How Pradyumna Miśra Received Instructions from Rāmānanda Rāya

I am infected by the germs of material activity and am suffering from the boils of envy. Therefore, falling in an ocean of humility, I take shelter of the great physician Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

All glories to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the son of mother Śacī! All glories to Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu! Indeed, He is the most glorious and merciful.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto Advaita Prabhu, the ocean of mercy, and to all the devotees, such as Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī.

One day Pradyumna Miśra came to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, offering his respects and inquiring from Him with great submission.

“My Lord,” he said, “kindly hear me. I am a cripple-minded householder, the most fallen of men, but somehow, by my good fortune, I have received the shelter of Your lotus feet, which are rarely to be seen.

“I wish to hear topics concerning Lord Kṛṣṇa constantly. Be merciful unto me and kindly tell me something about Kṛṣṇa.”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “I do not know about topics concerning Lord Kṛṣṇa. I think that only Rāmānanda Rāya knows, for I hear these topics from him.

“It is your good fortune that you are inclined to hear topics regarding Kṛṣṇa. The best course for you would be to go to Rāmānanda Rāya and hear these topics from him.

“I see that you have acquired a taste for hearing talks regarding Kṛṣṇa. Therefore you are extremely fortunate. Not only you but anyone who has awakened such a taste is considered most fortunate.

“ ‘A person who properly performs his regulative duties according to varṇa and āśrama but does not develop his dormant attachment for Kṛṣṇa or awaken his taste for hearing and chanting about Kṛṣṇa is certainly laboring fruitlessly.’”

Pradyumna Miśra, being thus advised by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, went to the home of Rāmānanda Rāya. There the servant of Rāmānanda Rāya gave him a proper place to sit down.

Unable to see Rāmānanda Rāya immediately, Pradyumna Miśra inquired from the servant, who then described what Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya was doing.

“There are two dancing girls who are extremely beautiful. They are very youthful, and they are expert in dancing and singing.

“Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya has taken these two girls to a solitary place in his garden, where he is teaching and directing them to dance according to the songs he has composed for his drama.

“Please sit here and wait for a few moments. As soon as he comes, he will execute whatever order you give him.”

While Pradyumna Miśra remained seated there, Rāmānanda Rāya took the two girls to a solitary place.

With his own hand, Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya massaged their bodies with oil and bathed them with water. Indeed, Rāmānanda Rāya cleansed their entire bodies with his own hand.

Although he dressed the two young girls and decorated their bodies with his own hand, he remained unchanged. Such is the mind of Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya.

While touching the young girls, he was like a person touching wood or stone, for his body and mind were unaffected.

Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya used to act in that way because he thought of himself in his original position as a maidservant of the gopīs. Thus although externally he appeared to be a man, internally, in his original spiritual position, he considered himself a maidservant and considered the two girls gopīs.

The greatness of the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is exceedingly difficult to understand. Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya is unique among them all, for he showed how one can extend his ecstatic love to the extreme limit.

Rāmānanda Rāya directed the two girls how to dance and express the deep meaning of his songs through dramatic performances.

He taught them how to express the symptoms of continuous, natural and transitional ecstasies with the movements of their faces, their eyes and the other parts of their bodies.

Through the feminine poses and dances they were taught by Rāmānanda Rāya, the two girls precisely exhibited all these expressions of ecstasy before Lord Jagannātha.

Then Rāmānanda Rāya fed the two girls sumptuous prasādam and sent them to their homes unexposed.

Every day he trained the two deva-dāsīs how to dance. Who among the small living entities, their minds always absorbed in material sense gratification, could understand the mentality of Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya?

When the servant informed Rāmānanda Rāya of Pradyumna Miśra’s arrival, Rāmānanda Rāya immediately went to the assembly room.

He offered his obeisances to Pradyumna Miśra with all respect and then, with great humility, spoke as follows.

“Sir, you came here long ago, but no one informed me. Therefore I have certainly become an offender at your lotus feet.

“My entire home has been purified by your arrival. Kindly order me. What can I do for you? I am your servant.”

Pradyumna Miśra replied, “I came simply to see you. Now I have purified myself by seeing Your Honor.”

Because Pradyumna Miśra saw that it was late, he did not say anything else to Rāmānanda Rāya. Instead, he took leave of him and returned to his own home.

The next day, when Pradyumna Miśra arrived in the presence of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Lord inquired, “Have you heard talks about Kṛṣṇa from Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya?”

Pradyumna Miśra thereupon described the activities of Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya. After hearing about these activities, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu began to speak.

“I am a sannyāsī,” He said, “and I certainly consider Myself renounced. But what to speak of seeing a woman, if I even hear the name of a woman, I feel changes in My mind and body. Therefore who could remain unmoved by the sight of a woman? It is very difficult.

“Everyone please hear these topics about Rāmānanda Rāya, although they are so wonderful and uncommon that they should not be spoken.

“The two professional dancing girls are beautiful and youthful, yet Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya personally massages their entire bodies with oil.

“He personally bathes and dresses them and decorates them with ornaments. In this way, he naturally sees and touches the private parts of their bodies.

“Nevertheless, the mind of Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya never changes, although he teaches the girls how to physically express all the transformations of ecstasy.

“His mind is as steady as wood or stone. Indeed, it is wonderful that even when he touches such young girls, his mind never changes.

“The authority for such acts is the prerogative of Rāmānanda Rāya alone, for I can understand that his body is not material but has been completely transformed into a spiritual entity.

“He alone, and no one else, can understand the position of his mind.

“But I can make a guess in terms of directions from the śāstra. The Vedic scripture Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives the direct evidence in this matter.

“When one hears or describes with great faith the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa, such as His rāsa dance with the gopīs, the disease of lusty desires in his heart and the agitation caused by the three modes of material nature are immediately nullified, and he becomes sober and silent.

“Tasting transcendental, effulgent, sweetly ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa, such a person can enjoy life twenty-four hours a day in the transcendental bliss of the sweetness of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.

“ ‘A transcendentally sober person who, with faith and love, continually hears from a realized soul about the activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa in His rāsa dance with the gopīs, or one who describes such activities, can attain full transcendental devotional service at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus lusty material desires, which are the heart disease of all materialistic persons, are for him quickly and completely vanquished.’

“If a transcendentally situated person, following in the footsteps of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, hears and speaks about the rāsa-līlā dance of Kṛṣṇa and is always absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa while serving the Lord day and night within his mind, what shall I say about the result? It is so spiritually exalted that it cannot be expressed in words. Such a person is an eternally liberated associate of the Lord, and his body is completely spiritualized. Although he is visible to material eyes, he is spiritually situated, and all his activities are spiritual. By the will of Kṛṣṇa, such a devotee is understood to possess a spiritual body.

“Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya is situated on the path of spontaneous love of Godhead. Therefore he is in his spiritual body, and his mind is not materially affected.

“I also hear topics about Kṛṣṇa from Rāmānanda Rāya. If you want to hear such topics, go to him again.

“You can mention My name before him, saying, ‘He has sent me to hear about Lord Kṛṣṇa from you.’

“Go hastily, while he is in the assembly room.” Hearing this, Pradyumna Miśra immediately departed.

Pradyumna Miśra went to Rāmānanda Rāya, who offered him respectful obeisances and said, “Please order me. For what purpose have you come?”

Pradyumna Miśra answered, “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has sent me to hear topics about Lord Kṛṣṇa from you.”

Hearing this, Rāmānanda Rāya became absorbed in ecstatic love and began to speak with great transcendental pleasure.

“Following the instruction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, you have come to hear about Kṛṣṇa. This is my great fortune. How else would I get such an opportunity?”

Saying this, Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya took Pradyumna Miśra to a secluded place and inquired from him, “What kind of kṛṣṇa-kathā do you want to hear from me?”

Pradyumna Miśra replied, “Kindly tell me about the same topics you spoke about at Vidyānagara.

“You are an instructor even for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, what to speak of others. I am but a beggar brāhmaṇa, and you are my maintainer.

“I do not know how to inquire, for I do not know what is good and what is bad. Seeing me to be poor in knowledge, kindly speak whatever is good for me by your own good will.”

Thereupon Rāmānanda Rāya gradually began speaking on topics of Kṛṣṇa. Thus the ocean of the transcendental mellows of those topics became agitated.

He began personally posing questions and then answering them with conclusive statements. When afternoon came, the topics still did not end.

The speaker and listener spoke and heard in ecstatic love. Thus they forgot their bodily consciousness. How, then, could they perceive the end of the day?

The servant informed them, “The day has already ended.” Then Rāmānanda Rāya ended his discourses about Kṛṣṇa.

Rāmānanda Rāya paid great respect to Pradyumna Miśra and bade him farewell. Pradyumna Miśra said, “I have become very satisfied.” He then began to dance.

After returning home, Pradyumna Miśra bathed and ate his meal. In the evening he came to see the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

In great happiness he worshiped the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The Lord inquired, “Have you heard topics about Kṛṣṇa?”

Pradyumna Miśra said, “My dear Lord, You have made me extremely obliged to You because You have drowned me in a nectarean ocean of talks about Kṛṣṇa.

“I cannot properly describe the discourses of Rāmānanda Rāya, for he is not an ordinary human being. He is fully absorbed in the devotional service of the Lord.

“There is one other thing Rāmānanda Rāya said to me: ‘Do not consider me the speaker in these talks about Kṛṣṇa.

“ ‘Whatever I speak is personally spoken by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Like a stringed instrument, I vibrate whatever He causes me to speak.

“ ‘In this way the Lord speaks through my mouth to preach the cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Within the world, who will understand this pastime of the Lord’s?’

“What I have heard from Rāmānanda Rāya is like a nectarean ocean of discourses about Kṛṣṇa. Even the demigods, beginning with Lord Brahmā, cannot understand all these topics.

“My dear Lord, You have made me drink this transcendental nectar of kṛṣṇa-kathā. Therefore I am sold to Your lotus feet, life after life.”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Rāmānanda Rāya is a mine of great humility. Therefore he has attributed his own words to another’s intelligence.

“This is a natural characteristic of those advanced in devotional service. They do not personally speak of their own good qualities.”

I have described but a fraction of the transcendental attributes of Rāmānanda Rāya, as revealed when he instructed Pradyumna Miśra.

Although Rāmānanda Rāya was a householder, he was not under the control of the six kinds of bodily changes. Although apparently a pounds-and-shillings man, he advised even persons in the renounced order.

To demonstrate the transcendental attributes of Rāmānanda Rāya, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sent Pradyumna Miśra to hear discourses about Kṛṣṇa from him.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, knows very well how to demonstrate the qualities of His devotees. Therefore, acting like an artistic painter, He does so in various ways and considers this His personal profit.

There is yet another characteristic of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. O devotees, listen carefully to how He manifests His opulence and characteristics, although they are exceptionally deep.

To vanquish the false pride of so-called renunciants and learned scholars, He spreads real religious principles, even through a śūdra, or lowborn, fourth-class man.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu preached about devotional service, ecstatic love and the Absolute Truth by making Rāmānanda Rāya, a gṛhastha born in a low family, the speaker. Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself, the exalted brāhmaṇa-sannyāsī, and Pradyumna Miśra, the purified brāhmaṇa, both became the hearers of Rāmānanda Rāya.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu exhibited the glories of the holy name of the Lord through Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who was born in a Muslim family. Similarly, He exhibited the essence of devotional service through Sanātana Gosvāmī, who had almost been converted into a Muslim.

Also, the Lord fully exhibited the ecstatic love and transcendental pastimes of Vṛndāvana through Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. Considering all this, who can understand the deep plans of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu?

The activities of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are just like an ocean of nectar. Even a drop of this ocean can inundate all the three worlds.

O devotees, relish daily the nectar of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta and the pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, for by doing so one can merge in transcendental bliss and attain full knowledge of devotional service.

Thus Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, accompanied by His associates, His pure devotees, enjoyed transcendental bliss in Jagannātha Purī [Nīlācala] by preaching the bhakti cult in many ways.

A brāhmaṇa from Bengal wrote a drama about the characteristics of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and came with his manuscript to induce the Lord to hear it.

The brāhmaṇa was acquainted with Bhagavān Ācārya, one of the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore after meeting him at Jagannātha Purī, the brāhmaṇa made his residence at Bhagavān Ācārya’s home.

First the brāhmaṇa induced Bhagavān Ācārya to hear the drama, and then many other devotees joined Bhagavān Ācārya in listening to it.

All the Vaiṣṇavas praised the drama, saying, “Very good, very good.” They also desired that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu hear the drama.

Customarily, anyone who composed a song, verse, literary composition or poem about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu first had to bring it to Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī to be heard.

If passed by Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, it could be presented for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to hear.

If there were a hint that transcendental mellows overlapped in a manner contrary to the principles of the bhakti cult, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would not tolerate it and would become very angry.

Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would not hear anything before Svarūpa Dāmodara heard it first. The Lord made this etiquette a regulative principle.

Bhagavān Ācārya submitted to Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, “A good brāhmaṇa has prepared a drama about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu that appears exceptionally well composed.

“First you hear it, and if it is acceptable to your mind, I shall request Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to hear it.”

Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī replied, “Dear Bhagavān Ācārya, you are a very liberal cowherd boy. Sometimes the desire awakens within you to hear any kind of poetry.

“In the writings of so-called poets there is generally a possibility of overlapping transcendental mellows. When the mellows thus go against the conclusive understanding, no one likes to hear such poetry.

“A so-called poet who has no knowledge of transcendental mellows and the overlapping of transcendental mellows cannot cross the ocean of the conclusions of devotional service.

“A poet who does not know the grammatical regulative principles, who is unfamiliar with metaphorical ornaments, especially those employed in drama, and who does not know how to present the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa is condemned. Moreover, the pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are especially difficult to understand.

“One who has accepted the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as his life and soul can describe the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa or the pastimes of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

“Hearing the poetry of a person who has no transcendental knowledge and who writes about the relationships between man and woman simply causes unhappiness, whereas hearing the words of a devotee fully absorbed in ecstatic love causes great happiness.

“The standard for writing dramas has been set by Rūpa Gosvāmī. If a devotee hears the introductory portions of his two dramas, they enhance his transcendental pleasure.”

Despite the explanation of Svarūpa Dāmodara, Bhagavān Ācārya requested, “Please hear the drama once. If you hear it, you can consider whether it is good or bad.”

For two or three days Bhagavān Ācārya continually asked Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī to hear the poetry. Because of his repeated requests, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī wanted to hear the poetry written by the brāhmaṇa from Bengal.

Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī sat down with other devotees to hear the poetry, and then the poet began to read the introductory verse.

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead has assumed a golden complexion and has become the soul of the body named Lord Jagannātha, whose blooming lotus eyes are widely expanded. Thus He has appeared in Jagannātha Purī and brought dull matter to life. May that Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva, bestow all good fortune upon you.”

When everyone present heard the verse, they all commended the poet, but Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī requested him, “Kindly explain this verse.”

The poet said, “Lord Jagannātha is a most beautiful body, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is exceptionally grave, is the owner of that body.

“Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has appeared here in Nīlācala [Jagannātha Purī] to spiritualize the entire dull material world.”

Hearing this, everyone present was greatly happy. But Svarūpa Dāmodara, who alone was very unhappy, began to speak in great anger.

“You are a fool,” he said. “You have brought ill fortune upon yourself, for you have no knowledge of the existence of the two Lords, Jagannāthadeva and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, nor have you faith in Them.

“Lord Jagannātha is completely spiritual and full of transcendental bliss, but you have compared Him to a dull, destructible body composed of the inert, external energy of the Lord.

“You have calculated Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full in six opulences, to be on the level of an ordinary living being. Instead of knowing Him as the supreme fire, you have accepted Him as a spark.”

Svarūpa Dāmodara continued, “Because you have committed an offense to Lord Jagannātha and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, you will attain a hellish destination. You do not know how to describe the Absolute Truth, but nevertheless you have tried to do so. Therefore you must be condemned.

“You are in complete illusion, for you have distinguished between the body and the soul of His Lordship [Lord Jagannātha or Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu]. That is a great offense.

“At no time is there a distinction between the body and the soul of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His personal identity and His body are made of blissful spiritual energy. There is no distinction between them.

“ ‘There is no distinction between the body and the soul of the Supreme Personality of Godhead at any time.’

“ ‘O my Lord, I do not see a form superior to Your present form of eternal bliss and knowledge. In Your impersonal Brahman effulgence in the spiritual sky, there is no occasional change and no deterioration of internal potency. I surrender unto You because, whereas I am proud of my material body and senses, Your Lordship is the cause of the cosmic manifestation. Yet You are untouched by matter.

“Whereas Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is full of transcendental bliss, possesses all six spiritual opulences in full, and is the master of the material energy, the small conditioned soul, who is always unhappy, is the servant of the material energy.

“ ‘The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller, is always full of transcendental bliss and is accompanied by the potencies known as hlādinī and samvit. The conditioned soul, however, is always covered by ignorance and embarrassed by the threefold miseries of life. Thus he is a treasure house of all kinds of tribulations.’”

Hearing this explanation, all the members of the assembly were struck with wonder. “Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī has spoken the real truth,” they admitted. “The brāhmaṇa from Bengal has committed an offense by wrongly describing Lord Jagannātha and Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.”

When the Bengali poet heard this chastisement from Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, he was ashamed, fearful and astonished. Indeed, being like a duck in a society of white swans, he could not say anything.

Seeing the poet’s unhappiness, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, who was naturally very kindhearted, advised him so that he could derive some benefit.

“If you want to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,” he said, “you must approach a self-realized Vaiṣṇava and hear from him. You can do this when you have completely taken shelter of the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.”

Svarūpa Dāmodara continued, “Associate regularly with the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, for then only will you understand the waves of the ocean of devotional service.

“Only if you follow the principles of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His devotees will your learning be successful. Then you will be able to write about the transcendental pastimes of Kṛṣṇa without material contamination.

“You have composed this introductory verse to your great satisfaction, but the meaning you have expressed is contaminated by offenses to both Lord Jagannātha and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

“You have written something irregular, not knowing the regulative principles, but the goddess of learning, Sarasvatī, has used your words to offer her prayers to the Supreme Lord.

“Sometimes demons, and even Lord Indra, the King of heaven, chastised Kṛṣṇa, but mother Sarasvatī, taking advantage of their words, offered prayers to the Lord.

“[Lord Indra said:] ‘This Kṛṣṇa, who is an ordinary human being, is talkative, childish, impudent and ignorant, although He thinks Himself very learned. The cowherd men in Vṛndāvana have offended me by accepting Him. This has not been greatly appreciated by me.’

“Indra, the King of heaven, being too proud of his heavenly opulences, became like a madman. Thus bereft of his intelligence, he could not restrain himself from speaking nonsensically about Kṛṣṇa.

“Thus Indra thought, ‘I have properly chastised Kṛṣṇa and defamed Him.’ But Sarasvatī, the goddess of learning, took this opportunity to offer prayers to Kṛṣṇa.

“The word ‘vācāla’ is used to refer to a person who can speak according to Vedic authority, and the word ‘bāliśa’ means ‘innocent.’ Kṛṣṇa spoke the Vedic knowledge, yet He always presents Himself as a prideless, innocent boy.

“When there is no one else to receive obeisances, one may be called ‘anamra,’ or one who offers obeisances to no one. This is the meaning of the word ‘stabdha.’ And because no one is found to be more learned than Kṛṣṇa, He may be called ‘ajña,’ indicating that nothing is unknown to Him.

“The word ‘paṇḍita-mānī’ can be used to indicate that Kṛṣṇa is honored even by learned scholars. Nevertheless, because of affection for His devotees, Kṛṣṇa appears like an ordinary human being and may therefore be called ‘martya.’

“The demon Jarāsandha chastised Kṛṣṇa, saying, ‘You are the lowest of human beings. I shall not fight with You, for You killed Your own relatives.’

“Mother Sarasvatī takes ‘puruṣādhama’ to mean ‘puruṣottama,’ ‘He to whom all men are subordinate.’

“Nescience, or māyā, may be called ‘bandhu’ because she entangles everyone in the material world. Therefore by using the word ‘bandhu-han,’ mother Sarasvatī says that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the vanquisher of māyā.

“Śiśupāla also blasphemed Kṛṣṇa in this way, but the goddess of learning, Sarasvatī, offered her prayers to Kṛṣṇa even by his words.

“In that way, although your verse is blasphemous according to your meaning, mother Sarasvatī has taken advantage of it to offer prayers to the Lord.

“There is no difference between Lord Jagannātha and Kṛṣṇa, but here Lord Jagannātha is fixed as the Absolute Person appearing in wood. Therefore He does not move.

“Thus Lord Jagannātha and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, although appearing as two, are one because They are both Kṛṣṇa, who is one alone.

“The supreme desire to deliver the entire world meets in the two of Them, and for that reason also They are one and the same.

“To deliver all the materially contaminated people of the world, that same Kṛṣṇa has descended in the moving form of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

“By visiting Lord Jagannātha one is freed from material existence, but not all men of all countries can come or be admitted here in Jagannātha Purī.

“Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, however, moves from one country to another, personally or by His representative. Thus He, as the moving Brahman, delivers all the people of the world.

“Thus I have explained the meaning intended by mother Sarasvatī, the goddess of learning. It is your great fortune that you have described Lord Jagannātha and Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in that way.

“Sometimes it so happens that one who wants to chastise Kṛṣṇa utters the holy name, and thus the holy name becomes the cause of his liberation.”

Upon hearing this proper explanation by Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, the bengali poet fell down at the feet of all the devotees and took shelter of them with a straw in his mouth.

Thereupon all the devotees accepted his association. Explaining his humble behavior, they introduced him to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

By the mercy of the devotees of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that poet from Bengal gave up all other activities and stayed with them at Jagannātha Purī. Who can explain the mercy of the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu?

I have thus described the narration concerning Pradyumna Miśra and how, following the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he listened to discourses about Kṛṣṇa spoken by Rāmānanda Rāya.

Within the narration I have explained the glorious characteristics of Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya, through whom Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally described the limits of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa.

In the course of the narration, I have also told about the drama by the poet from Bengal. Although he was ignorant, because of his faith and humility he nevertheless obtained shelter at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

The pastimes of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu are the essence of nectar. From the stream of one of His pastimes flow hundreds and thousands of branches.

Anyone who reads and hears these pastimes with faith and love can understand the truth about devotional service, devotees and the transcendental mellows of the pastimes of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Praying at the lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Raghunātha, always desiring their mercy, I, Kṛṣṇadāsa, narrate Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, following in their footsteps.