories to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the incarnation of the ocean of mercy! His lotus feet are worshiped by demigods like Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva.

Text

jaya jaya avadhūta-candra nityānanda
jagat bāṅdhila yeṅha diyā prema-phāṅda

Synonyms

jaya jaya — all glories; avadhūta-candra — to the moon of mendicants; nityānanda — Lord Nityānanda; jagat — the world; bāṅdhila — bound; yeṅha — who; diyā — by; prema-phāṅda — the noose of ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa.

Translation

All glories to Nityānanda Prabhu, the greatest of mendicants, who bound the entire world with a knot of ecstatic love for God!

Text

jaya jaya advaita īśvara avatāra
kṛṣṇa avatāri’ kaila jagat-nistāra

Synonyms

jaya jaya — all glories; advaita — to Advaita Ācārya; īśvara — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; avatāra — incarnation; kṛṣṇa avatāri’ — inducing Kṛṣṇa to descend; kaila — did; jagat-nistāra — deliverance of the entire world.

Translation

All glories to Advaita Prabhu, the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead! He induced Kṛṣṇa to descend and thus delivered the entire world.

Text

jaya jaya śrīvāsādi yata bhakta-gaṇa
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu — yāṅra prāṇa-dhana

Synonyms

jaya jaya — all glories; śrīvāsa-ādi — headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura; yata bhakta-gaṇa — to all the devotees; śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; yāṅra — whose; prāṇa-dhana — life and soul.

Translation

All glories to all the devotees, headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura! Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu is their life and soul.

Text

ei-mata gauracandra nija-bhakta-saṅge
nīlācale krīḍā kare kṛṣṇa-prema-taraṅge

Synonyms

ei-mata — in this way; gauracandra — Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; nija-bhakta-saṅge — with His own devotees; nīlācale — at Jagannātha Purī; krīḍā kare — executes different pastimes; kṛṣṇa-prema-taraṅge — in the waves of love of Kṛṣṇa.

Translation

Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, at Jagannātha Purī, performed His various pastimes with His devotees in the waves of love for Kṛṣṇa.

Text

hena-kāle rāmacandra-purī-gosāñi āilā
paramānanda-purīre āra prabhure mililā

Synonyms

hena-kāle — at this time; rāmacandra-purī-gosāñi — a sannyāsī named Rāmacandra Purī; āilā — came; paramānanda-purīre — Paramānanda Purī; āra — and; prabhure — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; mililā — met.

Translation

Then a sannyāsī named Rāmacandra Purī Gosāñi came to see Paramānanda Purī and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Text

paramānanda-purī kaila caraṇa vandana
purī-gosāñi kaila tāṅre dṛḍha āliṅgana

Synonyms

paramānanda-purī — Paramānanda Purī; kaila — did; caraṇa — unto the feet; vandana — offering obeisances; purī-gosāñi — Rāmacandra Purī; kaila — did; tāṅre — unto him; dṛḍha — strong; āliṅgana — embracing.

Translation

Paramānanda Purī offered respects at the feet of Rāmacandra Purī, and Rāmacandra Purī strongly embraced him.

Purport

Because Rāmacandra Purī was a disciple of Mādhavendra Purī, both Paramānanda Purī and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu offered him respectful obeisances. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura comments that although Rāmacandra Purī was naturally very envious and although he was against the principles of Vaiṣṇavism — or, in other words, against the principles of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotees — common people nevertheless addressed him as Gosvāmī or Gosāñi because he was superficially in the renounced order and dressed like a sannyāsī. In the modern age the title gosvāmī is used by a caste of gṛhasthas, but formerly it was not. Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī, for example, were called gosvāmī because they were in the renounced order. Similarly, because Paramānanda Purī was a sannyāsī, he was called Purī Gosvāmī. By careful scrutiny, therefore, one will find that gosvāmī is not the title for a certain caste; rather, it is properly the title for a person in the renounced order.

Text

mahāprabhu kailā tāṅre daṇḍavat nati
āliṅgana kari’ teṅho kaila kṛṣṇa-smṛti

Synonyms

mahāprabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kailā — did; tāṅre — unto him; daṇḍavat nati — offering obeisances; āliṅgana kari’ — embracing; teṅho — Rāmacandra Purī; kaila — did; kṛṣṇa-smṛti — remembrance of Kṛṣṇa.

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also offered obeisances unto Rāmacandra Purī, who then embraced Him and thus remembered Kṛṣṇa.

Purport

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu offered obeisances to Rāmacandra Purī in consideration of his being a disciple of Śrīla Mādhavendra Purī, the spiritual master of His own spiritual master, Īśvara Purī. When a Vaiṣṇava sannyāsī meets another Vaiṣṇava sannyāsī, they both remember Kṛṣṇa. Even Māyāvādī sannyāsīs generally remember Nārāyaṇa, who is also Kṛṣṇa, by saying oṁ namo bhagavate nārāyaṇāya or namo nārāyaṇāya. Thus it is the duty of a sannyāsī to remember Kṛṣṇa. According to smṛti-śāstra, a sannyāsī does not offer obeisances or blessings to anyone. It is said, sannyāsī nirāśīr nirnamaskriyaḥ: a sannyāsī should not offer anyone blessings or obeisances.

Text

tina-jane iṣṭha-goṣṭhī kailā kata-kṣaṇa
jagadānanda-paṇḍita tāṅre kailā nimantraṇa

Synonyms

tina-jane — three persons; iṣṭha-goṣṭhī — discussion on Kṛṣṇa; kailā — performed; kata-kṣaṇa — for some time; jagadānanda-paṇḍita — Jagadānanda Paṇḍita; tāṅre — Rāmacandra Purī; kailā nimantraṇa — invited.

Translation

The three of them talked about Kṛṣṇa for some time, and then Jagadānanda came and extended an invitation to Rāmacandra Purī.

Text

jagannāthera prasāda ānilā bhikṣāra lāgiyā
yatheṣṭa bhikṣā karilā teṅho nindāra lāgiyā

Synonyms

jagannāthera prasāda — remnants of the food of Lord Jagannātha; ānilā — brought; bhikṣāra lāgiyā — for feeding; yatheṣṭa bhikṣā karilā — ate sumptuously; teṅho — he; nindāra lāgiyā — to find some fault.

Translation

A large quantity of the remnants of food from Lord Jagannātha was brought in for distribution. Rāmacandra Purī ate sumptuously, and then he wanted to find faults in Jagadānanda Paṇḍita.

Text

bhikṣā kari’ kahe purī, — “śuna, jagadānanda
avaśeṣa prasāda tumi karaha bhakṣaṇa”

Synonyms

bhikṣā kari’ — after finishing the lunch; kahe purī — Rāmacandra Purī began to speak; śuna jagadānanda — my dear Jagadānanda, just hear; avaśeṣa prasāda — the remaining prasādam; tumi — you; karaha bhakṣaṇa — eat.

Translation

After finishing the meal, Rāmacandra Purī requested, “My dear Jagadānanda, please listen. You eat the food that is left.”

Text

āgraha kariyā tāṅre vasi’ khāoyāila
āpane āgraha kari’ pariveśana kaila

Synonyms

āgraha kariyā — with great eagerness; tāṅre vasi’ — seating him; khāoyāila — he fed; āpane — personally; āgraha kari’ — with great eagerness; pariveśana kaila — administered the prasādam.

Translation

With great eagerness Rāmacandra Purī seated Jagadānanda Paṇḍita and personally served him prasādam.

Text

āgraha kariyā punaḥ punaḥ khāoyāila
ācamana kaile nindā karite lāgila

Synonyms

āgraha kariyā — with eagerness; punaḥ punaḥ — again and again; khāoyāila — fed; ācamana kaile — when he had washed his hands and mouth; nindā karite lāgila — began to criticize.

Translation

Encouraging him again and again, Rāmacandra Purī fed him sumptuously, but when Jagadānanda had washed his hands and mouth, Rāmacandra Purī began criticizing him.

Text

“śuni, caitanya-gaṇa kare bahuta bhakṣaṇa
‘satya’ sei vākya, — sākṣāt dekhiluṅ ekhana

Synonyms

śuni — I have heard; caitanya-gaṇa — the followers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kare bahuta bhakṣaṇa — eat more than necessary; satya — true; sei vākya — that statement; sākṣāt — directly; dekhiluṅ — I have seen; ekhana — now.

Translation

“I have heard,” he said, “that the followers of Caitanya Mahāprabhu eat more than necessary. Now I have directly seen that this is true.

Text

sannyāsīre eta khāoyāñā kare dharma nāśa
vairāgī hañā eta khāya, vairāgyera nāhi ‘bhāsa’ ”

Synonyms

sannyāsīre — unto a sannyāsī; eta — so much; khāoyāñā — feeding; kare dharma nāśa — destroys the regulative principles; vairāgī hañā — being in the renounced order; eta — so much; khāya — eats; vairāgyera nāhi bhāsa — there is no trace of renunciation.

Translation

“Feeding a sannyāsī too much breaks his regulative principles, for when a sannyāsī eats too much, his renunciation is destroyed.”

Text

ei ta’ svabhāva tāṅra āgraha kariyā
piche nindā kare, āge bahuta khāoyāñā

Synonyms

ei — this; ta’ — certainly; svabhāva — characteristic; tāṅra — his; āgraha kariyā — with great eagerness; piche — afterward; nindā kare — criticizes; āge — at first; bahuta — much; khāoyāñā — feeding.

Translation

The characteristic of Rāmacandra Purī was that first he would induce someone to eat more than necessary and then he would criticize him.

Text

pūrve yabe mādhavendra karena antardhāna
rāmacandra-purī tabe āilā tāṅra sthāna

Synonyms

pūrve — formerly; yabe — when; mādhavendra — Mādhavendra Purī; karena antardhāna — was about to die; rāmacandra-purī — Rāmacandra Purī; tabe — at that time; āilā — came; tāṅra sthāna — to his place.

Translation

Formerly, when Mādhavendra Purī was at the last stage of his life, Rāmacandra Purī came to where he was staying.

Text

purī-gosāñi kare kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana
‘mathurā nā pāinu’ bali’ karena krandana

Synonyms

purī-gosāñi — Mādhavendra Purī; kare — was performing; kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana — the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa; mathurā pāinu — I did not get shelter at Mathurā; bali’ — saying; karena krandana — was crying.

Translation

Mādhavendra Purī was chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, and sometimes he would cry, “O my Lord, I did not get shelter at Mathurā.”

Text

rāmacandra-purī tabe upadeśe tāṅre
śiṣya hañā guruke kahe, bhaya nāhi kare

Synonyms

rāmacandra-purī — Rāmacandra Purī; tabe — then; upadeśe tāṅre — instructed him; śiṣya hañā — being a disciple; guruke kahe — said to his spiritual master; bhaya nāhi kare — without fear.

Translation

Then Rāmacandra Purī was so foolish that he fearlessly dared to instruct his spiritual master.

Text

“tumi — pūrṇa-brahmānanda, karaha smaraṇa
brahmavit hañā kene karaha rodana?”

Synonyms

tumi — you; pūrṇa-brahma-ānanda — full in transcendental bliss; karaha smaraṇa — you should remember; brahma-vit hañā — being fully aware of Brahman; kene — why; karaha rodana — are you crying.

Translation

“If you are in full transcendental bliss,” he said, “you should now remember only Brahman. Why are you crying?”

Purport

As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā: a Brahman realized person is always happy. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati: he neither laments nor aspires for anything. Not knowing why Mādhavendra Purī was crying, Rāmacandra Purī tried to become his advisor. Thus he committed a great offense, for a disciple should never try to instruct his spiritual master.

Text

śuni’ mādhavendra-mane krodha upajila
‘dūra, dūra, pāpiṣṭha’ bali’ bhartsanā karila

Synonyms

śuni’ — hearing; mādhavendra — of Mādhavendra Purī; mane — in the mind; krodha — anger; upajila — arose; dūra dūra — get out; pāpiṣṭha — you sinful rascal; bali’ — saying; bhartsanā karila — he chastised.

Translation

Hearing this instruction, Mādhavendra Purī, greatly angry, rebuked him by saying, “Get out, you sinful rascal!

Purport

Rāmacandra Purī could not understand that his spiritual master, Mādhavendra Purī, was feeling transcendental separation. His lamentation was not material. Rather, it proceeded from the highest stage of ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa. When he was crying in separation, “I could not achieve Kṛṣṇa! I could not reach Mathurā!” this was not ordinary material lamentation. Rāmacandra Purī was not sufficiently expert to understand the feelings of Mādhavendra Purī, but nevertheless he thought himself very advanced. Therefore, regarding Mādhavendra Purī’s expressions as ordinary material lamentation, he advised him to remember Brahman because he was latently an impersonalist. Mādhavendra Purī understood Rāmacandra Purī’s position as a great fool and therefore immediately rebuked him. Such a reprimand from the spiritual master is certainly for the betterment of the disciple.

Text

kṛṣṇa nā pāinu, nā pāinu ‘mathurā’
āpana-duḥkhe maroṅ — ei dite āila jvālā

Synonyms

kṛṣṇa — Lord Kṛṣṇa; pāinu — I did not get; pāinu — did not get; mathurā — Mathurā; āpana-duḥkhe — in my own unhappiness; maroṅ — I am dying; ei — this person; dite āila jvālā — has come to give more pain.

Translation

“O my Lord Kṛṣṇa, I could not reach You, nor could I reach Your abode, Mathurā. I am dying in my unhappiness, and now this rascal has come to give me more pain.

Text

more mukha nā dekhābi tui, yāo yathi-tathi
tore dekhi’ maile mora habe asad-gati

Synonyms

more — to me; mukha — face; dekhābi — do not show; tui — you; yāo — go; yathi-tathi — anywhere else; tore — you; dekhi’ — seeing; maile — if I die; mora habe asat-gati — I shall not get my destination.

Translation

“Don’t show your face to me! Go anywhere else you like. If I die seeing your face, I shall not achieve the destination of my life.

Text

kṛṣṇa nā pāinu muñi maroṅ āpanāra duḥkhe
more ‘brahma’ upadeśe ei chāra mūrkhe”

Synonyms

kṛṣṇa — Kṛṣṇa; pāinu — could not get; muñi — I; maroṅ — I die; āpanāra duḥkhe — in my own unhappiness; more — to me; brahma — Brahman; upadeśe — instructs; ei — this; chāra — condemned; mūrkhe — fool.

Translation

“I am dying without achieving the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore I am greatly unhappy. Now this condemned foolish rascal has come to instruct me about Brahman.”

Text

ei ye śrī-mādhavendra śrīpāda upekṣā karila
sei aparādhe iṅhāra ‘vāsanā’ janmila

Synonyms

ei — this; ye — that; śrī-mādhavendra śrīpāda — His Lordship Mādhavendra Purī; upekṣā karila — neglected or denounced; sei aparādhe — because of the offense; iṅhāra — of Rāmacandra Purī; vāsanā — material desire; janmila — arose.

Translation

Rāmacandra Purī was thus denounced by Mādhavendra Purī. Due to his offense, gradually material desire appeared within him.

Purport

The word vāsanā (“material desires”) refers to dry speculative knowledge. Such speculative knowledge is only material. As confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.4), a person without devotional service who simply wants to know things (kevala-bodha-labdhaye) gains only dry speculative knowledge but no spiritual profit. This is confirmed in the Bhakti-sandarbha (111), wherein it is said:

jīvan-muktā api punaryānti saṁsāra-vāsanām
yady acintya-mahā-śaktau
bhagavaty aparādhinaḥ

“Even though one is liberated in this life, if one offends the Supreme Personality of Godhead he falls down in the midst of material desires, of which dry speculation about spiritual realization is one.”

In his Laghu-toṣaṇī commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.2.32), Jīva Gosvāmī says:

jīvan-muktā api punarbandhanaṁ yānti karmabhiḥ
yady acintya-mahā-śaktau
bhagavaty aparādhinaḥ

“Even if one is liberated in this life, he becomes addicted to material desires because of offenses to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

A similar quotation from one of the Purāṇas also appears in the Viṣṇu-bhakti-candrodaya:

jivān-muktāḥ prapadyantekvacit saṁsāra-vāsanām
yogino na vilipyante
karmabhir bhagavat-parāḥ

“Even liberated souls sometimes fall down to material desires, but those who fully engage in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead are not affected by such desires.”

These are references from authoritative revealed scriptures. If one becomes an offender to his spiritual master or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he falls down to the material platform to merely speculate.

Text

śuṣka-brahma-jñānī, nāhi kṛṣṇera ‘sambandha’
sarva loka nindā kare, nindāte nirbandha

Synonyms

śuṣka — dry; brahma-jñānī — impersonalist philosopher; nāhi — there is not; kṛṣṇera — with Lord Kṛṣṇa; sambandha — relationship; sarva — all; loka — persons; nindā kare — criticizes; nindāte nirbandha — fixed in blaspheming.

Translation

One who is attached to dry speculative knowledge has no relationship with Kṛṣṇa. His occupation is criticizing Vaiṣṇavas. Thus he is situated in criticism.

Purport

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura has explained in his Anubhāṣya that the word nirbandha indicates that Rāmacandra Purī had a steady desire to criticize others. Impersonalist Māyāvādīs, who have no relationship with Kṛṣṇa, who cannot take to devotional service, and who simply engage in material arguments to understand Brahman, regard devotional service to Kṛṣṇa as karma-kāṇḍa, or fruitive activities. According to them, devotional service to Kṛṣṇa is but another means for attaining dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa. Therefore they criticize the devotees for engaging in material activities. They think that devotional service is māyā and that Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu is also māyā. Therefore they are called Māyāvādīs. Such a mentality awakens in a person who is an offender to Kṛṣṇa and His devotees.

Text

īśvara-purī gosāñi kare śrīpāda-sevana
svahaste karena mala-mūtrādi mārjana

Synonyms

īśvara-purī — Īśvara Purī; gosāñi — Gosvāmī; kare — performs; śrīpāda-sevana — service to Mādhavendra Purī; sva-haste — with his own hand; karena — performs; mala-mūtra-ādi — stool, urine, and so on; mārjana — cleaning.

Translation

Īśvara Purī, the spiritual master of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, performed service to Mādhavendra Purī, cleaning up his stool and urine with his own hand.

Text

nirantara kṛṣṇa-nāma karāya smaraṇa
kṛṣṇa-nāma, kṛṣṇa-līlā śunāya anukṣaṇa

Synonyms

nirantara — always; kṛṣṇa-nāma — the name of Lord Kṛṣṇa; karāya smaraṇa — was reminding; kṛṣṇa-nāma — the holy name of Kṛṣṇa; kṛṣṇa-līlā — pastimes of Kṛṣṇa; śunāya anukṣaṇa — was always causing to hear.

Translation

Īśvara Purī was always chanting the holy name and pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa for Mādhavendra Purī to hear. In this way he helped Mādhavendra Purī remember the holy name and pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa at the time of death.

Text

tuṣṭa hañā purī tāṅre kailā āliṅgana
vara dilā — ‘kṛṣṇe tomāra ha-uka prema-dhana’

Synonyms

tuṣṭa hañā — being pleased; purī — Mādhavendra Purī; tāṅre — him; kailā āliṅgana — embraced; vara dilā — gave the benediction; kṛṣṇe — unto Kṛṣṇa; tomāra — your; ha-uka — let there be; prema-dhana — the wealth of love.

Translation

Pleased with Īśvara Purī, Mādhavendra Purī embraced him and gave him the benediction that he would be a great devotee and lover of Kṛṣṇa.

Text

sei haite īśvara-purī — ‘premera sāgara’
rāmacandra-purī haila sarva-nindākara

Synonyms

sei haite — from that; īśvara-purī — Īśvara Purī; premera sāgara — the ocean of ecstatic love; rāmacandra-purī — Rāmacandra Purī; haila — became; sarva-nindā-kara — critic of all others.

Translation

Thus Īśvara Purī became like an ocean of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa, whereas Rāmacandra Purī became a dry speculator and a critic of everyone else.

Text

mahad-anugraha-nigrahera ‘sākṣī’ dui-jane
ei dui-dvāre śikhāilā jaga-jane

Synonyms

mahat — of an exalted personality; anugraha — of the blessing; nigrahera — of chastisement; sākṣī — giving evidence; dui-jane — two persons; ei dui-dvāre — by these two; śikhāilā — instructed; jaga-jane — the people of the world.

Translation

Īśvara Purī received the blessing of Mādhavendra Purī, whereas Rāmacandra Purī received a rebuke from him. Therefore these two persons, Īśvara Purī and Rāmacandra Purī, are examples of the objects of a great personality’s benediction and punishment. Mādhavendra Purī instructed the entire world by presenting these two examples.

Text

jagad-guru mādhavendra kari’ prema dāna
ei śloka paḍi’ teṅho kaila antardhāna

Synonyms

jagat-guru — the spiritual master of the entire world; mādhavendra — Mādhavendra Purī; kari’ prema dāna — giving ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa as charity; ei śloka paḍi’ — reciting this verse; teṅho — he; kaila antardhāna — passed away from this material world.

Translation

His Divine Grace Mādhavendra Purī, the spiritual master of the entire world, thus distributed ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. While passing away from the material world, he chanted the following verse.

Text

ayi dīna-dayārdra nātha he
mathurā-nātha kadāvalokyase
hṛdayaṁ tvad-aloka-kātaraṁ
dayita bhrāmyati kiṁ karomy aham

Synonyms

ayi — O My Lord; dīna — on the poor; dayā-ārdra — compassionate; nātha — O master; he — O; mathurā-nātha — the master of Mathurā; kadā — when; avalokyase — I shall see You; hṛdayam — My heart; tvat — of You; aloka — without seeing; kātaram — very much aggrieved; dayita — O most beloved; bhrāmyati — becomes overwhelmed; kim — what; karomi — shall do; aham — I.

Translation

“O My Lord! O most merciful master! O master of Mathurā! When shall I see You again? Because of My not seeing You, My agitated heart has become unsteady. O most beloved one, what shall I do now?”

Text

ei śloke kṛṣṇa-prema kare upadeśa
kṛṣṇera virahe bhaktera bhāva-viśeṣa

Synonyms

ei śloke — in this verse; kṛṣṇa-prema — love of Kṛṣṇa; kare upadeśa — teaches; kṛṣṇera virahe — by feeling separation from Kṛṣṇa; bhaktera — of the devotee; bhāva-viśeṣa — transcendental situation.

Translation

In this verse Mādhavendra Purī teaches how to achieve ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. By feeling separation from Kṛṣṇa, one becomes spiritually situated.

Text

pṛthivīte ropaṇa kari’ gelā premāṅkura
sei premāṅkurera vṛkṣa — caitanya-ṭhākura

Synonyms

pṛthivīte — within this material world; ropaṇa kari’ — sowing; gelā — went; prema-aṅkura — the seed of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa; sei prema-aṅkurera — of that seed of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa; vṛkṣa — the tree; caitanya-ṭhākura — Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Translation

Mādhavendra Purī sowed the seed of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa within this material world and then departed. That seed later became a great tree in the form of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Text

prastāve kahiluṅ purī-gosāñira niryāṇa
yei ihā śune, sei baḍa bhāgyavān

Synonyms

prastāve — incidentally; kahiluṅ — I have described; purī-gosāñira — of Mādhavendra Purī; niryāṇa — the passing away; yei — one who; ihā — this; śune — hears; sei — he; baḍa bhāgyavān — very fortunate.

Translation

I have incidentally described the passing away of Mādhavendra Purī. Anyone who hears this must be considered very fortunate.

Text

rāmacandra-purī aiche rahilā nīlācale
virakta svabhāva, kabhu rahe kona sthale

Synonyms

rāmacandra-purī — Rāmacandra Purī; aiche — in this way; rahilā nīlācale — remained at Jagannātha Purī; virakta — renounced; svabhāva — as is the custom; kabhu — sometimes; rahe — he remained; kona sthale — at a particular place.

Translation

Thus Rāmacandra Purī stayed at Jagannātha Purī. As is customary for those in the renounced order, he would sometimes stay someplace and then go away.

Text

animantraṇa bhikṣā kare, nāhika nirṇaya
anyera bhikṣāra sthitira layena niścaya

Synonyms

animantraṇa — without being invited; bhikṣā kare — accepts food; nāhika nirṇaya — there is no certainty; anyera — of others; bhikṣāra — of acceptance of prasādam; sthitira — of the situation; layena niścaya — takes account.

Translation

There was no certainty of where Rāmacandra Purī would take his meal, for he would do so even uninvited. Nevertheless, he was very particular about keeping account of how others were taking their meals.

Text

prabhura nimantraṇe lāge kauḍi cāri paṇa
kabhu kāśīśvara, govinda khāna tina jana

Synonyms

prabhura — of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; nimantraṇe — for invitation; lāge — is required; kauḍi cāri paṇa — four times eighty small conchshells; kabhu kāśīśvara — sometimes Kāśīśvara; govinda — the personal servant of Caitanya Mahāprabhu; khāna — eat; tina jana — three persons.

Translation

To invite Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would cost 320 kauḍis [small conchshells]. This would provide lunch for three people, including Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and sometimes Kāśīśvara and Govinda.

Text

pratyaha prabhura bhikṣā iti-uti haya
keha yadi mūlya āne, cāri-paṇa-nirṇaya

Synonyms

prati-aha — daily; prabhura — of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; bhikṣā — alms; iti-uti — here and there; haya — is; keha — someone; yadi — if; mūlya āne — pays; cāri-paṇa — four times eighty small conchshells; nirṇaya — as a fixed amount.

Translation

Every day the Lord would take His meal at a different place, and if someone was prepared to pay for a meal, the price was fixed at only four paṇas.

Text

prabhura sthiti, rīti, bhikṣā, śayana, prayāṇa
rāmacandra-purī kare sarvānusandhāna

Synonyms

prabhura — of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; sthiti — situation; rīti — regulative principles; bhikṣā — accepting lunch; śayana — sleeping; prayāṇa — movement; rāmacandra-purī — Rāmacandra Purī; kare sarva-anusandhāna — takes all information of.

Translation

Rāmacandra Purī concerned himself with gathering all sorts of information about how Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was situated, including His regulative principles, His lunch, His sleep and His movements.

Text

prabhura yateka guṇa sparśite nārila
chidra cāhi’ bule, kāṅhā chidra nā pāila

Synonyms

prabhura — of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; yateka guṇa — all the transcendental attributes; sparśite nārila — could not touch or understand; chidra cāhi’ — looking for faults; bule — he goes about; kāṅhā — anywhere; chidra — fault; pāila — he could not find.

Translation

Because Rāmacandra Purī was interested only in finding faults, he could not understand the transcendental qualities of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. His only concern was finding faults, but still he could not find any.

Text

‘sannyāsī hañā kare miṣṭānna bhakṣaṇa
ei bhoge haya kaiche indriya-vāraṇa’?

Synonyms

sannyāsī hañā — being a sannyāsī; kare miṣṭānna bhakṣaṇa — eats sweetmeats; ei bhoge — by this eating; haya — there is; kaiche — how; indriya-vāraṇa — controlling the senses.

Translation

At last he found a fault. “How can a person in the renounced order eat so many sweetmeats?” he said. “If one eats sweets, controlling the senses is very difficult.”

Text

ei nindā kari’ kahe sarva-loka-sthāne
prabhure dekhiteha avaśya āise prati-dine

Synonyms

ei nindā — this criticism; kari’ — making; kahe — speaks; sarva-loka-sthāne — to everyone; prabhure — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; dekhiteha — to see, still; avaśya — certainly; āise — comes; prati-dine — daily.

Translation

In this way Rāmacandra Purī blasphemed Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu before everyone, but nevertheless he would regularly come to see the Lord every day.

Text

prabhu guru-buddhye karena sambhrama, sammāna
teṅho chidra cāhi’ bule, — ei tāra kāma

Synonyms

prabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; guru-buddhye — accepting him as a Godbrother of His spiritual master; karena sambhrama sammāna — offers full respect and obeisances; teṅho — Rāmacandra Purī; chidra cāhi’ — trying to find fault; bule — goes about; ei — this; tāra — his; kāma — business.

Translation

When they met, the Lord would offer him respectful obeisances, considering him a Godbrother of His spiritual master. Rāmacandra Purī’s business, however, was to search for faults in the Lord.

Text

yata nindā kare tāhā prabhu saba jāne
tathāpi ādara kare baḍa-i sambhrame

Synonyms

yata — whatever; nindā — blasphemy; kare — does; tāhā — that; prabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; saba — all; jāne — knows; tathāpi — still; ādara kare — offers respect; baḍa-i sambhrame — with great attention.

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu knew that Rāmacandra Purī was criticizing Him before everyone, but whenever Rāmacandra Purī came to see Him, the Lord offered him respects with great attention.

Text

eka-dina prātaḥ-kāle āilā prabhura ghara
pipīlikā dekhi’ kichu kahena uttara

Synonyms

eka-dina — one day; prātaḥ-kāle — in the morning; āilā — came; prabhura ghara — to the place of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; pipīlikā dekhi’ — seeing many ants; kichu kahena uttara — began to say something critical.

Translation

One day Rāmacandra Purī came in the morning to the abode of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Seeing many ants, he said something to criticize the Lord.

Text

“rātrāv atra aikṣavam āsīt, tena
pipīlikāḥ sañcaranti aho! viraktānāṁ
sannyāsinām iyam indriya-lālaseti
bruvann utthāya gataḥ.”

Synonyms

rātrau — at night; atra — here; aikṣavam — sugar candy; āsīt — was; tena — by that; pipīlikāḥ — ants; sañcaranti — wander about; aho — alas; viraktānām — renounced; sannyāsinām — of sannyāsīs; iyam — this; indriya — to the senses; lālasa — attachment; iti — thus; bruvan — speaking; utthāya — getting up; gataḥ — left.

Translation

“Last night there was sugar candy here,” he said. “Therefore ants are wandering about. Alas, this renounced sannyāsī is attached to such sense gratification!” After speaking in this way, he got up and left.

Text

prabhu paramparāya nindā kairāchena śravaṇa
ebe sākṣāt śunilena ‘kalpita’ nindana

Synonyms

prabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; paramparāya — by hearsay; nindā — blasphemy; kairāchena śravaṇa — had heard; ebe — now; sākṣāt — directly; śunilena — He heard; kalpita — imaginary; nindana — blasphemy.

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had heard rumors about Rāmacandra Purī’s blasphemy. Now He directly heard his fanciful accusations.

Purport

Rāmacandra Purī could find no faults in the character of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, for He is situated in a transcendental position as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ants are generally found everywhere, but when Rāmacandra Purī saw ants crawling in the abode of the Lord, he took it for granted that they must have been there because Caitanya Mahāprabhu had been eating sweetmeats. He thus discovered imaginary faults in the Lord and then left.

Text

sahajei pipīlikā sarvatra beḍāya
tāhāte tarka uṭhāñā doṣa lāgāya

Synonyms

sahajei — generally; pipīlikā — ants; sarvatra — everywhere; beḍāya — loiter; tāhāte — by that; tarka uṭhāñā — raising a controversy; doṣa lāgāya — find faults.

Translation

Ants generally crawl about here, there and everywhere, but Rāmacandra Purī, imagining faults, criticized Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by alleging that there had been sweetmeats in His room.

Text

śuni’ tāhā prabhura saṅkoca-bhaya mane
govinde bolāñā kichu kahena vacane

Synonyms

śuni’ — hearing; tāhā — that; prabhura — of Śrī Caitanya; saṅkoca — doubt; bhaya — fear; mane — in the mind; govinde bolāñā — calling for Govinda; kichu — some; kahena — spoke; vacane — words.

Translation

After hearing this criticism, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was doubtful and apprehensive. Therefore He called Govinda and instructed him as follows.

Text

“āji haite bhikṣā āmāra ei ta’ niyama
piṇḍā-bhogera eka cauṭhi, pāṅca-gaṇḍāra vyañjana

Synonyms

āji haite — from today; bhikṣā āmāra — My accepting prasādam; ei — this; ta’ — certainly; niyama — the rule; piṇḍā-bhogera — of Lord Jagannātha’s prasādam; eka cauṭhi — one-fourth of a pot; pāṅca-gaṇḍāra vyañjana — vegetables costing five gaṇḍās (one gaṇḍā equals four kauḍis).

Translation

“From today on it will be a rule that I shall accept only one-fourth of a pot of Lord Jagannātha’s prasādam and five gaṇḍās’ worth of vegetables.

Text

ihā ba-i adhika āra kichu nā ānibā
adhika ānile āmā ethā nā dekhibā”

Synonyms

ihā ba-i — except for this; adhika — more; āra — extra; kichu — anything; ānibā — do not bring; adhika ānile — if more is brought; āmā — Me; ethā — here; dekhibā — you will not see.

Translation

“If you bring any more than this, you will not see Me here anymore.”

Text

sakala vaiṣṇave govinda kahe ei bāt
śuni’ sabāra māthe yaiche haila vajrāghāta

Synonyms

sakala vaiṣṇave — to all the Vaiṣṇavas; govinda — Govinda; kahe — informs; ei bāt — this message; śuni’ — hearing; sabāra māthe — on everyone’s head; yaiche — as if; haila — there was; vajra-āghāta — striking of lightning.

Translation

Govinda relayed this message to all the devotees. When they heard it, they felt as if their heads had been struck by thunderbolts.

Text

rāmacandra-purīke sabāya deya tiraskāra
‘ei pāpiṣṭha āsi’ prāṇa la-ila sabāra’

Synonyms

rāmacandra-purīke — unto Rāmacandra Purī; sabāya — all the devotees; deya tiraskāra — offer chastisement; ei pāpiṣṭha — this sinful man; āsi’ — coming; prāṇa — life; la-ila — has taken; sabāra — of everyone.

Translation

All the devotees condemned Rāmacandra Purī, saying, “This sinful man has come here and taken our lives.”

Text

sei-dina eka-vipra kaila nimantraṇa
eka-cauṭhi bhāta, pāṅca-gaṇḍāra vyañjana
ei-mātra govinda kaila aṅgīkāra
māthāya ghā māre vipra, kare hāhākāra

Synonyms

sei-dina — that day; eka-vipra — one brāhmaṇa; kaila nimantraṇa — invited; eka-cauṭhi bhāta — one-fourth of a pot of rice; pāṅca-gaṇḍāra vyañjana — vegetables worth only five gaṇḍās; ei-mātra — only this; govinda — the servant of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kaila aṅgīkāra — accepted; māthāya — his head; ghā māre — struck; vipra — the brāhmaṇa; kare hāhā-kāra — began to say, “alas, alas.”

Translation

That day, a brāhmaṇa extended an invitation to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. When Govinda accepted only five gaṇḍās’ worth of vegetables and a fourth of a pot of rice, the brāhmaṇa, in great despair, struck his head with his hand and cried, “Alas! Alas!”

Text

sei bhāta-vyañjana prabhu ardheka khāila
ye kichu rahila, tāhā govinda pāila

Synonyms

sei — that; bhāta — rice; vyañjana — vegetable; prabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; ardheka khāila — ate half; ye kichu rahila — whatever remained; tāhā — that; govinda — Govinda; pāila — got.

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ate only half of the rice and vegetables, and whatever remained was taken by Govinda.

Text

ardhāśana karena prabhu, govinda ardhāśana
saba bhakta-gaṇa tabe chāḍila bhojana

Synonyms

ardha-aśana karena — eats half; prabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; govinda — Govinda; ardha-aśana — eats half; saba bhakta-gaṇa — all the devotees; tabe — at that time; chāḍila bhojana — gave up eating.

Translation

Thus both Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Govinda ate only half the food they needed. Because of this, all the other devotees gave up eating.

Text

govinda-kāśīśvare prabhu kailā ājñāpana
‘duṅhe anyatra māgi’ kara udara bharaṇa’

Synonyms

govinda-kāśīśvare — unto Govinda and Kāśīśvara; prabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kailā — made; ājñāpana — order; duṅhe — both of you; anyatra — elsewhere; māgi’ — begging; kara udara bharaṇa — fill your bellies.

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ordered Govinda and Kāśīśvara, “You may both take alms elsewhere to fill your bellies.”

Text

ei-rūpa mahā-duḥkhe dina kata gela
śuni’ rāmacandra-purī prabhu-pāśa āila

Synonyms

ei-rūpa — in this way; mahā-duḥkhe — in great unhappiness; dina kata — some days; gela — passed; śuni’ — hearing; rāmacandra-purī — Rāmacandra Purī; prabhu-pāśa āila — came to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Translation

In this way, some days passed in great unhappiness. Hearing of all this, Rāmacandra Purī went to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Text

praṇāma kari’ prabhu kailā caraṇa vandana
prabhure kahaye kichu hāsiyā vacana

Synonyms

praṇāma kari’ — offering obeisances; prabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kailā caraṇa vandana — offered respect at his feet; prabhure — to Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kahaye — he says; kichu — some; hāsiyā — smiling; vacana — words.

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu offered His obeisances to Rāmacandra Purī, worshiping his feet. Then Rāmacandra Purī smiled and spoke to the Lord.

Text

“sannyāsīra dharma nahe ‘indriya-tarpaṇa’
yaiche taiche kare mātra udara bharaṇa

Synonyms

sannyāsīra — of a sannyāsī; dharma — religious principle; nahe — is not; indriya-tarpaṇa — to gratify the senses; yaiche taiche — some way or other; kare — does; mātra — only; udara bharaṇa — filling the belly.

Translation

Rāmacandra Purī advised, “It is not the business of a sannyāsī to gratify his senses. He should fill his belly some way or other.

Text

tomāre kṣīṇa dekhi, śuni, — kara ardhāśana
ei ‘śuṣka-vairāgya’ nahe sannyāsīra ‘dharma’

Synonyms

tomāre — You; kṣīṇa — skinny; dekhi — I see; śuni — I have heard; kara ardha-aśana — You are eating half; ei — this; śuṣka-vairāgya — dry renunciation; nahe — is not; sannyāsīra dharma — the religion of a sannyāsī.

Translation

“I have heard that You have cut Your eating in half. Indeed, I see that You are skinny. Such dry renunciation is also not the religion of a sannyāsī.

Text

yathā-yogya udara bhare, nā kare ‘viṣaya’ bhoga
sannyāsīra tabe siddha haya jñāna-yoga

Synonyms

yathā-yogya — as much as necessary; udara bhare — fills the belly; kare — does not do; viṣaya bhoga — material enjoyment; sannyāsīra — of a sannyāsī; tabe — then; siddha — perfect; haya — is; jñāna-yoga — spiritual advancement in knowledge.

Translation

“A sannyāsī eats as much as necessary to maintain his body, but he does not enjoy satisfying his senses materially. Thus a sannyāsī becomes perfect in his spiritual advancement in knowledge.

Text

nāty-aśnato ’pi yogo ’sti
na caikāntam anaśnataḥ
na cāti-svapna-śīlasya
jāgrato naiva cārjuna
yuktāhāra-vihārasya
yukta-ceṣṭasya karmasu
yukta-svapnāvabodhasya
yogo bhavati duḥkha-hā”

Synonyms

na — not; ati-aśnataḥ — of one who eats too much; api — certainly; yogaḥ — linking with the Supreme; asti — there is; na — not; ca — also; ekāntam — solely; anaśnataḥ — of one who abstains from eating; na — not; ca — also; ati-svapna-śīlasya — of one who dreams too much in sleep; jāgrataḥ — of one who keeps awake; na — not; eva — certainly; ca — also; arjuna — O Arjuna; yukta — as much as necessary; āhāra — eating; vihārasya — of one whose sense enjoyment; yukta — proper; ceṣṭasya — of one whose endeavor; karmasu — in executing duties; yukta — as much as necessary; svapna — dreaming while asleep; avabodhasya — of one whose keeping awake; yogaḥ — practice of yoga; bhavati — is; duḥkha- — diminishing sufferings.

Translation

“[Lord Kṛṣṇa said:] ‘My dear Arjuna, one cannot perform mystic yoga if he eats more than necessary or needlessly fasts, sleeps and dreams too much or does not sleep enough. One should eat and enjoy his senses as much as necessary, one should properly endeavor to execute his duties, and one should regulate his sleep and wakefulness. Thus one can become freed from material pains by executing mystic yoga.’ ”

Purport

This is a quotation from the Bhagavad-gītā (6.16-17).

Text

prabhu kahe, — “ajña bālaka mui ‘śiṣya’ tomāra
more śikṣā deha’, — ei bhāgya āmāra”

Synonyms

prabhu kahe — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said; ajña — ignorant; bālaka — boy; mui — I; śiṣya tomāra — your disciple; more — Me; śikṣā deha’ — you are instructing; ei — this; bhāgya āmāra — My great fortune.

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then humbly submitted, “I am just like an ignorant boy and am like your disciple. It is My great fortune that you are instructing Me.”

Text

eta śuni’ rāmacandra-purī uṭhi’ gelā
bhakta-gaṇa ardhāśana kare, — purī gosāñi śunilā

Synonyms

eta śuni’ — hearing this; rāmacandra-purī — Rāmacandra Purī; uṭhi’ gelā — got up and left; bhakta-gaṇa — the devotees; ardha-aśana kare — were taking half the quantity of food; purī gosāñi — Rāmacandra Purī; śunilā — heard.

Translation

Hearing this, Rāmacandra Purī got up and left. He also heard from various sources that all the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu were eating half as much as usual.

Text

āra dina bhakta-gaṇa-saha paramānanda-purī
prabhu-pāśe nivedilā dainya-vinaya kari’

Synonyms

āra dina — the next day; bhakta-gaṇa-saha — with the other devotees; paramānanda-purī — Paramānanda Purī; prabhu-pāśe — before Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; nivedilā — submitted; dainya-vinaya kari’ — in great humility and submission.

Translation

The next day, Paramānanda Purī and other devotees approached Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu with great humility and submission.

Text

“rāmacandra-purī haya ninduka-svabhāva
tāra bole anna chāḍi’ kibā habe lābha?

Synonyms

rāmacandra-purī — Rāmacandra Purī; haya — is; ninduka-svabhāva — a critic by nature; tāra bole — by his words; anna chāḍi’ — giving up eating properly; kibā — what; habe — will be; lābha — profit.

Translation

Paramānanda Purī said, “My Godbrother Rāmacandra Purī is by nature a bad critic. If You give up eating because of his words, what will be the profit?

Text

purīra svabhāva, — yatheṣṭa āhāra karāñā
ye nā khāya, tāre khāoyāya yatana kariyā

Synonyms

purīra svabhāva — Rāmacandra Purī’s character; yathā-iṣṭa — as much as desired; āhāra karāñā — getting someone to eat; ye — what; khāya — one does not eat; tāre khāoyāya — causes him to eat; yatana kariyā — with great attention.

Translation

“It is the nature of Rāmacandra Purī that first he lets one eat as much as desired, and if one does not eat more than necessary, with great attention he makes him eat more.

Text

khāoyāñā punaḥ tāre karaye nindana
‘eta anna khāo, — tomāra kata āche dhana?

Synonyms

khāoyāñā — after feeding; punaḥ — again; tāre — him; karaye nindana — criticizes; eta — so much; anna — food; khāo — you eat; tomāra — your; kata — how much; āche — is there; dhana — wealth.

Translation

“In this way he induces one to eat more than necessary, and then he directly criticizes him, saying, ‘You eat so much. How much money do you have in your treasury?

Text

sannyāsīke eta khāoyāñā kara dharma nāśa!
ataeva jāninu, — tomāra kichu nāhi bhāsa’

Synonyms

sannyāsīkesannyāsīs; eta — so much; khāoyāñā — inducing to eat; kara dharma nāśa — you spoil their religious principles; ataeva — therefore; jāninu — I can understand; tomāra — your; kichu nāhi bhāsa — there is no advancement.

Translation

“ ‘Also, by inducing sannyāsīs to eat so much, you spoil their religious principles. Therefore I can understand that you have no advancement.’

Text

ke kaiche vyavahāre, kebā kaiche khāya
ei anusandhāna teṅho karaya sadāya

Synonyms

ke — who; kaiche — how; vyavahāre — behaves; kebā — who; kaiche — how; khāya — eats; ei anusandhāna — this inquiry; teṅho — he; karaya — does; sadāya — always.

Translation

“It is Rāmacandra Purī’s business to inquire always about how others are eating and conducting their daily affairs.

Text

śāstre yei dui dharma kairāche varjana
sei karma nirantara iṅhāra karaṇa

Synonyms

śāstre — in the revealed scriptures; yei — which; dui — two; dharma — activities; kairāche varjana — are rejected; sei — those; karma — activities; nirantara — always; iṅhāra — his; karaṇa — action.

Translation

“The two kinds of activities rejected in the revealed scriptures constitute his daily affairs.

Text

para-svabhāva-karmāṇi
na praśaṁsen na garhayet
viśvam ekātmakaṁ paśyan
prakṛtyā puruṣeṇa ca

Synonyms

para-svabhāva-karmāṇi — the characteristics or activities of others; na — not; praśaṁset — one should praise; na — not; garhayet — should criticize; viśvam — the universe; eka-ātmakam — as one; paśyan — seeing; prakṛtyā — by nature; puruṣeṇa — by the living entity; ca — and.

Translation

“ ‘One should see that because of the meeting of material nature and the living entity, the universe is acting uniformly. Thus one should neither praise nor criticize the characteristics or activities of others.’

Purport

This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.28.1) was spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa to Uddhava.

Text

tāra madhye pūrva-vidhi ‘praśaṁsā’ chāḍiyā
para-vidhi ‘nindā’ kare ‘baliṣṭha’ jāniyā

Synonyms

tāra madhye — between the two; pūrva-vidhi — the former rule; praśaṁsā — praising; chāḍiyā — giving up; para-vidhi — the other rule; nindā — criticizing; kare — does; baliṣṭha jāniyā — knowing it to be more prominent.

Translation

“Of the two rules, Rāmacandra Purī obeys the first by abandoning praise, but although he knows that the second is more prominent, he neglects it by criticizing others.

Purport

The above-mentioned verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives two injunctions. The first, called pūrva-vidhi, is that one should not praise, and the second, para-vidhi, is that one should not criticize. As will be apparent from the following verse, the injunction against praise is less important than the injunction against blasphemy. One should carefully observe the para-vidhi, although one may neglect the pūrva-vidhi. Thus the actual injunction is that one may praise but should not criticize. This is called śleṣokti, or a statement having two meanings. Rāmacandra Purī, however, acted in just the opposite way, for he neglected the para-vidhi but strictly observed the pūrva-vidhi. Since he avoided following the principle of not criticizing, Rāmacandra Purī broke both the rules.

Text

pūrva-parayor madhye para-vidhir balavān

Synonyms

pūrva-parayoḥ — the former and the latter; madhye — between; para-vidhiḥ — the latter rule; balavān — more prominent.

Translation

“ ‘Between the former rule and the latter rule, the latter is more important.’

Purport

This is a verse from the nyāya literatures.

Text

yāhāṅ guṇa śata āche, tāhā nā kare grahaṇa
guṇa-madhye chale kare doṣa-āropaṇa

Synonyms

yāhāṅ — where; guṇa — good attributes; śata — hundreds; āche — there are; tāhā — them; kare grahaṇa — he does not accept; guṇa-madhye — in such good attributes; chale — by tricks; kare — does; doṣa-āropaṇa — attributing faults.

Translation

“Even where there are hundreds of good qualities, a critic does not consider them. Rather, he attempts by some trick to point out a fault in those attributes.

Text

iṅhāra svabhāva ihāṅ karite nā yuyāya
tathāpi kahiye kichu marma-duḥkha pāya

Synonyms

iṅhāra svabhāva — his characteristics; ihāṅ — here; karite yuyāya — one should not follow; tathāpi — still; kahiye — I say; kichu — something; marma-duḥkha — unhappiness within the heart; pāya — get.

Translation

“One should not, therefore, follow the principles of Rāmacandra Purī. Nevertheless, I have to say something against him because he is making our hearts unhappy.

Text

iṅhāra vacane kene anna tyāga kara?
pūrvavat nimantraṇa māna’, — sabāra bola dhara”

Synonyms

iṅhāra vacane — by his words; kene — why; anna — food; tyāga kara — You give up; pūrva-vat — as before; nimantraṇa māna’ — please accept the invitation; sabāra — of everyone; bola — the words; dhara — accept.

Translation

“Why have You given up proper eating due to the criticism of Rāmacandra Purī? Please accept invitations as before. This is the request of us all.”

Text

prabhu kahe, — “sabe kene purīre kara roṣa?
‘sahaja’ dharma kahe teṅho, tāṅra kibā doṣa?

Synonyms

prabhu kahe — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied; sabe — all of you; kene — why; purīre — at Rāmacandra Purī; kara roṣa — are angry; sahaja — natural; dharma — religious principles; kahe — speaks; teṅho — he; tāṅra — of him; kibā — what; doṣa — fault.

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “Why are all of you angry at Rāmacandra Purī? He is expounding the natural principles of sannyāsa life. Why are you accusing him?

Text

yati hañā jihvā-lāmpaṭya — atyanta anyāya
yatira dharma, — prāṇa rākhite āhāra-mātra khāya”

Synonyms

yati hañā — being a sannyāsī; jihvā-lāmpaṭya — indulging in satisfying the tongue; atyanta anyāya — grievous offense; yatira dharma — the religious principle of a sannyāsī; prāṇa rākhite — to maintain life; āhāra — food; mātra — only; khāya — eats.

Translation

“For a sannyāsī to indulge in satisfying the tongue is a great offense. The duty of a sannyāsī is to eat only as much as needed to keep body and soul together.”

Text

tabe sabe meli’ prabhure bahu yatna kailā
sabāra āgrahe prabhu ardheka rākhilā

Synonyms

tabe — thereafter; sabe meli’ — when all the devotees came together; prabhure — unto Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; bahu yatna kailā — requested fervently; sabāra āgrahe — due to the eagerness of all of them; prabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; ardheka rākhilā — accepted half.

Translation

When they all requested very fervently that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu take a full meal, He still would not do so. Instead, He responded to their request by accepting half as much as usual.

Text

dui-paṇa kauḍi lāge prabhura nimantraṇe
kabhu dui-jana bhoktā, kabhu tina-jane

Synonyms

dui-paṇa kauḍi — two paṇas of kauḍis (160 small conchshells); lāge — costs; prabhura nimantraṇe — to invite Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kabhu — sometimes; dui-jana — two men; bhoktā — eating; kabhu — sometimes; tina-jane — three men.

Translation

The cost for the food needed to invite Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was fixed at two paṇas of kauḍis [160 conchshells], and that food would be taken by two men and sometimes three.

Text

abhojyānna vipra yadi karena nimantraṇa
prasāda-mūlya la-ite lāge kauḍi dui-paṇa

Synonyms

abhojya-anna vipra — a brāhmaṇa at whose place an invitation cannot be accepted; yadi — if; karena nimantraṇa — he invites; prasāda-mūlya — the price of the prasādam; la-ite — to bear; lāge — costs; kauḍi dui-paṇa — two paṇas of kauḍis.

Translation

When a brāhmaṇa at whose home an invitation could not be accepted invited the Lord, he would pay two paṇas of conchshells to purchase the prasādam.

Text

bhojyānna vipra yadi nimantraṇa kare
kichu ‘prasāda’ āne, kichu pāka kare ghare

Synonyms

bhojya-anna vipra — a brāhmaṇa at whose place an invitation could be accepted; yadi — if; nimantraṇa kare — invites; kichu — some; prasādaprasādam; āne — brings; kichu — some; pāka kare — cooks; ghare — at home.

Translation

When a brāhmaṇa at whose home an invitation could be accepted invited Him, the brāhmaṇa would purchase part of the prasādam and cook the rest at home.

Text

paṇḍita-gosāñi, bhagavān-ācārya, sārvabhauma
nimantraṇera dine yadi kare nimantraṇa
tāṅ-sabāra icchāya prabhu karena bhojana
tāhāṅ prabhura svātantrya nāi, yaiche tāṅra mana

Synonyms

paṇḍita-gosāñi — Gadādhara Paṇḍita; bhagavān-ācārya — Bhagavān Ācārya; sārvabhauma — Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya; nimantraṇera dine — on the day on which Lord Caitanya was invited by others; yadi — if; kare nimantraṇa — they would invite; tāṅ-sabāra — of all of them; icchāya — by the desire; prabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; karena bhojana — would accept His meal; tāhāṅ — in that case; prabhura — of Lord Caitanya; svātantrya nāi — there was no independence; yaiche — as; tāṅra — of them; mana — the mind.

Translation

Even on a day when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was invited to dine by others, if Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Bhagavān Ācārya or Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya invited Him, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had no independence. He would accept their invitations as they desired.

Text

bhakta-gaṇe sukha dite prabhura ‘avatāra’
yāhāṅ yaiche yogya, tāhāṅ karena vyavahāra

Synonyms

bhakta-gaṇe — to His devotees; sukha dite — to give happiness; prabhura — of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; avatāra — incarnation; yāhāṅ yaiche yogya — whatever was fitting according to the time and circumstances; tāhāṅ karena vyavahāra — He behaved in that way.

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu actually descended to give happiness to the devotees. Thus He behaved in whatever way fit the time and circumstances.

Text

kabhu laukika rīti, — yena ‘itara’ jana
kabhu svatantra, karena ‘aiśvarya’ prakaṭana

Synonyms

kabhu — sometimes; laukika rīti — common behavior; yena — as; itara jana — a common man; kabhu — sometimes; svatantra — fully independent; karena — does; aiśvarya prakaṭana — manifestation of godly opulence.

Translation

Because of His full independence, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sometimes behaved like a common man and sometimes manifested His godly opulence.

Text

kabhu rāmacandra-purīra haya bhṛtya-prāya
kabhu tāre nāhi māne, dekhe tṛṇa-prāya

Synonyms

kabhu — sometimes; rāmacandra-purīra — of Rāmacandra Purī; haya — was; bhṛtya-prāya — exactly like a servant; kabhu — sometimes; tāre — for him; nāhi māne — He did not care; dekhe — sees; tṛṇa-prāya — just like a straw.

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sometimes accepted Rāmacandra Purī as His master and considered Himself a servant, and sometimes the Lord, not caring for him, would see him as being just like a straw.

Text

īśvara-caritra prabhura — buddhira agocara
yabe yei karena, sei saba — manohara

Synonyms

īśvara-caritra — character exactly like that of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; prabhura — of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; buddhira agocara — beyond one’s intelligence; yabe — when; yei — whatever; karena — He did; sei — that; saba — all; manohara — very beautiful.

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu behaved exactly like the Supreme Personality of Godhead, beyond the restriction of anyone’s intelligence. He did whatever He liked, but all His activities were very beautiful.

Text

ei-mata rāmacandra-purī nīlācale
dina kata rahi’ gelā ‘tīrtha’ karibāre

Synonyms

ei-mata — in this way; rāmacandra-purī — Rāmacandra Purī; nīlācale — at Jagannātha Purī; dina kata — for some days; rahi’ — staying; gelā — left; tīrtha karibāre — to visit holy places.

Translation

Thus Rāmacandra Purī stayed for some days at Nīlācala [Jagannātha Purī]. Then he left to visit various holy places of pilgrimage.

Text

teṅho gele prabhura gaṇa haila haraṣita
śirera pāthara yena paḍila ācambita

Synonyms

teṅho gele — when he left; prabhura gaṇa — the associates of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; haila haraṣita — became very, very happy; śirera — on the head; pāthara — a stone; yena — as if; paḍila — fell down; ācambita — suddenly.

Translation

The devotees considered Rāmacandra Purī to be like a great burden on their heads. When he left Jagannātha Purī, everyone felt extremely happy, as if a great stone burden had suddenly fallen from their heads to the ground.

Text

svacchande nimantraṇa, prabhura kīrtana-nartana
svacchande karena sabe prasāda bhojana

Synonyms

svacchande — freely; nimantraṇa — invitation; prabhura — of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kīrtana-nartana — chanting and dancing; svacchande — in full independence; karena sabe — everyone did; prasāda bhojana — accepting prasādam.

Translation

After his departure, everything was happy once again. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted invitations as usual and led congregational chanting and dancing. Everyone else also accepted prasādam without hindrances.

Text

guru upekṣā kaile, aiche phala haya
krame īśvara-paryanta aparādhe ṭhekaya

Synonyms

guru upekṣā kaile — if one’s spiritual master rejects him; aiche — such; phala — result; haya — there is; krame — gradually; īśvara-paryanta — up to the point of the Personality of Godhead; aparādhe ṭhekaya — commits offenses.

Translation

If one’s spiritual master rejects him, one becomes so fallen that he, like Rāmacandra Purī, commits offenses even to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Text

yadyapi guru-buddhye prabhu tāra doṣa nā la-ila
tāra phala-dvārā loke śikṣā karāila

Synonyms

yadyapi — although; guru-buddhye — due to considering him a spiritual master; prabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; tāra — his; doṣa — offense; la-ila — did not accept; tāra — his; phala — result; dvārā — by; loke — the general populace; śikṣā karāila — He instructed.

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not consider the offenses of Rāmacandra Purī, for the Lord considered him His spiritual master. However, his character instructed everyone about the result of offending the spiritual master.

Text

caitanya-caritra — yena amṛtera pūra
śunite śravaṇe mane lāgaye madhura

Synonyms

caitanya-caritra — the character of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; yena — as if; amṛtera pūra — filled with nectar; śunite — hearing; śravaṇe — to the ear; mane — to the mind; lāgaye — feels; madhura — pleasing.

Translation

The character of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is full of nectar. Hearing about it is pleasing to the ear and mind.

Text

caitanya-caritra likhi, śuna eka-mane
anāyāse pābe prema śrī-kṛṣṇa-caraṇe

Synonyms

caitanya-caritra — the character of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; likhi — I write; śuna — please hear; eka-mane — with attention; anāyāse — easily; pābe — you will get; prema — ecstatic love; śrī-kṛṣṇa-caraṇe — at the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Translation

I write about the character of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. O readers, please hear with attention, for thus you will easily receive ecstatic love for the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Text

śrī-rūpa-raghunātha-pade yāra āśa
caitanya-caritāmṛta kahe kṛṣṇadāsa

Synonyms

śrī-rūpa — Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī; raghunātha — Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī; pade — at the lotus feet; yāra — whose; āśa — expectation; caitanya-caritāmṛta — the book named Caitanya-caritāmṛta; kahe — describes; kṛṣṇadāsa — Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī.

Translation

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.

Purport

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, eighth chapter, describing how the Lord reduced His eating in fear of the criticism of Rāmacandra Purī.