Ecstatic love (CC Madhya-lila chapters 12 - 17)

Expressions researched:
"ecstasy of love" |"ecstatic conjugal love" |"ecstatic devotional love" |"ecstatic emotional love" |"ecstatic expressions of love" |"ecstatic feelings of love" |"ecstatic for love" |"ecstatic in love" |"ecstatic love" |"ecstatic manifestation of love" |"ecstatic ocean of love" |"ecstatic pure love" |"ecstatic stage of love" |"ecstatic with love"

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 12 Summary:

While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu washed the temple of Guṇḍicā, a Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava washed the lotus feet of the Lord and drank the water. This incident is very significant, for it awoke within the devotee ecstatic love. Then the son of Advaita Prabhu named Gopāla fainted during kīrtana, and when he did not come to his senses, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu favored him by awakening him. There was also some humorous talk between Nityānanda Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu during prasādam.

CC Madhya 12.43, Translation:

At that time, Rāmānanda Rāya informed Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu about the ecstatic love of the King. Indeed, as soon as there was some opportunity, he repeatedly informed the Lord about the King.

CC Madhya 12.60, Translation:

Seeing the boy, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately remembered Kṛṣṇa. Meeting the boy in ecstatic love, the Lord began to speak.

CC Madhya 12.63, Translation:

As soon as the prince was touched by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, symptoms of ecstatic love immediately manifested themselves in his body. These symptoms included perspiration, trembling, tears, being stunned and jubilation.

CC Madhya 12.67, Translation:

Just by embracing his son, the King was filled with ecstatic love, just as if he had touched Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu directly.

CC Madhya 12.114, Translation:

As Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was vibrating the holy name of Kṛṣṇa in ecstatic love, He Himself was performing the work of hundreds of men.

CC Madhya 12.144, Translation:

While dancing in ecstatic love, Śrī Gopāla fainted and fell to the ground unconscious.

CC Madhya 12.166, Translation:

Just by remembering the pastimes of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was agitated by ecstatic love. But considering the time and circumstance, He remained somewhat patient.

CC Madhya 12.212, Purport:

Both the Lord's Deity form and the spiritual master should be seen from a distant place. This is called maryādā. Otherwise, as it is said, familiarity breeds contempt. Sometimes coming too near the Deity or the spiritual master degrades the neophyte devotee. Personal servants of the Deity and the spiritual master should therefore always be very careful, for negligence may overcome them in their duty.

Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's eyes have been compared to thirsty bumblebees, and Śrī Jagannātha's eyes have been compared to blossoming lotus flowers. The author has made these comparisons in order to describe Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu while the Lord was deeply absorbed in ecstatic love for Lord Jagannātha.

CC Madhya 13.56, Translation:

King Pratāparudra was also astonished to see the saṅkīrtana. He became inactive and was converted to ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa.

CC Madhya 13.68, Translation:

In this way Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced in great jubilation and inundated all the people with waves of ecstatic love.

CC Madhya 13.110, Translation:

The foam that fell from the mouth of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was taken and drunk by Śubhānanda because he was very fortunate and expert in relishing the mellow of ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa.

CC Madhya 13.111, Translation:

After Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had performed His devastating dance for some time, His mind entered into a mood of ecstatic love.

CC Madhya 13.119, Purport:

Lord Jagannātha-deva is Kṛṣṇa, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's leading Lord Jagannātha toward the Guṇḍicā temple corresponded to Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s leading Kṛṣṇa toward Vṛndāvana. Śrī Kṣetra, Jagannātha Purī, was taken as the kingdom of Dvārakā, the place where Kṛṣṇa enjoys supreme opulence. But He was being led by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to Vṛndāvana, the simple village where all the inhabitants are filled with ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Kṣetra is a place of aiśvarya-līlā, just as Vṛndāvana is the place of mādhurya-līlā. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's following at the rear of the ratha indicated that Lord Jagannātha, Kṛṣṇa, was forgetting the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana. Although Kṛṣṇa neglected the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, He could not forget them. Thus in His opulent Ratha-yātrā, He was returning to Vṛndāvana. In the role of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was examining whether the Lord still remembered the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana.

CC Madhya 13.176, Translation:

Upon seeing the dancing and ecstatic love of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, everyone became astonished. In their hearts they became infatuated with love of Kṛṣṇa.

CC Madhya 13.177, Translation:

Everyone danced and chanted in ecstatic love, and a great noise resounded. Everyone was overwhelmed with transcendental bliss just to see the dancing of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

CC Madhya 13.207, Translation:

"Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced down the main road in great ecstasy before Lord Jagannātha, the master of Nīlācala, who was sitting on His car. Overwhelmed by the transcendental bliss of dancing and surrounded by Vaiṣṇavas who sang the holy names, He manifested waves of ecstatic love of Godhead. When will Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu again be visible to my vision?"

CC Madhya 14 Summary:

Dressing himself as a Vaiṣṇava, Mahārāja Pratāparudra entered the garden at Balagaṇḍi alone and began reciting verses from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He then took the opportunity to massage the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The Lord, in His ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa, immediately embraced the King and thus bestowed mercy upon him. When there was an offering of prasādam in the garden, Lord Caitanya also partook of it. After this, when Lord Jagannātha's ratha car stopped moving, King Pratāparudra called for many elephants to pull it, but they were unsuccessful. Seeing this, Lord Caitanya began to push the car from behind with His head, and the car began moving. Then the devotees began pulling the car with ropes. Near the Guṇḍicā temple is a place known as Āiṭoṭā. This place was fixed up for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to rest in. When Lord Jagannātha was seated at Sundarācala, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw it as Vṛndāvana. He performed sporting pastimes in the water of the lake known as Indradyumna. For nine continuous days during Ratha-yātrā, the Lord remained at Sundarācala, and on the fifth day He and Svarūpa Dāmodara observed the pastimes of Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune. During that time, there was much talk about the pastimes of the gopīs. When the ratha was again being drawn and the chanting resumed, two devotees from Kulīna-grāma-Rāmānanda Vasu and Satyarāja Khān-were requested to bring silk ropes every year for the Ratha-yātrā ceremony.

CC Madhya 14.1, Translation:

Accompanied by His personal devotees, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to the festival known as Lakṣmī-vijayotsava. There He discussed the superexcellent love of the gopīs. Just by hearing about them, He became very pleased and danced in great ecstatic love for the Lord.

CC Madhya 14.4, Translation:

While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was resting in ecstatic love, Mahārāja Pratāparudra entered the garden.

CC Madhya 14.7, Translation:

As Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu lay on the raised platform with His eyes closed in ecstatic love and emotion, the King very expertly began to massage His legs.

CC Madhya 14.10, Translation:

As soon as the King recited the verse beginning with the words "tava kathāmṛtam," the Lord arose in ecstatic love and embraced him.

CC Madhya 14.46, Translation and Purport:

As soon as the beggars chanted the holy name, "Haribol," they were immediately absorbed in ecstatic love of Godhead. In this way Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu performed wonderful pastimes.

To feel the emotion of ecstatic love of God is to be on the transcendental platform. If one can keep himself in that transcendental position, he will surely return home, back to Godhead. In the spiritual world there are no higher, middle or lower classes. This is confirmed in the Īśopaniṣad (7):

yasmin sarvāṇi bhūtāny ātmaivābhūd vijānataḥ

tatra ko mohaḥ kaḥ śoka ekatvam anupaśyataḥ

“One who always sees all living entities as spiritual sparks, in quality one with the Lord, becomes a true knower of things.

CC Madhya 14.60, Translation:

Seeing the greatness of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Pratāparudra Mahārāja and his ministers and friends were so moved by ecstatic love that the hair on their bodies stood on end.

CC Madhya 14.64, Translation:

While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was chanting and dancing, He was overwhelmed with ecstatic love, and all the people who saw Him were also flooded in the ocean of love of Godhead.

CC Madhya 14.101, Translation:

Then devotees like Svarūpa Dāmodara and other kīrtana performers began to sing along with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Being inundated with ecstatic love, they lost all consideration of time and circumstance.

CC Madhya 14.156, Translation:

Kṛṣṇa is full of ecstatic love and always subordinate to the love of His devotees. The gopīs are very much experienced in pure love and in the dealings of transcendental mellows.

CC Madhya 14.159, Translation:

The gopīs can be divided into a left wing and a right wing. Both wings induce Kṛṣṇa to taste transcendental mellows by various manifestations of ecstatic love.

CC Madhya 14.160, Translation:

Of all the gopīs, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the chief. She is a jewel mine of ecstatic love and the source of all purified transcendental conjugal mellows.

CC Madhya 14.161, Translation:

Rādhārāṇī is grown up, and Her character is equipoised. She is always deeply absorbed in ecstatic love and always feeling in the mood of a left-wing gopī.

CC Madhya 14.167, Purport:

The thirty-three vyabhicārī-bhāvas, bodily symptoms manifest in ecstatic love, are as follows: (1) nirveda, indifference; (2) viṣāda, moroseness; (3) dainya, meekness; (4) glāni, a feeling that one is in a faulty position; (5) śrama, fatigue; (6) mada, madness; (7) garva, pride; (8) śaṅkā, doubt; (9) trāsa, shock; (10) āvega, intense emotion; (11) unmāda, craziness; (12) apasmāra, forgetfulness; (13) vyādhi, disease; (14) moha, bewilderment; (15) mṛti, death; (16) ālasya, laziness; (17) jāḍya, invalidity; (18) vrīḍā, shame; (19) avahitthā, concealment; (20) smṛti, remembrance; (21) vitarka, argument; (22) cintā, contemplation; (23) mati, attention; (24) dhṛti, forbearance; (25) harṣa, jubilation; (26) autsukya, eagerness; (27) augrya, violence; (28) amarṣa, anger; (29) asūyā, jealousy; (30) cāpalya, impudence; (31) nidrā, sleep; (32) supti, deep sleep, and (33) prabodha, awakening.

CC Madhya 14.173, Translation:

At such times, the ecstatic symptoms of kila-kiñcita are awakened. First there is jubilation in ecstatic love, which is the root cause of these symptoms.

CC Madhya 14.179, Translation:

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is thousands upon thousands of times more satisfied when He sees Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s face light up from this combination of ecstatic love than He is by direct union with Her.

CC Madhya 14.229, Translation:

Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura then began to dance in ecstatic love. He vibrated sounds by slapping his armpits with the palms of his hands, and he laughed very loudly.

CC Madhya 14.231, Translation:

While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was dancing in ecstatic love and Svarūpa Dāmodara was singing, the Lord said, "Go on singing! Go on singing!" The Lord then extended His own ears.

CC Madhya 14.232, Translation:

Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's ecstatic love was awakened by hearing the songs of Vṛndāvana. In this way He inundated Puruṣottama, Jagannātha Purī, with love of Godhead.

CC Madhya 14.234, Translation:

After much singing, all four saṅkīrtana parties grew fatigued, but Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's ecstatic love increased twofold.

CC Madhya 14.235, Translation:

While dancing absorbed in Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s ecstatic love, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in Her very form. Seeing this from a distant place, Nityānanda Prabhu offered prayers.

CC Madhya 14.236, Translation:

Seeing the ecstatic love of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu did not approach but remained a little distance away.

CC Madhya 15.99, Translation:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then said, “Guṇarāja Khān of Kulīna-grāma compiled a book named Śrī Kṛṣṇa-vijaya, in which there is a sentence revealing the author's ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa.”

CC Madhya 15.123, Translation:

Just by seeing the peacock-feathered fan, Mukunda dāsa became absorbed in ecstatic love of Godhead and fell from the high platform onto the ground.

CC Madhya 15.278, Translation:

After hearing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and being touched by Him, Amogha, who was on his deathbed, immediately stood up and began to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Thus he became mad with ecstatic love and began to dance emotionally.

CC Madhya 15.279, Translation:

While Amogha danced in ecstatic love, he manifested all the ecstatic symptoms—trembling, tears, jubilation, trance, perspiration and a faltering voice. Seeing these waves of ecstatic emotion, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu began to laugh.

CC Madhya 15.299, Purport:

"I offer my obeisances unto Amogha Paṇḍita, who was accepted by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. As a result of this acceptance, he was always merged in ecstatic love, and he manifested ecstatic symptoms such as choking of the voice and standing of the hairs on his body."

CC Madhya 15.300, Translation:

Thus I have related the ecstatic love of Sārvabhauma's wife, who is known as the mother of Ṣāṭhī. I have also related Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's great mercy, which He manifested by excusing Amogha's offense. He did so due to Amogha's relationship with a devotee.

CC Madhya 16.14-15, Translation:

Although the Lord told Nityānanda Prabhu to stay in Bengal and spread ecstatic love of God, Nityānanda left to go see Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Who can understand Nityānanda Prabhu's ecstatic love?

CC Madhya 16.170, Translation:

The Muslim secretary came to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. When he offered his respects to the Lord's lotus feet and uttered the holy name of the Lord, "Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa," he also was overwhelmed with ecstatic love.

CC Madhya 16.200, Translation and Purport:

Finally Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu bade the governor farewell. The intense ecstatic love exhibited by the governor cannot be described.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu bade farewell to the Muslim governor at Pichaldā. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī herein states that the governor experienced symptoms of ecstatic love due to being separated from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. These symptoms, he admits, cannot be described.

CC Madhya 16.224, Translation:

When Raghunātha dāsa went to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he fell at the Lord's lotus feet in ecstatic love. Showing him mercy, the Lord touched him with His feet.

CC Madhya 16.227, Translation:

After bidding farewell to Raghunātha dāsa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned to Jagannātha Purī. After returning home, Raghunātha dāsa became mad with ecstatic love.

CC Madhya 16.253, Translation:

All the devotees then came and met the Lord with great happiness. The Lord embraced each of them in great ecstatic love.

CC Madhya 16.279, Translation:

Being encouraged by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's words, Gadādhara Paṇḍita became absorbed in ecstatic love. Immediately clasping the lotus feet of the Lord, he began to speak with great humility.

CC Madhya 17 Summary:

The Maharashtriyan brāhmaṇa was very sorry about this, and he brought the news to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, inquiring from Him why the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs did not utter the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. In reply, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that they were offenders and that one should not associate with them. In this way the Lord bestowed His blessings upon the brāhmaṇa.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu next passed through Prayāga and Mathurā and then took His lunch at the home of a Sānoḍiyā brāhmaṇa, a disciple of Mādhavendra Purī. He bestowed His blessings upon the brāhmaṇa by accepting lunch at his place. Thereafter the Lord visited the twelve forests of Vṛndāvana and was filled with great ecstatic love. As He toured the Vṛndāvana forests, He heard the chirping of parrots and other birds.

CC Madhya 17.1, Translation:

On His way to Vṛndāvana, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed through the forest of Jhārikhaṇḍa and made all the tigers, elephants, deer and birds chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and dance. Thus all these animals were overwhelmed by ecstatic love.

CC Madhya 17.28, Translation:

One day a tiger was lying on the path, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, walking along the path in ecstatic love, touched the tiger with His feet.

CC Madhya 17.47, Translation:

In all the villages through which the Lord passed and in all the places He rested on His journey, everyone was purified and awakened to ecstatic love of God.

CC Madhya 17.51, Translation:

Although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not manifest His natural ecstatic love, everyone became a pure devotee simply by seeing and hearing Him.

CC Madhya 17.54, Translation:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave even the Bheels an opportunity to chant the holy name and come to the platform of ecstatic love. Thus He delivered all of them. Who has the power to understand the transcendental pastimes of the Lord?

CC Madhya 17.56, Translation:

Similarly, whenever Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw a river, He immediately accepted it as the river Yamunā. Thus while in the forest He was filled with great ecstatic love, and He danced and fell down crying.

CC Madhya 17.81, Translation:

In this way Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya offered his prayers to the Lord. By rendering service unto Him in ecstatic love, he pacified the Lord's mind.

CC Madhya 17.101, Translation:

At Vārāṇasī there was a Maharashtriyan brāhmaṇa who used to come daily to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This brāhmaṇa was simply astonished to see the Lord's personal beauty and ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa.

CC Madhya 17.116, Purport:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was considered bhāvuka (sentimental) because He was always seen in the bhāva stage. That is, He always exhibited ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. However, foolish people considered Him sentimental. In the material world, so-called devotees sometimes exhibit emotional symptoms. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's ecstatic love cannot be compared to the imitative emotional exhibitions of pretenders. Such exhibitions do not continue for very long. They are temporary. We actually see that some emotional imitators exhibit certain symptoms, but immediately after their exhibition, they are attracted to smoking and other things. In the beginning, when Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī heard of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's activities, he considered them to be those of a pretender.

CC Madhya 17.148, Translation:

Feeling separation from the Lord, the three used to meet and glorify the holy qualities of the Lord. Thus they were absorbed in ecstatic love.

CC Madhya 17.149, Translation:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then went to Prayāga, where He bathed at the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamunā. He then visited the temple of Veṇī Mādhava and chanted and danced there in ecstatic love.

CC Madhya 17.151, Translation:

The Lord stayed at Prayāga for three days. He delivered the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and ecstatic love. Thus He delivered many people.

CC Madhya 17.152, Translation:

Wherever the Lord stopped to rest on the way to Mathurā, He delivered the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa. Thus He made the people dance.

CC Madhya 17.154, Translation:

While the Lord was going to Mathurā, He came across the river Yamunā several times, and as soon as He saw the river Yamunā, He would immediately jump in, falling unconscious in the water in the ecstasy of love of Kṛṣṇa.

CC Madhya 17.155, Translation:

When He approached Mathurā and saw the city, He immediately fell to the ground and offered obeisances with great ecstatic love.

CC Madhya 17.157, Translation:

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu chanted, danced and made loud vibrations, all the people were astonished to see His ecstatic love.

CC Madhya 17.158, Translation:

One brāhmaṇa fell at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and then began to dance with Him in ecstatic love.

CC Madhya 17.159, Translation:

The two of them danced in ecstatic love and embraced each other. Raising their arms, they said, “Chant the holy names of Hari and Kṛṣṇa!

CC Madhya 17.165, Translation:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “You are an elderly brāhmaṇa, you are sincere, and you are advanced in spiritual life. Wherefrom have you gotten this transcendental opulence of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa?

CC Madhya 17.172, Translation:

Upon seeing Your ecstatic love, I can just imagine that You must have some relationship with Mādhavendra Purī. This is my understanding.

CC Madhya 17.173, Translation:

"This kind of ecstatic love can be experienced only when one has a relationship with Mādhavendra Purī. Without him, even a scent of such transcendental ecstatic love is impossible."

CC Madhya 17.193, Translation:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited the different forests, including Madhuvana, Tālavana, Kumudavana and Bahulāvana. Wherever He went, He took His bath with great ecstatic love.

CC Madhya 17.195, Translation:

Seeing the herds approach Him, the Lord was stunned with ecstatic love. The cows then began to lick His body out of great affection.

CC Madhya 17.203, Translation:

Seeing their affection, the Lord was moved by ecstatic love. He began to sport with them exactly as a friend sports with his friends. Thus He voluntarily came under the control of His friends.

CC Madhya 17.215, Translation:

Then the female parrot began to speak jokingly to the male parrot, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was struck with wonderful ecstatic love to hear her speak.

CC Madhya 17.218, Translation:

When the Lord saw the bluish necks of the peacocks, His remembrance of Kṛṣṇa immediately awakened, and He fell to the ground in ecstatic love.

CC Madhya 17.223, Translation:

The mind of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wandered in ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa. He immediately stood up and said, "Chant! Chant!" Then He Himself began to dance.

CC Madhya 17.225, Translation:

The brāhmaṇa was astounded to see the symptoms of ecstatic love exhibited by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He then became anxious to give the Lord protection.

CC Madhya 17.226, Translation:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mind was absorbed in ecstatic love at Jagannātha Purī, but when He passed along the road on the way to Vṛndāvana, that love increased a hundred times.

CC Madhya 17.227, Translation:

The Lord's ecstatic love increased a thousand times when He visited Mathurā, but it increased a hundred thousand times when He wandered in the forests of Vṛndāvana.

CC Madhya 17.228-229, Translation:

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was elsewhere, the very name of Vṛndāvana was sufficient to increase His ecstatic love. Now, when He was actually traveling in the Vṛndāvana forest, His mind was absorbed in great ecstatic love day and night. He ate and bathed simply out of habit.

CC Madhya 17.230, Translation:

Thus I have written a description of the ecstatic love Lord Caitanya manifested in one of the places He visited while walking through the twelve forests of Vṛndāvana. To describe what He experienced everywhere would be impossible.

CC Madhya 17.231, Translation:

Lord Ananta writes millions of books elaborately describing the transformations of ecstatic love experienced by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in Vṛndāvana.