Ganges (CC Adi-lila)

Expressions researched:
"Bhagirathi" |"Bhogavati" |"Celestial river" |"Ganges" |"Jahnavi" |"Mandakini" |"Mother Ganga" |"Visnupadi" |"ganga"

CC Preface and Introduction

CC Introduction:

When it is necessary to create the material universes, Viṣṇu expands Himself as Mahā-Viṣṇu. Mahā-Viṣṇu lies down in the Causal Ocean and breathes all the universes from His nostrils. Thus from Mahā-Viṣṇu and the Causal Ocean spring all the universes, and all these universes, including ours, float in the Causal Ocean. In this regard there is the story of Vāmana, who, when He took three steps, stuck His foot through the covering of this universe. Water from the Causal Ocean flowed through the hole that His foot made, and it is said that that water became the river Ganges. Therefore the Ganges is accepted as the most sacred water of Viṣṇu and is worshiped by all Hindus, from the Himalayas down to the Bay of Bengal.

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 1.102, Purport:

The celebrated ancient capital of the Sena dynasty, which was known as Gauḍadeśa or Gauḍa, was situated in what is now the modern district of Maldah. Later this capital was transferred to the ninth or central island on the western side of the Ganges at Navadvīpa, which is now known as Māyāpur and was then called Gauḍapura.

CC Adi 2.2, Translation:

O my merciful Lord Caitanya, may the nectarean Ganges waters of Your transcendental activities flow on the surface of my desertlike tongue. Beautifying these waters are the lotus flowers of singing, dancing and loud chanting of Kṛṣṇa's holy name, which are the pleasure abodes of unalloyed devotees. These devotees are compared to swans, ducks and bees. The river's flowing produces a melodious sound that gladdens their ears.

CC Adi 2.2, Purport:

Lord Caitanya's movement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is full of dancing and singing about the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. It is compared herein to the pure waters of the Ganges, which are full of lotus flowers. The enjoyers of these lotus flowers are the pure devotees, who are like bees and swans. They chant like the flowing of the Ganges, the river of the celestial kingdom.

CC Adi 3 Summary:

Advaita Ācārya was a contemporary of Lord Caitanya's father. He felt sorry for the condition of the world because even after Lord Kṛṣṇa's appearance, no one had interest in devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. This forgetfulness was so overwhelming that Advaita Prabhu was convinced that no one but Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself could enlighten people about devotional service to the Supreme Lord. Therefore Advaita requested Lord Kṛṣṇa to appear as Lord Caitanya. Offering tulasī leaves and Ganges water, He cried for the Lord's appearance.

CC Adi 3.79, Purport:

"Even if one distributes ten million cows in charity during an eclipse of the sun, lives at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamunā for millions of years, or gives a mountain of gold in sacrifice to the brāhmaṇas, he does not earn one hundredth part of the merit derived from chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa."

CC Adi 3.107, Purport:

Even the poorest of devotees in any part of the world can secure a small flower, fruit or leaf and a little water, and if these offerings, and especially tulasī leaves and Ganges water, are offered to Kṛṣṇa with devotion, He is very satisfied. It is said that Kṛṣṇa is so much pleased by such devotional service that He offers Himself to His devotee in exchange for it. Śrīla Advaita Ācārya knew this fact, and therefore He decided to call for the Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa to descend by worshiping the Lord with tulasī leaves and the water of the Ganges.

CC Adi 3.108, Translation:

Thinking of the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, He constantly offered tulasī buds in water from the Ganges.

CC Adi 4.205, Translation:

"Just as the celestial waters of the Ganges flow unobstructed into the ocean, so when My devotees simply hear of Me, their minds come to Me, who reside in the hearts of all."

CC Adi 5.54, Translation:

The water of the Kāraṇa Ocean, which is the original cause, is therefore spiritual. The sacred Ganges, which is but a drop of it, purifies the fallen souls.

CC Adi 6.34, Translation:

He worshiped Kṛṣṇa with tulasī leaves and water of the Ganges and called for Him in a loud voice. Thus Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared on earth, accompanied by His personal associates.

CC Adi 6.94, Translation:

With His body He worshiped the Lord by offering Ganges water and tulasī leaves, and by preaching devotional service He delivered the entire universe.

CC Adi 7.158, Translation:

Whenever Lord Caitanya went to the banks of the Ganges to take His bath, big crowds of many hundreds of thousands of people assembled there.

CC Adi 8.23, Translation:

Simply by talking of Nityānanda Prabhu one awakens his love for Kṛṣṇa. Thus all his bodily limbs are agitated by ecstasy, and tears flow from his eyes like the waters of the Ganges.

CC Adi 9.13-15, Purport:

Paramānanda Purī established a small monastery behind the western side of the Jagannātha temple, where he had a well dug to supply water. The water, however, was bitter, and therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu prayed to Lord Jagannātha to allow Ganges water to come into the well to make it sweet. When Lord Jagannātha granted the request, Lord Caitanya told all the devotees that from that day hence, the water of Paramānanda Purī’s well should be celebrated as Ganges water, for any devotee who would drink it or bathe in it would certainly get the same benefit as that derived from drinking or bathing in the waters of the Ganges.

CC Adi 10.25, Purport:

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāṣya, “In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (167) it is mentioned, guṇamālā vraje yāsīd damayantī tu tat-svasā: The gopī named Guṇamālā appeared as Rāghava Paṇḍita's sister Damayantī. On the East Bengal railway line beginning from the Sealdah station in Calcutta, there is a station named Sodapura, which is not very far from Calcutta. Within one mile of this station, toward the western side of the Ganges, is a village known as Pānihāṭi, in which the residential quarters of Rāghava Paṇḍita still exist.

CC Adi 10.43, Purport:

It is stated in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi-khaṇḍa, Chapter Two, that Haridāsa Ṭhākura was born in a village known as Buḍhana but after some time came to live on the bank of the Ganges at Phuliyā, near Śāntipura.

CC Adi 10.53, Purport:

About eight or ten miles from Calcutta, on the banks of the Ganges, is a village known as Eṅḍiyādaha-grāma. Śrīla Gadādhara dāsa was known as an inhabitant of this village (eṅḍiyādaha-vāsī gadādhara dāsa).

CC Adi 10.53, Purport:

Once while Śrīla Gadādhara dāsa Prabhu was returning to Bengal from Jagannātha Purī with Nityānanda Prabhu, he forgot himself and began talking very loudly as if he were a girl of Vrajabhūmi selling yogurt, and Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu noted this. Another time, while absorbed in the ecstasy of the gopīs, he carried a jug filled with Ganges water on his head as if he were selling milk.

CC Adi 10.67, Purport:

Śrīdhara was a poor brāhmaṇa who made a living by selling banana-tree bark to be made into cups. Most probably he had a banana-tree garden and collected the leaves, skin and pulp of the banana trees to sell daily in the market. He spent fifty percent of his income to worship the Ganges, and the balance he used for his subsistence.

CC Adi 10.78-79, Purport:

Cirañjīva and Sulocana were both residents of Śrīkhaṇḍa, where their descendants are still living. Of Cirañjīva's two sons, the elder, Rāmacandra Kavirāja, was a disciple of Śrīnivāsa Acārya and an intimate associate of Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. The younger son was Govinda dāsa Kavirāja, the famous Vaiṣṇava poet. Cirañjīva's wife was Sunandā, and his father-in-law was Dāmodara Sena Kavirāja. Cirañjīva previously lived on the bank of the Ganges River, in the village of Kumāranagara.

CC Adi 10.84, Purport:

The genealogical table of Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī and Vallabha Gosvāmī can be traced back to the twelfth century Śakābda, when a gentleman of the name Sarvajña appeared in a very rich and opulent brāhmaṇa family in the province of Karṇāṭa. He had two sons, named Aniruddhera Rūpeśvara and Harihara, who were both bereft of their kingdoms and thus obliged to reside in the highlands. The son of Rūpeśvara, who was named Padmanābha, moved to a place in Bengal known as Naihāṭī, on the bank of the Ganges.

CC Adi 10.84, Purport:

Actually, it is to be understood from the statement of Sanātana Gosvāmī that Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and Vallabha went to Vṛndāvana under the instructions of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. First they went to Mathurā, where they met a gentleman named Subuddhi Rāya, who maintained himself by selling dry fuel wood. He was very pleased to meet Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and Anupama, and he showed them the twelve forests of Vṛndāvana. Thus they lived in Vṛndāvana for one month and then again went to search for Sanātana Gosvāmī. Following the course of the Ganges, they reached Allahabad, or Prayāga-tīrtha, but because Sanātana Gosvāmī had come there by a different road, they did not meet him there, and when Sanātana Gosvāmī came to Mathurā he was informed of the visit of Rūpa Gosvāmī and Anupama by Subuddhi Rāya

CC Adi 10.107, Purport:

The home of Śivānanda Sena was situated on the bank of the Ganges near an almost ruined temple.

CC Adi 10.108, Translation:

Jagannātha Ācārya, the fiftieth branch of the Caitanya tree, was an extremely dear servant of the Lord, by whose order he decided to live on the bank of the Ganges.

CC Adi 10.113, Translation and Purport:

The seventy-third branch of the original tree was Rāmadāsa, the seventy-fourth was Kavicandra, the seventy-fifth was Śrī Gopāla dāsa, the seventy-sixth was Bhāgavata Ācārya, and the seventy-seventh was Ṭhākura Sāraṅga dāsa.

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāṣya, “In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (203) it is said, "Bhāgavata Ācārya compiled a book entitled Kṛṣṇa-prema-taraṅgiṇī, and he was the most beloved devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu." When Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited Varāhanagara, now a suburb of Calcutta, He stayed in the house of a most fortunate brāhmaṇa who was a very learned scholar in Bhāgavata literature. As soon as this brāhmaṇa saw Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he began to read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. When Mahāprabhu heard his explanation, which expounded bhakti-yoga, He immediately became unconscious in ecstasy. Lord Caitanya later said, "I have never heard such a nice explanation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. I therefore designate you Bhāgavata Ācārya. Your only duty is to recite Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That is My injunction." His real name was Raghunātha. His monastery, which is situated in Varāhanagara, about three and a half miles north of Calcutta on the bank of the Ganges, still exists, and it is managed by the initiated disciples of the late Śrī Rāmadāsa Bābājī. Presently, however, it is not as well managed as in the presence of Bābājī Mahārāja.

CC Adi 10.113, Purport:

“Another name of Ṭhākura Sāraṅga dāsa was Śārṅga Ṭhākura. Sometimes he was also called Śārṅgapāṇi or Śārṅgadhara. He was a resident of Navadvīpa in the neighborhood known as Modadruma-dvīpa, and he used to worship the Supreme Lord in a secluded place on the bank of the Ganges. He was not accepting disciples, but he was repeatedly being inspired from within by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to do so. Thus one morning he decided, "Whomever I see I shall make my disciple." When he went to the bank of the Ganges to take his bath, by chance he saw a dead body floating in the water, and he touched it with his feet. This immediately brought the body to life, and Ṭhākura Sāraṅga dāsa accepted him as his disciple. This disciple later became famous as Ṭhākura Murāri, and his name is always associated with that of Śrī Sāraṅga.

CC Adi 11.24, Purport:

"The history of the Jagannātha temple in Māheśa is as follows. One devotee of the name Dhruvānanda went to see Lord Jagannātha, Balarāma and Subhadrā at Jagannātha Purī, wanting to offer food to Jagannāthajī that he had cooked with his own hands. This being his desire, one night Jagannāthajī appeared to him in a dream and asked him to go to Māheśa on the bank of the Ganges and there start worship of Him in a temple. Thus Dhruvānanda went to Māheśa, where he saw the three deities—Jagannātha, Balarāma and Subhadrā—floating in the Ganges. He picked up all those deities and installed them in a small cottage, and with great satisfaction he executed the worship of Lord Jagannātha."

CC Adi 11.26, Purport:

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāṣya, “It is said that Gaurīdāsa Paṇḍita was always patronized by King Kṛṣṇadāsa, the son of Harihoḍa. Gaurīdāsa Paṇḍita lived in the village of Śāligrāma, which is situated a few miles from the railway station Muḍāgāchā, and later he came to reside in Ambikā-kālanā. It is stated in the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (128) that formerly he was Subala, one of the cowherd boyfriends of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in Vṛndāvana. Gaurīdāsa Paṇḍita was the younger brother of Sūryadāsa Sarakhela, and with the permission of his elder brother he shifted his residence to the bank of the Ganges, living there in the town known as Ambikā-kālanā.

CC Adi 11.26, Purport:

"The village Ambikā-kālanā, which is situated just across the river Ganges from Śāntipura, is two miles east of the Kālanā-korṭa railway station, on the Eastern Railway. In Ambikā-kālanā there is a temple constructed by the zamindar of Burdwan. In front of the temple there is a big tamarind tree, and it is said that Gaurīdāsa Paṇḍita and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu met underneath this tree."

CC Adi 11.32, Purport:

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāṣya, “The village of Maheśa Paṇḍita, which is known as Pālapāḍā, is situated in the district of Nadia within a forest about one mile south of the Cākadaha railway station. The Ganges flows nearby. It is said that formerly Maheśa Paṇḍita lived on the eastern side of Jirāṭ in the village known as Masipura or Yaśīpura, and when Masipura merged into the riverbed of the Ganges, the Deities there were brought to Pālapāḍā, which is situated in the midst of various villages such as Beleḍāṅgā, Berigrāma, Sukhasāgara, Cānduḍe and Manasāpotā. (There are about fourteen villages, and the entire neighborhood is known as Pāñcanagara Paragaṇā.) It is mentioned that Maheśa Paṇḍita joined the festival performed by Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu at Pānihāṭi. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura also joined in the festival, and Maheśa Paṇḍita saw him on that occasion.

CC Adi 11.36, Translation and Purport:

The twenty-first devotee of Śrī Nityānanda in Bengal was Kṛṣṇadāsa Brāhmaṇa, who was a first-class servant of the Lord.

In this verse the word rāḍhe refers to Rāḍhadeśa, the part of Bengal where the Ganges does not flow.

CC Adi 11.39, Purport:

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāṣya, “Sadāśiva Kavirāja and Nāgara Puruṣottama, who were father and son, are described in the Caitanya-bhāgavata as mahā-bhāgyavān, greatly fortunate. They belonged to the vaidya caste of physicians. Text 156 of the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā says that Candrāvalī, a most beloved gopī of Kṛṣṇa's, later took birth as Sadāśiva Kavirāja. In texts 194 and 200 it is said that Kaṁsāri Sena, the father of Sadāśiva Kavirāja, was formerly the gopī named Ratnāvalī in Kṛṣṇa's pastimes. All the family members of Sadāśiva Kavirāja were great devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Puruṣottama dāsa Ṭhākura sometimes lived at Sukhasāgara, near the Cākadaha and Śimurāli railway stations. All the Deities installed by Puruṣottama Ṭhākura were formerly situated in Beleḍāṅgā-grāma, but when the temple was destroyed the Deities were brought to Sukhasāgara. When that temple merged into the bed of the Ganges, the Deities were brought with Jāhnavā-mātā’s Deity to Sāhebaḍāṅgā Beḍigrāma. Since that place also has been destroyed, all the Deities are now situated in the village named Cānduḍe-grāma, which is situated one mile up from Pālapāḍā, as referred to above.”

CC Adi 11.50, Purport:

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāṣya, “Navanī Hoḍa appears to have been the same person as Hoḍa Kṛṣṇadāsa, the son of the King of Baḍagāchi. His father's name was Hari Hoḍa. One can visit Baḍagāchi by taking the Lālagolā-ghāṭa railway line. Formerly the Ganges flowed by Baḍagāchi, but now it has become a canal known as the Kālśira Khāla.

CC Adi 11.51, Purport:

Śrī Rāmacandra Kavirāja, the son of Khaṇḍavāsī Cirañjīva and Sunanda, was a disciple of Śrīnivāsa Ācārya and the most intimate friend of Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, who prayed several times for his association. His youngest brother was Govinda Kavirāja. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī very much appreciated Śrī Rāmacandra Kavirāja's great devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa and therefore gave him the title Kavirāja. Śrī Rāmacandra Kavirāja, who was perpetually disinterested in family life, greatly assisted in the preaching work of Śrīnivāsa Ācārya and Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. He resided at first in Śrīkhaṇḍa but later in the village of Kumāra-nagara, on the bank of the Ganges.

CC Adi 13.30, Purport:

The present Navadvīpa-dhāma is but a part of the whole of Navadvīpa. Navadvīpa means "nine islands." These nine islands, which occupy an area of land estimated at thirty-two square miles, are surrounded by different branches of the Ganges.

CC Adi 13.57-58, Translation:

Upendra Miśra had seven sons, who were all saintly and most influential: (1) Kaṁsāri, (2) Paramānanda, (3) Padmanābha, (4) Sarveśvara, (5) Jagannātha, (6) Janārdana and (7) Trailokyanātha. Jagannātha Miśra, the fifth son, decided to reside on the bank of the Ganges at Nadia.

CC Adi 13.61, Translation:

In Rāḍhadeśa, the part of Bengal where the Ganges is not visible, Nityānanda Prabhu, Gaṅgādāsa Paṇḍita, Murāri Gupta and Mukunda took birth.

CC Adi 13.61, Purport:

Another place nearby is named Hāṅṭugāḍā. It is said that Lord Nityānanda Prabhu brought all the holy places there. Therefore the people in the surrounding villages go there instead of to the Ganges to take bath.

CC Adi 13.70, Translation:

With this consideration, Advaita Ācārya Prabhu, promising to cause Lord Kṛṣṇa to descend, began to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, with tulasī leaves and water of the Ganges.

CC Adi 13.70, Purport:

Tulasī leaves and Ganges water, with, if possible, a little pulp of sandalwood, is sufficient paraphernalia to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord says in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.26):

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati

tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

"If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it."

CC Adi 13.92, Translation and Purport:

Considering this, Rāhu, the black planet, covered the full moon, and immediately vibrations of "Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Hari!" inundated the three worlds.

According to the Jyotir-veda, a lunar eclipse takes place when the Rāhu planet comes in front of the full moon. It is customary in India that all the followers of the Vedic scriptures bathe in the Ganges or the sea as soon as there is a lunar or solar eclipse.

CC Adi 13.100, Translation:

Seeing the lunar eclipse and laughing, Advaita Ācārya and Haridāsa Ṭhākura immediately went to the bank of the Ganges and bathed in the river in great jubilation. Taking advantage of the occasion of the lunar eclipse, Advaita Ācārya, by His mental strength, distributed various types of charity to the brāhmaṇas.

CC Adi 13.102, Translation:

Ācāryaratna (Candraśekhara) and Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura were overwhelmed with joy, and immediately they went to the bank of the Ganges to bathe in her waters. Their minds full of happiness, they chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and gave charity by mental strength.

CC Adi 13.118, Translation and Purport:

On the day the mother and son bathed and left the maternity home, Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī gave them all kinds of ornaments and garments and then also honored Jagannātha Miśra. Then Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī, being honored by mother Śacīdevī and Jagannātha Miśra, was greatly happy within her mind, and thus she returned home.

On the fifth day from the birth of a child, as also on the ninth day, the mother bathes either in the Ganges or in another sacred place.

CC Adi 14 Summary:

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has given a summary of this chapter in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya: "In the Fourteenth Chapter there is a description of how Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu enjoyed His childhood pastimes—crawling, crying, eating dirt and giving intelligence to His mother, favoring a brāhmaṇa guest, riding on the shoulders of two thieves and misleading them to His own house, and, on the plea of being diseased, taking prasādam in the house of Hiraṇya and Jagadīśa on the Ekādaśī day. The chapter further describes how He displayed Himself as a naughty boy, how when His mother fainted He brought a coconut to her on His head, how He joked with girls of the same age on the banks of the Ganges, how He accepted worshipful paraphernalia from Śrīmatī Lakṣmīdevī, how He sat down in a garbage pit and instructed His mother in transcendental knowledge, how He left the pit on the order of His mother, and how He dealt with His father with full affection."

CC Adi 14.48, Translation:

Sometimes the Lord would go with other children to bathe in the Ganges, and the neighboring girls would also come there to worship various demigods.

CC Adi 14.48, Purport:

According to the Vedic system, when small girls ten or twelve years old would go to the bank of the Ganges to take their bath, they would especially worship Lord Śiva with prayers to get good husbands in the future. They especially wanted to get a husband like Lord Śiva because Lord Śiva is very peaceful and at the same time most powerful. Formerly, therefore, small girls in Hindu families would worship Lord Śiva, especially in the month of Vaiśākha (April-May). To take a bath in the Ganges is a great pleasure for everyone, not only for adults but for children also.

CC Adi 14.49, Translation:

When the girls engaged in worshiping the different demigods after bathing in the Ganges, the young Lord would come there and sit down among them.

CC Adi 14.50, Translation:

Addressing the girls, the Lord would say, "Worship Me, and I shall give you good husbands or good benedictions. The Ganges and goddess Durgā are My maidservants. What to speak of other demigods, even Lord Śiva is My servant."

CC Adi 14.62, Translation:

One day a girl of the name Lakṣmī, the daughter of Vallabhācārya, came to the bank of the Ganges to take a bath in the river and worship the demigods.

CC Adi 14.74, Translation:

When mother Śacī saw her boy sitting on the rejected pots, she protested, "Why have You touched these untouchable pots? You have now become impure. Go and bathe in the Ganges."

CC Adi 15.28, Translation:

One day when the Lord was coming back from school He accidentally saw the daughter of Vallabhācārya on the way to the Ganges.

CC Adi 16 Summary:

While Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was touring East Bengal, His wife, Lakṣmīdevī, was bitten by a serpent or by the serpent of separation, and thus she left this world. When the Lord returned home, He saw that His mother was overwhelmed with grief because of Lakṣmīdevī’s death. Therefore at her request He later married His second wife, Viṣṇupriyā-devī. This chapter also describes the Lord's argument with Keśava Kāśmīrī, the celebrated scholar, and the Lord's criticism of his prayer glorifying mother Ganges.

CC Adi 16.7, Translation:

The Lord, as a teacher, performed various kinds of pranks in His sporting pastimes in the water of the Ganges.

CC Adi 16.28, Translation:

Once on a full moon night the Lord was sitting on the bank of the Ganges with His many disciples and discussing literary topics.

CC Adi 16.29, Translation:

Coincidentally, Keśava Kāśmīrī Paṇḍita came there. While offering his prayers to mother Ganges, he met Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

CC Adi 16.35, Translation:

"Therefore I desire to hear your skill in composing poetry. We could hear this if you would mercifully describe the glory of mother Ganges."

CC Adi 16.36, Translation:

When the brāhmaṇa, Keśava Kāśmīrī, heard this, he became still more puffed up, and within one hour he composed one hundred verses describing mother Ganges.

CC Adi 16.41, Translation:

"'The greatness of mother Ganges always brilliantly exists. She is the most fortunate because she emanated from the lotus feet of Śrī Viṣṇu, the Personality of Godhead. She is a second goddess of fortune, and therefore she is always worshiped both by demigods and by humanity. Endowed with all wonderful qualities, she flourishes on the head of Lord Śiva.'"

CC Adi 16.46, Translation and Purport:

The brāhmaṇa replied, "There is not a tinge of fault in that verse. Rather, it has the good qualities of similes and alliteration."

In the last line of the verse quoted by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the letter bha is repeated many times, as in the words bhavānī, bhartur, vibhavati and adbhuta. Such repetition is called anuprāsa, or alliteration. The words lakṣmīr iva and viṣṇoś caraṇa-kamalotpatti are instances of upamā-alaṅkāra, for they exhibit metaphorical beauty. The Ganges is water, and Lakṣmī is the goddess of fortune. Since water and a person are not actually similar, the comparison is metaphorical.

CC Adi 16.54, Translation and Purport:

"My dear sir, in this verse there are five faults and five literary ornaments. I shall state them one after another. Kindly hear Me and then give your judgment."

In the verse beginning with mahattvaṁ gaṅgāyāḥ there are five literary ornaments and five examples of faulty composition. There are two examples of the fault called avimṛṣṭa-vidheyāṁśa and one example each of the faults viruddha-mati, punar-ukti and bhagna-krama.

Vimṛṣṭa means "clean," and vidheyāṁśa means "predicate." It is a general rule of composition to establish a subject first and then give its predicate. For example, according to Sanskrit grammar if one says, "This man is learned," his composition is in order. But if one says, "Learned is this man," the composition is not in order. Such a flaw is called avimṛṣṭa-vidheyāṁśa-doṣa, or the fault of unclean composition. The subject matter to be known of the verse is the glorification of the Ganges, and therefore the word idam ("this"), or what is known, should have been placed before instead of after the glorification. The subject matter already known should be placed before the unknown so that its meaning will not be misconstrued.

The second instance of avimṛṣṭa-vidheyāṁśa-doṣa occurs in the words dvitīya-śrī-lakṣmīr iva. In this composition the word dvitīya ("second") is vidheya, or unknown. Placing the unknown first to make the compound word dvitīya-śrī-lakṣmīr is another fault. The words dvitīya-śrī-lakṣmīr iva were intended to compare the Ganges to the goddess of fortune, but because of this fault the meaning of the compound word was bewildering.

CC Adi 16.56, Translation:

"The glorification of the Ganges (mahattvaṁ gaṅgāyāḥ) is the principal unknown subject matter in this verse, and the known subject matter is indicated by the word 'idam,' which has been placed after the unknown."

CC Adi 16.79, Translation:

"Everyone knows that lotus flowers grow in the water of the Ganges. But to say that the Ganges takes birth from a lotus flower seems extremely contradictory."

CC Adi 16.80, Translation:

"The existence of mother Ganges begins from the lotus feet of the Lord. Although this statement that water comes from a lotus flower is a contradiction, in connection with Lord Viṣṇu it is a great wonder."

CC Adi 16.81, Translation:

"In this birth of the Ganges by the inconceivable potency of the Lord, there is no contradiction although it appears contradictory."

CC Adi 16.82, Translation:

"'Everyone knows that lotus flowers grow in the water but water never grows from a lotus. All such contradictions, however, are wonderfully possible in Kṛṣṇa: the great river Ganges has grown from His lotus feet.'"

CC Adi 16.83, Translation:

"The real glory of mother Ganges is that she has grown from the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu. Such a hypothesis is another ornament, called anumāna."

CC Adi 16.100, Translation:

"Your poetic skill is like the constant flow of the waters of the Ganges. I find no one in the world who can compete with you."

CC Adi 17.20, Translation and Purport:

After this incident the Lord ate raw rice given by Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī and explained very elaborately the import of the "harer nāma" śloka mentioned in the Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa.

Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī resided in Navadvīpa on the bank of the Ganges.

CC Adi 17.47, Translation:

Since leprosy is an infectious disease, Gopāla Cāpāla left the village to sit down on the bank of the Ganges underneath a tree. One day, however, he saw Caitanya Mahāprabhu passing by and spoke to Him as follows.

CC Adi 17.54, Translation:

After saying this, the Lord left to take His bath in the Ganges, and that sinful man did not give up his life but continued to suffer.

CC Adi 17.56, Translation and Purport:

When Śrī Caitanya, after accepting the renounced order of life, went to Jagannātha Purī and then came back to the village of Kuliyā, upon His return that sinful man took shelter at the Lord's lotus feet. The Lord, being merciful to him, gave him instructions for his benefit.

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, in his Anubhāṣya, has given the following note in connection with the village Kuliyā. The village originally known as Kuliyā has developed into what is now the city of Navadvīpa. In various authorized books like the Bhakti-ratnākara, Caitanya-carita-mahākāvya, Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka and Caitanya-bhāgavata it is mentioned that the village of Kuliyā is on the western side of the Ganges. Even now, within the area known as Koladvīpa, there is a place known as kuliāra gañja and a place called kuliāra daha, both within the jurisdiction of the present municipality of Navadvīpa.

CC Adi 17.56, Purport:

In the time of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the two villages on the western side of the Ganges named Kuliyā and Pāhāḍapura both belonged to the jurisdiction of Bāhiradvīpa. At that time the place on the eastern side of the Ganges now known as Antardvīpa was known as Navadvīpa. At that time the place on the eastern side of the Ganges now known as Antardvīpa was known as Navadvīpa. At Śrī Māyāpur that place is still known as Dvīpera Māṭha. There is another place of the name Kuliyā near Kāṅcaḍāpāḍā, but it is not the same Kuliyā mentioned here. It cannot be accepted as aparādha-bhañjanera pāḍa, or the place where the offense was excused, for that occurred in the above-mentioned Kuliyā on the western side of the Ganges. For business reasons many envious persons oppose excavation of the real place, and sometimes they advertise unauthorized places as the authorized one.

CC Adi 17.61, Translation:

He returned home with an unhappy mind, but on the next day he met Lord Caitanya on the bank of the Ganges and spoke to Him.

CC Adi 17.73, Translation and Purport:

When a student interpreted the glories of the holy name as a prayer of exaggeration, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, greatly unhappy, immediately warned everyone not to see the student's face henceforward.

Once when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained the glories of the transcendental potency of the Lord's holy name, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, one unfortunate student said that such glorification of the holy name was an exaggeration in the śāstras to induce people to take to it. In this way the student interpreted the glories of the holy name. This is called artha-vāda, and it is one of the ten offenses at the lotus feet of the holy name of the Lord. There are many kinds of offenses, but the offense known as nāma-aparādha, an offense at the lotus feet of the holy name, is extremely dangerous. The Lord therefore warned everyone not to see the face of the offender. The Lord immediately took a bath in the Ganges with all His clothes on to teach everyone to avoid such a nāma-aparādha.

CC Adi 17.74, Translation:

Without even removing His garments, Lord Caitanya took a bath in the Ganges with His companions. There He explained the glories of devotional service.

CC Adi 17.89, Translation and Purport:

Once while Caitanya Mahāprabhu was performing kīrtana, clouds assembled in the sky, and the Lord, by His own will, immediately stopped them from pouring rain.

In this connection Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that once when Lord Caitanya was performing saṅkīrtana a short way from the village, some clouds appeared overhead. By the supreme will of the Lord, the clouds were asked to disperse, and they did. Because of this incident, that place is still known as Meghera-cara. Since the course of the Ganges has now changed, the village of the name Belapukhuriyā, which was formerly situated in a different place, called Tāraṇavāsa, has now become known as Meghera-cara.

CC Adi 17.116, Translation:

Nityānanda Prabhu Gosāñi, understanding the ecstatic mood of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, brought a pot of Ganges water as a token and put it before Him.

CC Adi 17.120, Translation:

In this way they danced continuously for twelve hours, and in the evening they all took a bath in the Ganges and then returned to their homes.

CC Adi 17.141, Purport:

The saṅkīrtana movement started by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is described in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-khaṇḍa, Twenty-third Chapter, beginning with verse 241, which states, "My dear Lord, let my mind be fixed at Your lotus feet." Following Lord Caitanya's chanting, all the devotees reproduced the same sound He chanted. In this way the Lord proceeded, leading the entire party on the strand roads by the bank of the Ganges. When the Lord came to His own ghāṭa, or bathing place, He danced more and more. Then He proceeded to Mādhāi's ghāṭa. In this way Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Supreme Lord, who was known as Viśvambhara, danced all over the banks of the Ganges.

CC Adi 17.245, Translation:

Immediately He ran to the river Ganges and jumped in to counteract the sinful activities of that woman. Lord Nityānanda and Haridāsa Ṭhākura caught Him and raised Him from the river.

CC Adi 17.272, Purport:

At the end of His twenty-fourth year, at the end of the fortnight of the waxing moon, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu left Navadvīpa and crossed the river Ganges at a place known as Nidayāra-ghāṭa. Then He reached Kaṇṭaka-nagara, or Kāṭoyā (Katwa), where He accepted ekadaṇḍa-sannyāsa according to the Śaṅkarite system. Since Keśava Bhāratī belonged to the Śaṅkarite sect, he could not initiate Caitanya Mahāprabhu into the Vaiṣṇava sannyāsa order, whose members carry the tridaṇḍa.

CC Adi 17.272, Purport:

Candraśekhara Ācārya assisted in the routine ceremonial work of the Lord's acceptance of sannyāsa. By the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, kīrtana was performed for the entire day, and at the end of the day the Lord shaved off His hair. On the next day He became a regular sannyāsī, with one rod (ekadaṇḍa). From that day on, His name was Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. Before that, He was known as Nimāi Paṇḍita. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, in the sannyāsa order, traveled all over Rāḍhadeśa, the region where the Ganges River cannot be seen. Keśava Bhāratī accompanied Him for some distance.