Madhya13.1

TEXT 1

sa jiyat krsna-caitanyah

sri-rathagre nanarta yah

yenasij jagatam citram

jagannatho ’pi vismitah

SYNONYMS

sah—He; jiyat—may live long; krsna-caitanyah—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sri-ratha-agre—in the front of the car; nanarta—danced; yah—who; yena—by whom; asit—there was; jagatam—of the whole universe; citram—wonder; jagannathah—Lord Jagannatha; api—also; vismitah—was astonished.

TRANSLATION

May the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna Caitanya, who danced in front of the car of Sri Jagannatha, be all glorified! By seeing His dancing, not only was the whole universe held in wonder, but Lord Jagannatha Himself became very much astonished.

Madhya13.2

TEXT 2

jaya jaya sri-krsna-caitanya nityananda

jayadvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda

SYNONYMS

jaya jaya—all glories; sri-krsna-caitanya—to Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nityananda—to Nityananda Prabhu; jaya—all glories; advaita-candra—to Advaita Acarya; jaya—all glories; gaura-bhakta-vrnda—to the devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TRANSLATION

All glories to Sri Krsna Caitanya and Prabhu Nityananda! All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to the devotees of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!

Madhya13.3

TEXT 3

jaya srota-gana, suna, kari’ eka mana

ratha-yatraya nrtya prabhura parama mohana

SYNONYMS

jaya—all glories; srota-gana—to the listeners; suna—please hear; kari’-keeping yourself; eka mana—in one attention; ratha-yatraya—in the car festival; nrtya—dancing; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; parama—extremely; mohana—enchanting.

TRANSLATION

All glories to the listeners of Caitanya-caritamrta. Please hear the description of the dancing of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu at the Ratha-yatra festival. His dancing is very enchanting. Please hear of it with great attention.

Madhya13.4

TEXT 4

ara dina mahaprabhu hana savadhana

ratre uthi’ gana-sange kaila pratah-snana

SYNONYMS

ara dina—the next day; mahaprabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; hana—becoming; savadhana—very careful; ratre uthi’-getting up at night; gana-sange—with His personal devotees; kaila—took; pratah-snana—bathing early in the morning.

TRANSLATION

The next day, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His personal associates got up in the dark and attentively took their early morning baths.

Madhya13.5

TEXT 5

pandu-vijaya dekhibare karila gamana

jagannatha yatra kaila chadi’ simhasana

SYNONYMS

pandu-vijaya—the ceremony named Pandu-vijaya; dekhibare—for seeing; karila—did; gamana—go; jagannatha—Lord Jagannatha; yatra—departure; kaila—did; chadi’-leaving; simhasana—the throne.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His personal associates then went to see the ceremony of Pandu-vijaya. During this ceremony, Lord Jagannatha leaves His throne and gets up onto the car.

Madhya13.6

TEXT 6

apani prataparudra lana patra-gana

mahaprabhura gane karaya vijaya-darsana

SYNONYMS

apani—personally; prataparudra—King Prataparudra; lana—taking with him; patra-gana—his associates; mahaprabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; gane—associates; karaya—causes; vijaya-darsana—seeing the Pandu-vijaya ceremony.

TRANSLATION

King Prataparudra in person, as well as his entourage, allowed the Pandu-vijaya ceremony to be seen by all the associates of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Madhya13.7

TEXT 7

advaita, nitai adi sange bhakta-gana

sukhe mahaprabhu dekhe isvara-gamana

SYNONYMS

advaita—Advaita Acarya; nitai—Lord Nityananda Prabhu; adi—headed by; sange—with; bhakta-gana—devotees; sukhe—in great happiness; mahaprabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; dekhe—sees; isvara-gamana—how the Lord is starting.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His prominent devotees-Advaita Acarya, Nityananda Prabhu and others-were very happy to observe how Lord Jagannatha began the Ratha-yatra.

Madhya13.8

TEXT 8

balistha dayita’ gana-yena matta hati

jagannatha vijaya karaya kari’ hatahati

SYNONYMS

balistha dayita’ gana—very strong dayitas, or carriers of Jagannatha; yena—as if; matta hati—drunken elephants; jagannatha—of Lord Jagannatha; vijaya—departure; karaya—cause; kari’-performing; hatahati—hand to hand.

TRANSLATION

The very strongly built dayitas [carriers of the Jagannatha Deity] were as powerful as drunken elephants. They manually carried Lord Jagannatha from the throne to the car.

PURPORT

The word dayita refers to one who has received the mercy of the Lord. Lord Jagannatha has a number of stalwart servants known as dayitas. These servants do not come from very high-caste families (brahmanas, ksatriyas or vaisyas), but because they are engaged in the service of the Lord, they have been elevated to a respected position. Thus they are known as dayitas. These servants of Lord Jagannatha take care of the Lord from the day of the Snana-yatra up to the time the Lord is carried from the throne to the Ratha car. In the Ksetra-mahatmya these dayitas are said to come from the sabaras, a caste that keeps and sells pigs. However, among the dayitas there are also many who come from the brahmana caste. Those dayitas coming from the brahmana families are called dayita-patis, or leaders of the dayitas. The dayita-patis offer food such as sweetmeats to Lord Jagannatha during the anavasara, the resting period after Snana-yatra. They also make the early morning offering of sweetmeats daily, It is said that during the anavasara Lord Jagannatha suffers from fever and that the dayita-patis offer Him an infusion of drugs represented by fruit juice. It is said that in the beginning Lord Jagannatha was worshiped by the sabaras and was known as the Deity Nila Madhava. Later, when the Deity was established in the temple, the Lord became known as Jagannatha. Because the Deities were taken from the sabaras, all the sabara devotees were elevated to the position of dayitas.

Madhya13.9

TEXT 9

kataka dayita kare skandha alambana

kataka dayita dhare sri-padma-carana

SYNONYMS

kataka dayita—some of the dayitas; kare—do; skandha—of the shoulders; alambana—capturing; kataka—some; dayita—servants called dayitas; dhare—catch; sri-padma-carana—the lotus feet of the Lord.

TRANSLATION

While carrying the Deity of Lord Jagannatha, some of the dayitas took hold of the shoulders of the Lord, and some caught His lotus feet.

Madhya13.10

TEXT 10

kati-tate baddha, drdha sthula patta-dori

dui dike dayita-gana uthaya taha dhari’

SYNONYMS

kati-tate—on the waist; baddha—bound; drdha—strong; sthula—thick; patta-dori—rope made of silk; dui dike—from two sides; dayita-gana—the dayitas; uthaya—raise; taha—that rope; dhari’-catching.

TRANSLATION

The Lord Jagannatha Deity was bound at the waist by a strong, thick rope made of silk. From two sides the dayitas caught hold of this rope and raised the Deity.

Madhya13.11

TEXT 11

ucca drdha tuli saba pati’ sthane sthane

eka tuli haite tvaraya ara tulite ane

SYNONYMS

ucca—puffed up; drdha—strong; tuli—pads made of cotton; saba—all; pati’-spreading; sthane sthane—from one place to another; eka tuli—one pad; haite—from; tvaraya—very soon; ara—next; tulite—on the pad; ane—bring.

TRANSLATION

Strong, puffed-up cotton pads called tulis were spread out from the throne to the car, and the heavy Deity of Lord Jagannatha was carried from one pillow-like pad to the next by the dayitas.

Madhya13.12

TEXT 12

prabhu-padaghate tuli haya khanda khanda

tula saba udi’ yaya, sabda haya pracanda

SYNONYMS

prabhu-pada-aghate—by the kicking of Lord Jagannatha; tuli—the pads; haya—become; khanda khanda—broken to pieces; tula—cotton from inside; saba—all; udi’ yaya—rises; sabda—sound; haya—there is; pracanda—very much.

TRANSLATION

While the dayitas carried the heavy Jagannatha Deity from one pad to the next, some of the pads broke, and the cotton contents floated into the air. When they broke, they made a heavy, cracking sound.

Madhya13.13

TEXT 13

visvambhara jagannathe ke calaite pare?

apana icchaya cale karite vihare

SYNONYMS

visvambhara—the maintainer of the universe; jagannathe—Lord Jagannatha; ke—who; calaite—cause to be carried; pare—can; apana—personal; icchaya—by His will; cale—moves; karite—to act; vihare—in pastimes.

TRANSLATION

Lord Jagannatha is the maintainer of the whole universe. Who can carry Him from one place to another? However, the Lord moves by His personal will just to perform His pastimes.

Madhya13.14

TEXT 14

mahaprabhu ’manima’ ’manima’ kare dhvani

nana-vadya-kolahale kichui na suni

SYNONYMS

mahaprabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; manima—Manima; manima—Manima; kare—makes; dhvani—the sound; nana—various; vadya—of musical instruments; kolahale—by the tumultuous sound; kichui—anything; na—not; suni—can hear.

TRANSLATION

While the Lord was transported from the throne to the car, tumultuous sounds were made on various musical instruments. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was chanting “Manima Manima,” but He could not be heard.

PURPORT

The word manima is used to address a respectable person in Orissa. Lord Jagannatha was being respectfully addressed by Sri Caitanya in this way.

Madhya13.15

TEXT 15

tabe prataparudra kare apane sevana

suvarna-marjani lana kare patha sammarjana

SYNONYMS

tabe—at this time; prataparudra—King Prataparudra; kare—does; apane—personally; sevana—service; suvarna—golden; marjani—broom; lana—taking; kare—does; patha—road; sammarjana—cleansing.

TRANSLATION

While the Lord was being carried from the throne to the car, King Prataparudra personally engaged in the Lord’s service by cleansing the road with a broom that had a golden handle.

Madhya13.16

TEXT 16

candana-jalete kare patha nisecane

tuccha seva kare vasi’ raja-simhasane

SYNONYMS

candana-jalete—with sandalwood water; kare—does; patha—road; nisecane—sprinkling; tuccha—insignificant, menial; seva—service; kare—performs; vasi’-although in possession of; raja-simhasane—the royal throne.

TRANSLATION

The King sprinkled the road with sandalwood-scented water. Although he was the owner of the royal throne, he engaged in menial service for the sake of Lord Jagannatha.

Madhya13.17

TEXT 17

uttama hana raja kare tuccha sevana

ataeva jagannathera krpara bhajana

SYNONYMS

uttama hana—although very respectable; raja—the King; kare—accepts; tuccha—menial; sevana—service; ataeva—therefore; jagannathera—of Lord Jagannatha; krpara—in the matter of mercy; bhajana—suitable candidate.

TRANSLATION

Although the King was the most exalted respectable person, still he accepted menial service for the Lord; he, therefore, became a suitable candidate for receiving the Lord’s mercy.

Madhya13.18

TEXT 18

mahaprabhu sukha paila se-seva dekhite

mahaprabhura krpa haila se-seva ha-ite

SYNONYMS

mahaprabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sukha paila—felt very happy; se-seva—that kind of service; dekhite—to see; mahaprabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; krpa—mercy; haila—there was; se-seva ha-ite—because of that service.

TRANSLATION

Upon seeing the King engaged in such menial service, Caitanya Mahaprabhu became very happy. Simply by rendering this service, the King received the mercy of the Lord.

PURPORT

Unless one receives the mercy of the Lord, he cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead or engage in His devotional service.

athapi te deva padambuja-dvaya-
prasada-lesanugrhita eva hi
janati tattvam bhagavan-mahimno
na canya eko ’pi ciram vicinvan

(Bhag. 10.14.29)

Madhya13.19

TEXT 19

rathera sajani dekhi’ loke camatkara

nava hemamaya ratha-sumeru-akara

SYNONYMS

rathera—of the car; sajani—decoration; dekhi’-by seeing; loke—everyone; camatkara—astonished; nava—new; hema-ma ya—golden; ratha—chariot car; sumeru-akara—as high as the mountain Sumeru.

TRANSLATION

Everyone was astonished to see the decorations on the Ratha car. The car appeared to be newly made of gold, and it was as high as Mount Sumeru.

PURPORT

In the year 1973 there was a gorgeous Ratha-yatra festival in London, England, and the car was brought to Trafalgar Square. The London daily newspaper the Guardian published a front-page photo caption: “ISKCON Ratha-yatra is rival to the Nelson Column in Trafalgar Square.” The Nelson Column is a very impressive statue of Lord Nelson and can be seen from a good distance. Just as the residents of Puri compared the Ratha-yatra car to Mount Sumeru, the residents of London considered the car rival to the Nelson Monument.

Madhya13.20

TEXT 20

sata sata su-camara-darpane ujjvala

upare pataka sobhe candoya nirmala

SYNONYMS

sata sata—hundreds upon hundreds; su-camara—beautiful white whisks; darpane—with mirrors; ujjvala—very bright; upare—on the top; pataka—flag; sobhe—looks beautiful; candoya—canopy; nirmala—thoroughly cleansed.

TRANSLATION

The decorations included bright mirrors and hundreds and hundreds of camaras [white whisks made of yak tails]. On top of the car were a neat and clean canopy and very beautiful flag.

Madhya13.21

TEXT 21

ghaghara, kinkini baje, ghantara kvanita

nana citra-patta-vastre ratha vibhusita

SYNONYMS

ghaghara—gongs; kinkini—ankle bells; baje—were sounding; ghantara—of bells; kvanita—tinkling sound; nana—various; citra—pictures; patta-vastre—with silken cloth; ratha—the car; vibhusita—decorated.

TRANSLATION

The car was also decorated with silken cloth and various pictures. Many brass bells, gongs and ankle bells rang.

Madhya13.22

TEXT 22

lilaya cadila isvara rathera upara

ara dui rathe cade subhadra, haladhara

SYNONYMS

lilaya—for the matter of pastimes; cadila—got up; isvara—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; rathera—a car; upara—aboard; ara dui—another two; rathe—in the cars; cade—got up; subhadra—the sister of Lord Jagannatha; haladhara—Balarama.

TRANSLATION

For the pastimes of the Ratha-yatra ceremony, Lord Jagannatha got aboard one car, and His sister, Subhadra, and elder brother, Balarama, got aboard two other cars.

Madhya13.23

TEXT 23

panca-dasa dina isvara maha-laksmi lana

tanra sange krida kaila nibhrte vasiya

SYNONYMS

panca-dasa dina—fifteen days; isvara—the Lord; maha-laksmi—the supreme goddess of fortune; lana—with; tanra sange—in her company; krida—enjoyment; kaila—performed; nibhrte—in a solitary place; vasiya—sitting.

TRANSLATION

For fifteen days the Lord had remained in a secluded place with the supreme goddess of fortune and had performed His pastimes with her.

PURPORT

The fifteen-day period of anavasara is also called nibhrta, in honor of the solitary place where the supreme goddess of fortune lives. After living there a fortnight, Lord Jagannatha took permission from the goddess of fortune to leave.

Madhya13.24

TEXT 24

tanhara sammati lana bhakte sukha dite

rathe cadi’ bahira haila vihara karite

SYNONYMS

tanhara sammati—her permission; lana—taking; bhakte—the devotees; sukha dite—to please; rathe cadi’-riding on the car; bahira haila—came out; vihara karite—to perform pastimes.

TRANSLATION

Having taken permission from the goddess of fortune, the Lord came out to ride on the Ratha car and perform His pastimes for the pleasure of the devotees.

PURPORT

In this connection, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments that as an ideal husband, Lord Jagannatha remained fifteen days in a secluded place with His wife, the supreme goddess of fortune. Nonetheless, the Lord wanted to come out of seclusion to give happiness to His devotees. The Lord enjoys Himself in two ways, known as svakiya and parakiya. The Lord’s conjugal love in the svakiya-rasa relates to the regulative principles observed in Dvaraka. There the Lord has many married queens, but in Vrndavana the conjugal love of the Lord is not with His married wives but with His girl friends, the gopis. Conjugal love with the gopis is called parakiya-rasa. Lord Jagannatha leaves the secluded place where He enjoys the company of the supreme goddess of fortune in svakiya-rasa, and He goes to Vrndavana where He enjoys the parakiya-rasa. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura therefore reminds us that the Lord’s pleasure in parakiya-rasa is superior to His pleasure in svakiya-rasa.

In the material world, parakiya-rasa, or loving affairs with unmarried girl friends, is a most degraded relationship, but in the spiritual world this type of loving affair is considered the supreme enjoyment. In the material world everything is but a reflection of the spiritual world, and that reflection is perverted. We cannot understand the affairs of the spiritual world on the basis of our experience in the material world. The Lord’s pastimes with the gopis are therefore misunderstood by mundane scholars and word-wranglers. The parakiya-rasa of the spiritual world should not be discussed except by one who is very advanced in pure devotional service. The parakiya-rasa in the spiritual world and that in the material world are not comparable. The former is like gold, and the latter is like iron. Because the difference between the two is so great, they cannot actually be compared. However, one can easily distinguish the value of gold by seeing the value of iron. One who has the proper realization can easily distinguish the transcendental activities of the spiritual world from material activities.

Madhya13.25

TEXT 25

suksma sveta-balu pathe pulinera sama

dui dike tota, saba-yena vrndavana

SYNONYMS

suksma—fine; sveta-balu—white sand; pathe—on the path; pulinera sama—just like the bank of the Yamuna; dui dike—on two sides; tota—gardens; saba—all; yena—like; vrndavana—the holy place Vrndavana.

TRANSLATION

The fine, white sand spread all over the path resembled the bank of the Yamuna, and the small gardens on both sides looked just like those in Vrndavana.

Madhya13.26

TEXT 26

rathe cadi’ jagannatha karila gamana

dui-parsve dekhi’ cale anandita-mana

SYNONYMS

rathe cadi’-riding on the car; jagannatha—Lord Jagannatha; karila gamana—was passing; dui-parsve—on both sides; dekhi’-seeing; cale—goes; anandita—full of pleasure; mana—mind.

TRANSLATION

As Lord Jagannatha rode in His car and saw the beauty on both sides, His mind was filled with pleasure.

Madhya13.27

TEXT 27

’gauda’ saba ratha tane kariya ananda

ksane sighra cale ratha, ksane cale manda

SYNONYMS

gauda—the pullers of the car; saba—all; ratha—the car; tane—pull; kariya—feeling; ananda—happiness; ksane—sometimes; sighra cale—goes very fast; ratha—the car; ksane—sometimes; cale—goes; manda—very slow.

TRANSLATION

The pullers of the car were known as gaudas, and they pulled with great pleasure. However, the car sometimes went very fast and sometimes very slow.

Madhya13.28

TEXT 28

ksane sthira hana rahe, tanileha na cale

isvara-icchaya cale, na cale karo bale

SYNONYMS

ksane—sometimes; sthira—still; hana—becoming; rahe—stays; tanileha—in spite of being pulled; na cale—does not go; isvara-icchaya—by the will of the Lord; cale—goes; na cale—does not go; karo—of anyone; bale—by the strength.

TRANSLATION

Sometimes the car would stand still and not move, even though it was pulled very vigorously. The chariot therefore moved by the will of the Lord, not by the strength of any ordinary person.

Madhya13.29

TEXT 29

tabe mahaprabhu saba lana bhakta-gana

svahaste paraila sabe malya-candana

SYNONYMS

tabe—at that time; mahaprabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; saba—all; lana—taking; bhakta-gana—devotees; sva-haste—by His own hand; paraila—decorated; sabe—everyone; malya-candana—with flower garlands and pulp of sandalwood.

TRANSLATION

As the car stood still, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gathered all His devotees and, with His own hand, decorated them with flower garlands and sandalwood pulp.

Madhya13.30

TEXT 30

paramananda puri, ara bharati brahmananda

sri-haste candana pana badila ananda

SYNONYMS

paramananda puri—Paramananda Puri; ara—and; bharati brahmananda—Brahmananda Bharati; sri-haste—by the hand of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; candana—sandalwood pulp; pana—getting; badila—increased; ananda—transcendental bliss.

TRANSLATION

Paramananda Puri and Brahmananda Bharati were both personally given garlands and sandalwood pulp from the very hands of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This increased their transcendental pleasure.

Madhya13.31

TEXT 31

advaita-acarya, ara prabhu-nityananda

sri-hasta-sparse dunhara ha-ila ananda

SYNONYMS

advaita-acarya—Advaita Acarya; ara—and; prabhu-nityananda—Lord Nityananda Prabhu; sri-hasta-sparse—by the touch of the transcendental hand of Lord Caitanya; dunhara—of both of Them; ha-ila—there was; ananda—transcendental bliss.

TRANSLATION

Similarly, when Advaita Acarya and Nityananda Prabhu felt the touch of the transcendental hand of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, They were both very pleased.

Madhya13.32

TEXT 32

kirtaniya-gane dila malya-candana

svarupa, srivasa,-yahan mukhya dui-jana

SYNONYMS

kirtaniya-gane—unto the performers of sankirtana; dila—gave; malya-candana—garlands and sandalwood pulp; svarupa—Svarupa; srivasa—Srivasa; yahan—where; mukhya—principal; dui-jana—two persons.

TRANSLATION

The Lord also gave garlands and sandalwood pulp to the performers of sankirtana. The chief two performers were Svarupa Damodara and Srivasa Thakura.

Madhya13.33

TEXT 33

cari sampradaye haila cabbisa gayana

dui dui mardangika haila asta jana

SYNONYMS

cari sampradaye—in the four parties; haila—there were; cabbisa—twenty-four; gayana—performers of kirtana; dui dui—two in each party; mardangika—players of mrdanga drums; haila—there were; asta jana—eight persons.

TRANSLATION

There were altogether four parties of kirtana performers, comprising twenty-four chanters. In each party there were also two mrdanga players, making an additional eight persons.

Madhya13.34

TEXT 34

tabe mahaprabhu mane vicara kariya

cari sampradaya dila gayana bantiya

SYNONYMS

tabe—after this; mahaprabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; mane—in the mind; vicara kariya—considering; cari sampradaya—four parties; dila—gave; gayana bantiya—dividing the singers.

TRANSLATION

When the four parties were formed, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, after some consideration, divided the chanters.

Madhya13.35

TEXT 35

nityananda, advaita, haridasa, vakresvare

cari jane ajna dila nrtya karibare

SYNONYMS

nityananda—Lord Nityananda; advaita—Advaita Acarya; haridasa—Haridasa Thakura; vakresvare—Vakresvara Pandita; cari jane—to these four persons; ajna dila—the Lord gave an order; nrtya karibare—to dance.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ordered Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Acarya, Haridasa Thakura and Vakresvara Pandita to dance in each of the four respective parties.

Madhya13.36

TEXT 36

prathama sampradaye kaila svarupa-pradhana

ara panca-jana dila tanra paligana

SYNONYMS

prathama sampradaye—in the first party; kaila—fixed; svarupa—Svarupa Damodara; pradhana—as the chief; ara—another; panca-jana—five persons; dila—gave; tanra—his; paligana—responders.

TRANSLATION

Svarupa Damodara was chosen as the leader of the first party and was given five assistants to respond to his chanting.