Adi13.114

TEXT 114

durva, dhanya, gorocana, haridra, kunkuma, candana,

mangala-dravya patra bhariya

vastra-gupta dola cadi’ sange lana dasi cedi,

vastralankara petari bhariya

SYNONYMS

durva—fresh grass; dhanya—rice paddy; gorocana—a yellow patch for the head of a cow; haridra—turmeric; kunkuma—a kind of scent produced in Kashmir; candana—sandalwood; mangala-dravya—auspicious things; patra bhariya—filling up a dish; vastra-gupta—covered by cloth; dola—palanquin; cadi’-riding; sange—along with; lana—taking; dasi—maidservant; cedi—female attendants; vastra-alankara—ornaments and clothes; petari—basket; bhariya—filled up.

TRANSLATION

Riding in a palanquin covered with cloth and accompanied by maidservants, Sita Thakurani came to the house of Jagannatha Misra, bringing with her many auspicious articles such as fresh grass, paddy, gorocana, turmeric, kunkuma and sandalwood. All these presentations filled a large basket.

PURPORT

The words vastra-gupta dola are very significant in this verse. Even fifty or sixty years ago in Calcutta, all respectable ladies would go to a neighboring place riding on a palanquin carried by four men. The palanquin was covered with soft cotton, and in that way there was no chance to see a respectable lady traveling in public. Ladies, especially those coming from respectable families, could not be seen by ordinary men. This system is still current in remote places. The Sanskrit word asurya-pasya indicates that a respectable lady could not be seen even by the sun. In the oriental culture this system was very much prevalent and was strictly observed by respectable ladies, both Hindu and Muslim. We have actual experience in our childhood that our mother would not go next door to her house to observe an invitation by walking; she would go in either a carriage or a palanquin carried by four men. This custom was also strictly followed five hundred years ago, and the wife of Advaita Acarya, being a very respectable lady, observed the customary rules current in that social environment.

Adi13.115

TEXT 115

bhaksya, bhojya, upahara, sange la-ila bahu bhara,

saci-grhe haila upanita

dekhiya balaka-thama, saksat gokula-kana,

varna-matra dekhi viparita

SYNONYMS

bhaksya—foods; bhojya—fried foods; upahara—presentation; sange—along with her; la-ila—took; bahu bhara—many packages; saci-grhe—in the house of mother Saci; haila—was; upanita—carried; dekhiya—seeing; balaka-thama—the feature of the child; saksat—directly; gokula-kana—Lord Krsna of Gokula; varna-matra—only the color; dekhi—seeing; viparita—opposite.

TRANSLATION

When Sita Thakurani came to the house of Sacidevi, bringing with her many kinds of eatables, dresses and other gifts, she was astonished to see the newly born child, for she appreciated that except for a difference in color, the child was directly Krsna of Gokula Himself.

PURPORT

A petari is a kind of big basket that is carried in pairs on the ends of a rod balanced over the shoulders. The man who carries such a load is called a bhari. This system of carrying luggage and packages is still current in India and other oriental countries, and we have seen that the same system is still current even in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Adi13.116

TEXT 116

sarva anga--sunirmana, suvarna-pratima-bhana,

sarva anga--sulaksanamaya

balakera divya jyoti, dekhi’ paila bahu priti,

vatsalyete dravila hrdaya

SYNONYMS

sarva anga—all different parts of the body; sunirmana—well constructed; suvarna—gold; pratima—form; bhana—like; sarva—all; anga—parts of the body; sulaksana-maya—full of auspicious signs; balakera—of the child; divya—transcendental; jyoti—effulgence; dekhi’-seeing; paila—got; bahu—much; priti—satisfaction; vatsalyete—by parental affection; dravila—melted; hrdaya—her heart.

TRANSLATION

Seeing the transcendental bodily effulgence of the child, each of His nicely constructed limbs full of auspicious signs and resembling a form of gold, Sita Thakurani was very much pleased, and because of her maternal affection, she felt as if her heart were melting.

Adi13.117

TEXT 117

durva, dhanya, dila sirse, kaila bahu asise,

cirajivi hao dui bhai

dakini-sankhini haite, sanka upajila cite,

dare nama thuila ’nimai’

SYNONYMS

durva—fresh grass; dhanya—paddy; dila—gave; sirse—on the head; kaila—did; bahu—with much; asise—blessing; cira-jivi—live long; hao—become; dui bhai—two brothers; dakini-sankhini—ghosts and witches; haite—from; sanka—doubt; upajila—grew; cite—in the heart; dare—out of fear; nama—name; thuila—kept; nimai—Lord Caitanya’s childhood name, derived from the nima (nimba) tree.

TRANSLATION

She blessed the newly born child by placing fresh grass and paddy on His head and saying, “May You be blessed with a long duration of life.” But being afraid of ghosts and witches, she gave the child the name Nimai.

PURPORT

Dakini and Sankhini are two companions of Lord Siva and his wife who are supposed to be extremely inauspicious, having been born of ghostly life. It is believed that such inauspicious living creatures cannot go near a nima tree. At least medically it is accepted that nima wood is extremely antiseptic, and formerly it was customary to have a nima tree in front of one’s house. On very large roads in India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, there are hundreds and thousands of nima trees. Nima wood is so antiseptic that the Ayurvedic science uses it to cure leprosy. Medical scientists have extracted the active principle of the nima tree, which is called margosic acid. Nima is used for many purposes, especially to brush the teeth. In Indian villages ninety percent of the people use nima twigs for this purpose. Because of all the antiseptic effects of the nima tree and because Lord Caitanya was born beneath a nima tree, Sita Thakurani gave the Lord the name Nimai. Later in His youth He was celebrated as Nimai Pandita, and in the neighborhood villages He was called by that name, although His real name was Visvambhara.

Adi13.118

TEXT 118

putramata-snanadine, dila vastra vibhusane,

putra-saha misrere sammani’

saci-misrera puja lana, manete harisa hana,

ghare aila sita thakurani

SYNONYMS

putra-mata—of the mother and child; snana-dine—on the day of bathing; dila—gave; vastra—cloth; vibhusane—ornaments; putra-saha—with the child; misrere—unto Jagannatha Misra; sammani’-congratulating; saci—Sacidevi; misrera—Jagannatha Misra; puja—honor; lana—receiving; manete—within the mind; harisa—pleased; hana—becoming; ghare—home; aila—returned; sita thakurani—mother Sita, wife of Advaita Acarya.

TRANSLATION

On the day the mother and son bathed and left the maternity home, Sita Thakurani gave them all kinds of ornaments and garments and then also honored Jagannatha Misra. Then Sita Thakurani, being honored by mother Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra, was greatly happy within her mind, and thus she returned home.

PURPORT

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 a sacred place. This is called niskramana, or the ceremony of coming out of the maternity home. Nowadays the maternity home is a hospital, but formerly in every respectable house one room was set aside as a maternity home where children would take birth, and on the ninth day after the birth of a child the mother would come into the regular rooms in the ceremony called niskramana. Of the ten purificatory processes, niskramana is one. Formerly, especially in Bengal, the higher castes observed four months after the birth of a child as a quarantine. At the end of the fourth month, the mother first had to see the sun rise. Later the higher castes, namely, the brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas, observed only twenty-one days as a quarantine, whereas the sudras had to observe thirty days. For the sections of society known as kartabhaja and satima, the mother of the child was immediately purified after the quarantine by the throwing of hari-nuta, small pieces of sweetmeat, in sankirtana. Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra, with the newly born child, were honored by Sita Thakurani. Similarly, while Sita Thakurani was returning home, she was also honored by Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra. That was the system in respectable families of Bengal.

Adi13.119

TEXT 119

aiche saci-jagannatha, putra pana laksminatha,

purna ha-ila sakala vanchita

dhana-dhanye bhare ghara, lokamanya kalevara,

dine dine haya anandita

SYNONYMS

aiche—in that way; saci-jagannatha—mother Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra; putra—son; pana—having obtained; laksmi-natha—personally the husband of the goddess of fortune; purna—fulfilled; ha-ila—became; sakala—all; vanchita—desires; dhana-dhanye—with riches and grains; bhare ghara—the house filled up; loka-manya kalevara—the body beloved by the people in general; dine dine—day after day; haya—becomes; anandita—pleased.

TRANSLATION

In this way mother Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra, having obtained a son who was the husband of the goddess of fortune, had all their desires fulfilled. Their house was always filled with riches and grains. As they saw the beloved body of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, day after day their pleasure increased.

PURPORT

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore everyone offered their respects to Him. Even the denizens of heaven used to come in the dress of ordinary men to offer their respect to the Lord. His father and mother, Jagannatha Misra and Sacidevi, seeing the honor of their transcendental son, also became very much pleased within their hearts.

Adi13.120

TEXT 120

misra--vaisnava, santa, alampata, suddha, danta,

dhana-bhoge nahi abhimana

putrera prabhave yata, dhana asi’ mile, tata,

visnu-prite dvije dena dana

SYNONYMS

misra—Jagannatha Misra; vaisnava—a great devotee; santa—peaceful; alampata—very regular; suddha—purified; danta—controlled; dhana-bhoge—in the matter of enjoying material happiness; nahi—there is no; abhimana—desire; putrera—of their son; prabhave—by the influence; yata—all; dhana—riches; asi’-coming; mile—gets; tata—so much so; visnu-prite—for the satisfaction of Lord Visnu; dvije—to the brahmanas; dena—gives; dana—charity.

TRANSLATION

Jagannatha Misra was an ideal Vaisnava. He was peaceful, restrained in sense gratification, pure and controlled. Therefore he had no desire to enjoy material opulence. Whatever money came because of the influence of his transcendental son, he gave it in charity to the brahmanas for the satisfaction of Visnu.

Adi13.121

TEXT 121

lagna gani’ harsamati, nilambara cakravarti,

gupte kichu kahila misrere

mahapurusera cihna, lagne ange bhinna bhinna,

dekhi,--ei taribe samsare

SYNONYMS

lagna gani’-by astrological calculation of the birth moment; harsa-mati—very pleased; nilambara cakravarti—of the name Nilambara Cakravarti; gupte—in private; kichu—something; kahila—said; misrere—unto Jagannatha Misra; maha-purusera cihna—all the symptoms of a great personality; lagne—in the birth moment; ange—on the body; bhinna bhinna—different; dekhi—I see; ei—this child; taribe—shall deliver; samsare—all the three worlds.

TRANSLATION

After calculating the birth moment of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nilambara Cakravarti privately said to Jagannatha Misra that he saw all the different symptoms of a great personality in both the body and birth moment of the child. Thus he understood that in the future this child would deliver all the three worlds.

Adi13.122

TEXT 122

aiche prabhu saci-ghare, krpaya kaila avatare,

yei iha karaye sravana

gaura-prabhu dayamaya, tanre hayena sadaya,

sei paya tanhara carana

SYNONYMS

aiche—in this way; prabhu—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; saci-ghare—in the home of Sacidevi; krpaya—by His causeless mercy; kaila—made; avatare—advent; yei—anyone who; iha—this; karaye—does; sravana—hear; gaura-prabhu—Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; daya-maya—being very merciful; tanre—upon him; hayena—becomes; sa-daya—merciful; sei—that person; paya—gets; tanhara—His; carana—lotus feet.

TRANSLATION

In this way Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, out of His causeless mercy, made His advent in the house of Sacidevi. Lord Caitanya is very merciful to anyone who hears this narration of His birth, and thus such a person attains the lotus feet of the Lord.

Adi13.123

TEXT 123

paiya manusa janma, ye na sune gaura-guna,

hena janma tara vyartha haila

paiya amrtadhuni, piye visa-garta-pani,

janmiya se kene nahi maila

SYNONYMS

paiya manusa janma—anyone who has gotten the form of a human body; ye—who; na—does not; sune—hear; gaura-guna—the qualities of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; hena janma—such a birth; tara—his; vyartha haila—becomes useless; paiya—getting the opportunity; amrtadhuni—of the river of nectar; piye—drinks; visa-garta-pani—water in a poison pit of material happiness; janmiya—taking birth as a human being; se—he; kene—why; nahi—did not; maila—die.

TRANSLATION

Anyone who attains a human body but does not take to the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is baffled in his opportunity. Amrtadhuni is a flowing river of the nectar of devotional service. If after getting a human body one drinks the water in a poison pit of material happiness instead of the water of such a river, it would be better for him not to have lived, but to have died long ago.

PURPORT

In this connection Srimat Prabodhananda Sarasvati has composed the following verses in his Caitanya-candramrta (37, 36, 34):

acaitanyam idam visvam yadi caitanyam isvaram
na viduh sarva-sastra-jna hy api bhramyanti te janah

“This material world is without Krsna consciousness. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna consciousness personified. Therefore if a very learned scholar or scientist does not understand Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, certainly he is wandering uselessly in this world.”

prasarita-maha-prema-piyusa-rasa-sagare
caitanya-candre prakate yo dino dina eva sah

“A person who does not take advantage of the nectar of devotional service overflowing during the presence of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s cult is certainly the poorest of the poor.”

avatirne gaura-candre vistirne prema-sagare
suprakasita-ratnaughe yo dino dina eva sah

“The advent of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is just like an expanding ocean of nectar. One who does not collect the valuable jewels within this ocean is certainly the poorest of the poor.”

Similarly, the Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.3.19, 20, 23) states:

sva-vid-varahostra-kharaih
samstutah purusah pasuh
na yat-karna-pathopeto
jatu nama gadagrajah

bile batorukrama-vikraman ye
na srnvatah karna-pute narasya
jihvasati dardurikeva suta
na copagayaty urugaya-gathah

jivan chavo bhagavatanghri-renum
na jatu martyo ’bhilabheta yas tu
sri-visnu-padya manujas tulasyah
svasan chavo yas tu na veda gandham

“A person who has no connection with Krsna consciousness may be a very great personality in so-called human society, but actually he is no better than a great animal. Such big animals are generally praised by other animals like dogs, hogs camels and asses. A person who does not lend his aural reception to hearing about the Supreme Personality of Godhead must be considered to have earholes like holes in a field. Although that person has a tongue, it is like the tongue of a frog, which unnecessarily creates a disturbance by croaking, inviting the snake of death. Similarly, a person who neither takes advantage of the dust of the lotus feet of great devotees nor smells the tulasi leaves offered to the lotus feet of the Lord must be considered dead even though he is supposedly working.”

Similarly, the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, Chapter One, verse 4, states:

nivrtta-tarsair upagiyamanad
bhavausadhac chrotra-mano-’bhiramat
ka uttamasloka-gunanuvadat
puman virajyeta vina pasu-ghnat

“Who but the animal-killer or the killer of the soul will not care to hear glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Such glorification is enjoyed by persons liberated from the contamination of this material world.”

Similarly, in the Third Canto, Chapter Twenty-three, verse 56, the Bhagavatam says, na tirtha-pada-sevayai jivann api mrto hi sah: “Although a person is apparently living, if he does not serve the lotus feet of great devotees he is to be considered a dead body.”

Adi13.124

TEXT 124

sri-caitanya-nityananda, acarya advaitacandra,

svarupa-rupa-raghunathadasa

inha-sabara sri-carana, sire vandi nija-dhana,

janma-lila gaila krsnadasa

SYNONYMS

sri-caitanya-nityananda—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu; acarya advaitacandra—Acarya Sri Advaitacandra; svarupa-rupa-raghunathadasa—Svarupa Damodara, Rupa Gosvami and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami; inha-sabara—of all of them; sri-carana—the lotus feet; sire—on the head; vandi—offering respect; nija-dhana—personal property; janma-lila—narration of the birth; gaila—sang; krsnadasa—Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami.

TRANSLATION

Taking on my head as my own property the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, Acarya Advaitacandra, Svarupa Damodara, Rupa Gosvami and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, I, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, have thus described the advent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

PURPORT

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda, Advaita Prabhu, Svarupa Damodara, Rupa Gosvami, Raghunatha dasa and their followers are all accepted by Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami. Anyone who follows in the footsteps of Kaviraja Gosvami also accepts the lotus feet of the above-mentioned lords as his personal property. For a materialistic person, material wealth and opulence are only illusory. Actually they are not possessions but entanglements because by enjoying the material world a conditioned soul becomes more and more entangled by incurring debts for his present enjoyment. Unfortunately, a conditioned soul considers property for which he is in debt to be his own, and he is very busy acquiring such property. But a devotee considers such property not real property but simply an entanglement in the material world. If Lord Krsna is very much pleased with a devotee, He takes away his material property, as stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.88.8), where Lord Krsna says, yasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad-dhanam sanaih. “To show special favor to a devotee, I take away all his material property.” Similarly, Narottama dasa Thakura says:

dhana mora nityananda, radha-krsna-sricarana
sei mora pranadhana

“My real riches are Nityananda Prabhu and the lotus feet of Sri Radha and Krsna.” He further prays, “O Lord, kindly give me this opulence. I do not want anything but Your lotus feet as my property.” Srila Narottama dasa Thakura has sung in many places that his real property is the lotus feet of Radha and Krsna. Unfortunately we are interested in unreal property and are neglecting our real property (adhane yatana kari’ dhana teyaginu).

Sometimes smartas consider Raghunatha dasa Gosvami a sudra. But Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami here especially mentions svarupa-rupa-raghunathadasa. Therefore one who considers the lotus feet of Raghunatha dasa to be transcendental to all divisions of the caste system enjoys the riches of actual spiritual bliss.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Thirteenth Chapter, describing the advent of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.