Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila Chapter 05 - The Activities of Saksi-gopala
Pages in category "Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila Chapter 05 - The Activities of Saksi-gopala"
The following 158 pages are in this category, out of 158 total.
2
- Praying at the lotus feet of Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunatha, always desiring their mercy, I, Krsnadasa, narrate Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, following in their footsteps - Madhya-lila
- All glories to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! All glories to Nityananda Prabhu! All glories to Advaita Acarya! And all glories to all the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
A
- Accepting the Gopala Deity as my witness, I then submitted the following at His lotus feet
- After dreaming this, the Queen explained it to her husband, the King. Both the King and the Queen then went to the temple with the pearl
- After hearing the story about how His staff had been broken, the Lord expressed a little sadness and, displaying a bit of anger, began to speak as follows
- After reaching Mathura, they started visiting the different forests of Vrndavana and came to Govardhana Hill. They visited all twelve forests (vanas) and at last came to the town of Vrndavana
- After returning to Vidyanagara, each brahmana went to his respective home. After some time, the elderly brahmana became very anxious
- After seeing the temple of Jagannatha from a distant place, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately became ecstatic. After offering obeisances to the temple, He began to dance in the ecstasy of love of God
- After taking baths at different bathing places along the river Yamuna, such as Kesi-ghata and Kaliya-ghata, the pilgrims visited the temple of Gopala. Afterwards, they took rest in that temple
- After the marriage ceremony was performed, the Lord informed both brahmanas, "You two brahmanas are My eternal servants, birth after birth"
- After the meeting, the young brahmana started for Vrndavana. Upon arriving there, he first offered his respectful obeisances to the Deity and then narrated everything in full detail
- After the young brahmana submitted this statement, the elderly brahmana remained silent. Taking this opportunity, his son immediately came out with a stick to strike the younger man
- After these talks, the two brahmanas started for home. As usual, the young brahmana accompanied the elderly brahmana as if the older brahmana were a guru (spiritual master) and rendered him service in various ways
- After winning the Manikya throne, King Purusottama-deva took it to Jagannatha Puri and presented it to Lord Jagannatha. In the meantime, he also established regular worship of the Gopala Deity at Kataka
- Afterwards, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to the town of Kataka to see the temple of the witness Gopala. When He saw the Deity of Gopala, He was very much pleased by His beauty
- All of you assembled here are gentlemen. Please judge whether it is befitting to offer this poor brahmana my father's daughter
- All the assembled people got this statement down in black and white and, taking the signatures of agreement from both of them, served as the mediators
- All the devotees became ecstatic in the association of Lord Caitanya, and thus absorbed in love of God, they were dancing and singing while going along the main road
- All the people gathered there asked the elderly brahmana, "If you have already promised to give him your daughter in charity, why are you not fulfilling your promise? You have given your word of honor"
- All the people of the village then called for the elderly brahmana and brought him to their meeting place. The young brahmana then began to speak before them as follows
- All the townspeople went to see the witness Gopala, and when they saw the Lord actually standing there, they all offered their respectful obeisances
- At that time I concentrated my mind and requested the brahmana to make the promise before the Gopala Deity
- At that time I forbade him to do this, telling him, 'O best of the brahmanas, I am not a fit husband for your daughter'
- At that time the young brahmana said, "My dear gentlemen, please hear. Just to gain victory in an argument, this man is lying"
B
C
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "You have all benefited Me by bringing Me to Nilacala. However, My only possession was that one staff, and you have not kept it"
- Coming before Gopala, the elderly brahmana said, "My dear Lord, please witness that I have given my daughter to this boy"
- Considering this, the Queen offered her obeisances to Gopala and returned to her palace. That night she dreamed that Gopala appeared and began to speak to her as follows
- Cook one kilo of rice daily and offer it. I shall eat that rice and follow behind you
E
F
H
- Having taken all my father's money, this rogue claimed that it was taken by some thief. Now he is claiming that my father has promised to give him his daughter in charity
- He began to think, "I have given my word to a brahmana in a holy place, and what I promised will certainly come to pass. I must now disclose this to my wife, sons, other relatives and friends"
- He had no desire to break his promise, but fearing that his kinsmen would commit suicide, he deviated from the truth
- He said, "My Lord, You are the protector of brahminical culture, and You are also very merciful. Therefore, kindly show Your great mercy by protecting the religious principles of us two brahmanas"
- Hearing all these statements, all the people gathered there became a little doubtful. They thought it quite possible that because of attraction for riches one might give up his religious principles
- Hearing the emphatic statement of the younger brahmana, some atheists in the meeting began to cut jokes. However, someone else said, "After all, the Lord is merciful, and if He likes, He can come"
- His son replied, "The Deity may be a witness, but He is in a distant country. How can He come to bear witness against you? Why are you so anxious over this"
I
- I have now come to my village, and I shall go to my home and tell all the people that the witness has arrived
- I have offered you my daughter. Do not hesitate. She is my daughter, and I shall give her to you. Who can forbid me
- I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of God (brahmanya-deva), who appeared as Saksi-gopala to benefit a brahmana. For one hundred days He traveled through the country, walking on His own legs. Thus His activities are wonderful
- I shall certainly appear there, and at that time I shall protect the honor of both you brahmanas by bearing witness to the promise
- I then said, 'Please hear. You are a learned brahmana. Your wife, friends and relatives will never agree to this proposal'
- If I did not show you any respect, I would be ungrateful. Therefore, I promise to give you my daughter in charity
- If there were a hole in the Deity's nose, I could transfer the pearl to Him
- If this brahmana later hesitates to give me his daughter, my dear Lord, I shall call on You as a witness. Please note this with care and attention
- In the presence of all the townspeople, Lord Gopala bore witness that the elderly brahmana had offered his daughter in charity to the young brahmana
- In the temple of Varahadeva, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu engaged in chanting and dancing and offered prayers. He passed that night in the temple
- In the village of Pancakrosi Vrndavana, at the site where the Govinda temple is now situated, there was a great temple where gorgeous worship of Gopala was performed
- Indeed, the young brahmana always rendered service to the older one, and the old man, being very satisfied with his service, was pleased with him
- It is certainly because of My offense that Your staff was broken. Now You can punish Me on this account as You think proper
K
- King Bhismaka wanted to give his daughter, Rukmini, in charity to Krsna, but Rukmi, his eldest son, objected. Therefore he could not carry out his decision
- King Purusottama-deva was a great devotee and was advanced in the civilization of the Aryans. He begged at the lotus feet of Gopala, "Please come to my kingdom"
- Krsna continues, "That very hole is still there, and you can use it to set the pearl you desired to give Me"
L
- Later there was a fight, and this country was conquered by King Purusottama-deva of Orissa
- Lord Gopala stayed, and the two brahmanas engaged in His service. After hearing of the incident, many people from different countries began to come to see Gopala
- Lord Krsna is very much pleased by service rendered to brahmanas, and when the Lord is pleased, the opulence of one's devotional service increases
- Lord Krsna replied, "My dear brahmana, go back to your home and call a meeting of all the men. In that meeting, just try to remember Me"
- Lord Krsna said, "I've never heard of a Deity's walking from one place to another." The brahmana replied, "That is true, but how is it that You are speaking to me, although You are a Deity"
M
- Mukunda Datta told Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, "My Lord, You should go ahead and allow all the others to follow. We shall not go with You"
- My dear boy, I will give my daughter to you in charity, and I will neglect the position of all others. Don't doubt me in this regard; just accept my proposal
- My dear Lord, I am not thinking to become happy by getting the daughter as a bride. I am simply thinking that the brahmana has broken his promise, and that is giving me great pain
- My dear Lord, You are not a statue; You are directly the son of Maharaja Nanda. Now, for the sake of the old brahmana, You can do something You have never done before
- My dear sir, you will not be able to fulfill your promise. Your promise will be broken. Yet, again and again the brahmana emphasized his promise
N
O
- One of the two brahmanas was an old man, and the other was young. The young man was assisting the old one
- One who hears this narration of Lord Gopala with faith and love very soon attains the lotus feet of Lord Gopala
- Only if You go there in this form of Gopala and speak the words from Your beautiful face will Your testimony be heard by all the people
S
- Seeing a stick in the hand of the son, the younger brahmana fled. The next day, however, he gathered together all the people of the village
- Seeing the hole in the nose of the Deity, they set the pearl there and, being very pleased, held a great festival
- Since then, Gopala has been situated in the city of Kataka (Cuttak), and He has been known ever since as Saksi-gopala
- Sir, I am not a suitable bridegroom for your daughter. I render service to you only for the satisfaction of Krsna
- So all of you should go before or behind Me to see Lord Jagannatha. I shall not go with you
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu laughed, cried, danced and made many ecstatic vibrations and sounds. Although the temple was only six miles away, to Him the distance seemed thousands of miles
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then began to walk very swiftly before all the other devotees. No one could understand the real purpose of the two Lords, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu
- Sri Gopalaji then smiled and said, "My dear brahmana, just listen to Me. I shall walk behind you, and in this way I shall go with you"
- Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has very vividly described the places visited by the Lord on the way to Bhuvanesvara
- Still this brahmana insisted. Again and again he asked me to accept his proposal, saying, 'I have given you my daughter. Please accept her'
T
- Taking this opportunity, the elderly brahmana immediately confirmed that this was really true. He said, "If Gopala personally comes here to serve as a witness, I shall surely give my daughter to the young brahmana"
- That King was victorious over the King of Vidyanagara, and he took possession of his throne, the Manikya-simhasana, which was bedecked with many jewels
- That night Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stayed in the temple of Gopala, and along with all the devotees, He heard the narration of the witness Gopala with great pleasure
- The atheistic son thought, "It is not possible for Gopala to come and bear witness." Thinking thus, the father and son agreed
- The beauty of the Gopala Deity stole away their minds, and feeling great happiness, they remained there for two or four days
- The brahmana then began to think that if the people didn't directly see the Gopala Deity, they would not believe that He had arrived. "But even if Gopala stays here," he thought, "there is still nothing to fear"
- The brahmanas said, "Please remain here so that people all over the world will know how merciful You are to Your servants"
- The devotees could not understand why Nityananda Prabhu broke the staff, why Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu permitted Him to do so, or why, after permitting Him, Caitanya Mahaprabhu became angry
- The devotees saw that both Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Gopala were brilliantly effulgent and had eyes like lotuses. They were both absorbed in ecstasy, and both Their faces resembled full moons
- The elderly brahmana prayed, "My dear Lord Gopala, I have taken shelter of Your lotus feet, and therefore I request You to please protect my religious principles from disturbance and at the same time save my kinsmen from dying"
- The elderly brahmana said, "How can I undo the promise I made in a holy place while on pilgrimage? Whatever may happen, I must give him my daughter in charity"
- The elderly brahmana said, "If I do not give my daughter to the young brahmana, he will call Sri Gopalaji as a witness. Thus he will take my daughter by force, and in that case my religious principles will become meaningless"
- The elderly brahmana said, "My daughter is my own property. If I choose to give my property to someone, who has the power to stop me"
- The elderly brahmana said, "My dear friends, please hear what I have to submit. I do not exactly remember making a promise like that"
- The elderly brahmana thought, "Since Lord Krsna is very merciful, He will certainly come to prove my statement"
- The elderly brahmana's son immediately confirmed this, saying, "Yes, this is a very nice settlement"
- The glories of Lord Gopala, who is merciful to brahmanas, are very great. The narration of Saksi-gopala was spoken by Nityananda Prabhu and heard by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
- The King constructed a nice temple, and regular service was executed. Gopala became very famous under the name of Saksi-gopala (the witness Gopala)
- The Lord continued, "Do not try to see Me by turning around. As soon as you see Me, I shall remain stationary in that very place"
- The Lord continued, "I have become very much pleased by the truthfulness of you both. Now you can ask for a benediction." Thus with great pleasure the two brahmanas begged for a benediction
- The Lord told the brahmana, "Now you can go home. I shall stay here and shall not leave"
- The next day, the brahmana begged permission from Gopala and started for his country. Gopala followed him, step by step
- The next day, the elderly brahmana was thinking deeply about this matter when the young brahmana came to his house
- The older brahmana replied, "My dear boy, do not doubt me. I will give you my daughter in charity. I have already decided this"
- The older man told the younger, "You have rendered various types of service to me. You have assisted me in traveling to all these places of pilgrimage"
- The pastime of the breaking of the staff is very deep. Only one whose devotion is fixed upon the lotus feet of the two Lords can understand it
- The Queen had a very valuable pearl, which she wore on her nose, and she wished to give it to Gopala. She then began to think as follows
- The relatives unanimously said, "If you give your daughter to that boy, we shall give up all connection with you." Indeed, his wife and sons declared, "If such a thing happens, we shall take poison and die"
- The son said, "Oh, you are most degraded! You want to marry my sister, just like a dwarf who wants to catch the moon"
- The young brahmana came to him and offered respectful obeisances. Then, very humbly folding his hands, he spoke as follows
- The young brahmana continued, "My dear Sir, You are very merciful and You know everything. Therefore, kindly be a witness in this case. A person who knows things as they are and still does not bear witness becomes involved in sinful activities"
- The young brahmana replied, "My dear sir, even if You appear there as a four-handed Visnu Deity, still, none of those people will believe in Your words"
- The young brahmana said, "You have a wife and sons, and you have a large circle of relatives and friends"
- The young brahmana then said, "Will all you gentlemen present please hear me? This elderly brahmana is certainly truthful and is following religious principles"
- The young brahmana then went to the town and informed all the people about Gopala's arrival. Hearing this, the people were struck with wonder
- The young brahmana took this opportunity to speak: "Please write this down on paper in black and white so that you may not again change your word of honor"
- The young brahmana walked and walked in this way until he eventually arrived in his own country. When he neared his own village, he began to think as follows
- The younger brahmana replied, "If you have decided to give your young daughter to me, then say so before the Gopala Deity"
- The younger brahmana replied, "My dear sir, please hear me. You are saying something very unusual. Such a thing never happens"
- Then the elderly brahmana, being very pleased, came forward and immediately fell like a stick in front of Gopala
- Then the younger brahmana addressed the Deity, saying, "My dear Lord, You are my witness. I shall call for You to testify if it is necessary later on"
- Then this gentleman said in front of the Gopala Deity, 'My dear Lord, please bear witness. I have offered my daughter to this brahmana in charity'
- There was no one besides this man with my father. Giving him an intoxicant known as dhutura to eat, this rogue made my father mad
- They unanimously agreed, "If you offer your daughter to a degraded family, your aristocracy will be lost. When people hear of this, they will make jokes and laugh at you"
- They were of the same complexion, and both had gigantic bodies. Both wore saffron cloth, and both were very grave
- Thinking this, the brahmana turned to look back, and He saw that Gopala, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was standing there smiling
- This gentleman has promised to hand over his daughter to me, yet now he does not follow his promise. Please ask him about his behavior
- Thus one day the elderly brahmana called for a meeting of all his relatives and friends, and before them all he narrated what had taken place in front of Gopala
- Thus Saksi-gopala stayed in Vidyanagara and accepted service for a very long time
- Thus Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard the narration of Gopala's activities. Both He and His personal devotees became very pleased
- Thus the staff broke under Our weight. Where the pieces have gone, I cannot say
- Thus walking and walking, the Lord eventually arrived at the place known as Atharanala. Arriving there, He expressed His external consciousness, speaking to Sri Nityananda Prabhu
- Thus with great pleasure Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu passed that night in the temple. After seeing the mangala-arati ceremony in the morning, He started on His journey
W
- Walking and walking, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His party finally arrived at Yajapura, on the river Vaitarani. There He saw the temple of Varahadeva and offered His obeisances unto Him
- When Caitanya went to the temple of Siva known as Kapotesvara, Nityananda Prabhu, who was keeping His sannyasa staff in custody, broke the staff in three parts and threw it into the river Bharginadi. Later this river became known as Danda-bhanga-nadi
- When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu had thus regained external consciousness, He asked Lord Nityananda Prabhu, "Please return My staff." Nityananda Prabhu then replied, "It has been broken into three parts"
- When Nityananda saw the Gopala Deity and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in that way, He began to exchange remarks with the devotees, all of whom were smiling
- When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu arrived at Kamalapura, He took His bath in the Bharginadi River and left His sannyasa staff in the hands of Lord Nityananda
- When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was sitting before the Gopala Deity, all the devotees saw Him and the Deity as being of the same form
- When the elderly brahmana heard this, his mind became very much agitated. Feeling helpless, he simply turned his attention to the lotus feet of Gopala
- When the elderly brahmana's son heard this, he took the opportunity to juggle some words. Becoming very impudent, he stood before the assembly and spoke as follows
- When the Gopala Deity was installed at Kataka, the Queen of Purusottama-deva went to see Him and, with great devotion, presented various kinds of ornaments
- When the King begged Him to come to his kingdom, Gopala, who was already obliged for his devotional service, accepted his prayer. Thus the King took the Gopala Deity and went back to Kataka
- When the people arrived, they were very pleased to see the beauty of Gopala, and when they heard that He had actually walked there, they were all surprised
- When those who belonged to the family circle heard the narration of the old brahmana, they made exclamations showing their disappointment. They all requested that he not make such a proposal again
- Whereas you are a learned scholar, a rich man belonging to an aristocratic family, I am a poor man, uneducated and with no claim to aristocracy
- While Gopala followed the young brahmana, the tinkling sound of His ankle bells could be heard. The brahmana became very pleased, and he cooked first-class rice for Gopala to eat
- While there, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu engaged in chanting and dancing for some time, and being overwhelmed, He offered many prayers to Gopala
- While touring various holy places of pilgrimage, my father carried much money. Seeing the money, this rogue decided to take it away
- Without the consent of all your friends and relatives, it is not possible to give me your daughter in charity. Just consider the story of Queen Rukmini and her father, Bhismaka
Y
- You are a most aristocratic family man, well educated and very rich. I am not at all aristocratic, and I am without a decent education and have no wealth
- You do not have to flatly deny that you spoke such a thing. There is no need to make a false statement. Simply say that you do not remember what you said
- You have promised to give your daughter in charity to me. Now you do not say anything. What is your conclusion
- You will know that I am walking behind you by the sound of My ankle bells