The Later Pastimes of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

Even a person with no knowledge can immediately acquire all knowledge simply by the benediction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore I am praying to the Lord for His causeless mercy upon me.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen simultaneously on the horizon of Gauḍa to dissipate the darkness of ignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all.

Glory to the all-merciful Rādhā and Madana-mohana! I am lame and ill advised, yet They are my directors, and Their lotus feet are everything to me.

In a temple of jewels in Vṛndāvana, underneath a desire tree, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda, served by Their most confidential associates, sit upon an effulgent throne. I offer my humble obeisances unto Them.

May Gopīnāthajī, who attracts all the gopīs with the song of His flute and who has begun the most melodious rāsa dance on the bank of the Yamunā in Vaṁśīvaṭa, be merciful upon us.

All glories unto Śrī Gaurahari, who is an ocean of mercy! All glories unto You, the son of Śacīdevī, for You are the only friend of all fallen souls!

All glories unto Lord Nityānanda and Advaita Prabhu, and all glories unto all the devotees of Lord Caitanya, headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura!

I have previously described in synopsis the ādi-līlā [initial pastimes], which have already been fully described by Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura.

I have therefore given only a synopsis of those incidents, and whatever specifics were to be related have already been given in that synopsis.

To describe the unlimited pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is not possible, but I now wish to relate the chief incidents and give a synopsis of those pastimes occurring at the end.

I shall describe only in synopsis that portion which Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura has described very elaborately in his book Caitanya-maṅgala. Whatever incidents are outstanding, however, I shall later elaborate.

Actually the authorized compiler of the pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa, the incarnation of Vyāsadeva. Only upon his orders am I trying to chew the remnants of food that he has left.

Placing his lotus feet upon my head in great devotion, I shall now describe in summary the Lord’s final pastimes.

For twenty-four years, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu remained at home, and whatever pastimes He performed during that time are called the ādi-līlā.

At the end of His twenty-fourth year, in the month of Māgha, during the fortnight of the waxing moon, the Lord accepted the renounced order of life, sannyāsa.

After accepting sannyāsa, Lord Caitanya remained within this material world for another twenty-four years. Within this period, whatever pastimes He enacted are called the śeṣa-līlā, or pastimes occurring at the end.

The final pastimes of the Lord, occurring in His last twenty-four years, are called madhya [middle] and antya [final]. All the devotees of the Lord refer to His pastimes according to these divisions.

For six years of the last twenty-four, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu traveled all over India, from Jagannātha Purī to Bengal and from Cape Comorin to Vṛndāvana.

All the pastimes performed by the Lord in those places are known as the madhya-līlā, and whatever pastimes were performed after that are called the antya-līlā.

The pastimes of the Lord are therefore divided into three periods — the ādi-līlā, madhya-līlā and antya-līlā. Now I shall very elaborately describe the madhya-līlā.

For eighteen continuous years, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu remained at Jagannātha Purī and, through His personal behavior, instructed all living entities in the mode of devotional service.

Of these eighteen years at Jagannātha Purī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu spent six years with His many devotees. By chanting and dancing, He introduced the loving service of the Lord.

Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sent Nityānanda Prabhu from Jagannātha Purī to Bengal, which is known as Gauḍa-deśa, and Lord Nityānanda Prabhu overflooded that country with the transcendental loving service of the Lord.

Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu is by nature very much inspired in rendering transcendental loving service to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Now, being ordered by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He distributed this loving service anywhere and everywhere.

I offer innumerable obeisances unto the lotus feet of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, who is so kind that He spread the service of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu all over the world.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to address Nityānanda Prabhu as His elder brother, whereas Nityānanda Prabhu addressed Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as His Lord.

Although Nityānanda Prabhu is none other than Balarāma Himself, He nonetheless always thinks of Himself as the eternal servant of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Nityānanda Prabhu requested everyone to serve Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, chant His glories and utter His name. Nityānanda Prabhu claimed that person to be His life and soul who rendered devotional service unto Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

In this way, Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu introduced the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to everyone without discrimination. Even though the people were fallen souls and blasphemers, they were delivered by this process.

Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then sent the two brothers Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī to Vraja. By His order, they went to Śrī Vṛndāvana-dhāma.

After going to Vṛndāvana, the brothers preached devotional service and discovered many places of pilgrimage. They specifically initiated the service of Madana-mohana and Govindajī.

Both Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī brought various scriptures to Vṛndāvana and collected the essence of these by compiling many scriptures on devotional service. In this way they delivered all rascals and fallen souls.

The Gosvāmīs carried out the preaching work of devotional service on the basis of an analytical study of all confidential Vedic literatures. This was in compliance with the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Thus one can understand the most confidential devotional service of Vṛndāvana.

Some of the books compiled by Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī were the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta, Daśama-ṭippanī and Daśama-carita.

We have already given the names of four books compiled by Sanātana Gosvāmī. Similarly, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has also compiled many books, which no one can even count.

I shall therefore enumerate the chief books compiled by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. He has described the pastimes of Vṛndāvana in 100,000 verses.

The books compiled by Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī include the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Vidagdha-mādhava, Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi and Lalita-mādhava.

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī also compiled the Dāna-keli-kaumudī, Stavāvalī, Līlā-cchanda, Padyāvalī, Govinda-virudāvalī, Mathurā-māhātmya and Nāṭaka-varṇana.

Who can count the rest of the books (headed by the Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta) written by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī? He has described the pastimes of Vṛndāvana in all of them.

Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī’s nephew, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, has compiled so many books on devotional service that there is no counting them.

In Śrī Bhāgavata-sandarbha, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has written conclusively about the ultimate end of devotional service.

The most famous and formidable transcendental literature is the book named Gopāla-campū. In this book the eternal pastimes of the Lord are established, and the transcendental mellows enjoyed in Vṛndāvana are completely described.

Thus Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī and their nephew Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, as well as practically all of their family members, lived in Vṛndāvana and published important books on devotional service.

The first year after Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted the renounced order of life, all the devotees, headed by Śrī Advaita Prabhu, went to see the Lord at Jagannātha Purī.

After attending the Ratha-yātrā ceremony at Jagannātha Purī, all the devotees remained there for four months, greatly enjoying the company of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by performing kīrtana [chanting and dancing].

At the time of departure, the Lord requested all the devotees, “Please come here every year to see the Ratha-yātrā festival of Lord Jagannātha’s journey to the Guṇḍicā temple.”

Following the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the devotees used to visit Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu every year. They would see the Guṇḍicā festival at Jagannātha Purī and then return home after four months.

For twenty consecutive years this meeting took place, and the situation became so intense that the Lord and the devotees could not be happy without meeting one another.

The last twelve years were simply devoted to relishing the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa in separation within the heart of the Lord.

In the attitude of separation, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared mad both day and night. Sometimes He laughed, and sometimes He cried; sometimes He danced, and sometimes He chanted in great sorrow.

At those times, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would visit Lord Jagannātha. Then His feelings exactly corresponded to those of the gopīs when they saw Kṛṣṇa at Kurukṣetra after long separation. Kṛṣṇa had come to Kurukṣetra with His brother and sister to visit.

When Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to dance before the car during the festival, He always sang the following two lines.

“I have gotten that Lord of My life, for whom I was burning in the fire of lusty desires.”

Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to sing this song [seita parāṇa-nātha] especially during the latter part of the day, and He would think, “Let Me take Kṛṣṇa and go back to Vṛndāvana.” This ecstasy was always filling His heart.

In that ecstasy, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu recited a verse when dancing in front of Lord Jagannātha. Almost no one could understand the meaning of that verse.

“That very personality who stole away my heart during my youth is now again my master. These are the same moonlit nights of the month of Caitra. The same fragrance of mālatī flowers is there, and the same sweet breezes are blowing from the kadamba forest. In our intimate relationship, I am also the same lover, yet still my mind is not happy here. I am eager to go back to that place on the bank of the Revā under the Vetasī tree. That is my desire.”

This verse appears to be the hankering between some ordinary boy and girl, but its actual deep meaning was known only to Svarūpa Dāmodara. By chance, one year Rūpa Gosvāmī was also present there.

Although the meaning of the verse was known only to Svarūpa Dāmodara, Rūpa Gosvāmī, after hearing it from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, immediately composed another verse that described the meaning of the original verse.

After composing this verse, Rūpa Gosvāmī wrote it on a palm leaf and put it on the roof of the thatched house in which he was living.

After composing this verse and putting it on the roof of his house, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī went to bathe in the sea. In the meantime, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to his hut to meet him.

To avoid turmoil, three great personalities — Haridāsa Ṭhākura, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī — did not enter the temple of Jagannātha.

Every day Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to see the upala-bhoga ceremony at the temple of Jagannātha, and after seeing this He used to go visit these three great personalities on His way to His own residence.

If one of these three was not present, He would meet the others. That was His regular practice.

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to the residence of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, He accidentally saw the palm leaf on the roof, and thus He read the verse composed by him.

After reading the verse, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went into an ecstatic mood. While He was in that state, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī came and immediately fell down on the floor like a rod.

When Rūpa Gosvāmī fell down like a rod, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu got up and gave him a slap. Then, taking him on His lap, He began to speak to him.

“No one knows the purport of My verse,” Caitanya Mahāprabhu said. “How could you understand My intention?”

Saying this, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu bestowed various benedictions upon Rūpa Gosvāmī, and taking the verse, He later showed it to Svarūpa Gosvāmī.

Having shown the verse to Svarūpa Dāmodara with great wonder, Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked him how Rūpa Gosvāmī could understand the intentions of His mind.

Śrīla Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī replied to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “If Rūpa Gosvāmī can understand Your mind and intentions, he must have Your Lordship’s special benediction.”

The Lord said, “I was so pleased with Rūpa Gosvāmī that I embraced him and bestowed upon him all necessary potencies for preaching the bhakti cult.

“I accept Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī as quite fit to understand the confidential mellows of devotional service, and I recommend that you explain devotional service to him further.”

I shall describe all these incidents elaborately later on. Now I have given only a brief reference.

[This is a verse spoken by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.] “My dear friend, now I have met My very old and dear friend Kṛṣṇa on this field of Kurukṣetra. I am the same Rādhārāṇī, and now We are meeting together. It is very pleasant, but still I would like to go to the bank of the Yamunā beneath the trees of the forest there. I wish to hear the vibration of His sweet flute playing the fifth note within that forest of Vṛndāvana.”

Now, O devotees, please hear a brief explanation of this verse. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was thinking in this way after having seen the Jagannātha Deity.

The subject of His thoughts was Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, who met Kṛṣṇa on the field of Kurukṣetra. Although She met Kṛṣṇa there, She was nonetheless thinking of Him in the following way.

She thought of Him in the calm and quiet atmosphere of Vṛndāvana, dressed as a cowherd boy. But at Kurukṣetra He was in a royal dress and was accompanied by elephants, horses and crowds of men. Thus the atmosphere was not congenial for Their meeting.

Thus meeting with Kṛṣṇa and thinking of the Vṛndāvana atmosphere, Rādhārāṇī longed for Kṛṣṇa to take Her to Vṛndāvana again to fulfill Her desire in that calm atmosphere.

The gopīs spoke thus: “Dear Lord, whose navel is just like a lotus flower, Your lotus feet are the only shelter for those who have fallen into the deep well of material existence. Your feet are worshiped and meditated upon by great mystic yogīs and highly learned philosophers. We wish that these lotus feet may also be awakened within our hearts, although we are only ordinary persons engaged in household affairs.”

The gopīs thought, “Dear Lord, if Your lotus feet again come to our home in Vṛndāvana, our desires will be fulfilled.”

In one verse, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has explained the confidential meaning of the verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for the understanding of the general populace.

The gopīs continued, “Dear Kṛṣṇa, the fragrance of the mellows of Your pastimes is spread throughout the forests of the glorious land of Vṛndāvana, which is surrounded by the sweetness of the district of Mathurā. In the congenial atmosphere of that wonderful land, You may enjoy Your pastimes, with Your flute dancing on Your lips, and surrounded by us, the gopīs, whose hearts are always enchanted by unpredictable ecstatic emotions.”

In this way, when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw Jagannātha, He saw that the Lord was with His sister Subhadrā and was not holding a flute in His hand.

Absorbed in the ecstasy of the gopīs, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu wished to see Lord Jagannātha in His original form as Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, standing in Vṛndāvana and appearing very beautiful, His body curved in three places. His desire to see that form was always increasing.

Just as Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī talked inconsistently with a bumblebee in the presence of Uddhava, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His ecstasy talked crazily and inconsistently day and night.

The last twelve years of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu were passed in this transcendental craziness. Thus He executed His last pastimes in three ways.

For the twenty-four years after Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted the renounced order, whatever pastimes He executed were unlimited and unfathomable. Who can understand the purport of such pastimes?

Just to indicate those pastimes, I am presenting a general survey of the chief pastimes in the form of a synopsis.

This is the first synopsis: After accepting the sannyāsa order, Caitanya Mahāprabhu proceeded toward Vṛndāvana.

When proceeding toward Vṛndāvana, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was overwhelmed with ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa, and He lost all remembrance of the external world. In this way He traveled continuously for three days in Rāḍha-deśa, the country where the Ganges River does not flow.

First of all, Lord Nityānanda bewildered Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by bringing Him along the banks of the Ganges, saying that it was the river Yamunā.

After three days, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to the house of Advaita Ācārya at Śāntipura and accepted alms there. This was His first acceptance of alms. At night He performed congregational chanting there.

At the house of Advaita Prabhu, He met His mother as well as all the devotees from Māyāpur. He adjusted everything and then went to Jagannātha Purī.

On the way toward Jagannātha Purī, Caitanya Mahāprabhu performed many other pastimes. He visited various temples and heard the story about Mādhavendra Purī and the installation of Gopāla.

From Nityānanda Prabhu, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard the story of Kṣīra-curī Gopīnātha and of the witness Gopāla. Then Nityānanda Prabhu broke the sannyāsa rod belonging to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

After His sannyāsa rod was broken by Nityānanda Prabhu, Caitanya Mahāprabhu apparently became very angry and left His company to travel alone to the Jagannātha temple. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu entered the Jagannātha temple and saw Lord Jagannātha, He immediately lost His senses and fell down on the ground.

After Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw Lord Jagannātha in the temple and fell down unconscious, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya took Him to his home. The Lord remained unconscious until the afternoon, when He finally regained His consciousness.

The Lord had left Nityānanda’s company and had gone alone to the Jagannātha temple, but later Nityānanda, Jagadānanda, Dāmodara and Mukunda came to see Him, and after seeing Him they were very pleased.

After this incident, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu bestowed His mercy upon Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya by showing him His original form as the Lord.

After bestowing mercy upon Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, the Lord started for southern India. When He came to Kūrma-kṣetra, He delivered a person named Vāsudeva.

After visiting Kūrma-kṣetra, the Lord visited the South Indian temple of Jiyaḍa-nṛsiṁha and offered His prayers to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. On His way, He introduced the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra in every village.

Once the Lord mistook the forest on the bank of the river Godāvarī to be Vṛndāvana. In that place He happened to meet Rāmānanda Rāya.

He visited the places known as Tirumala and Tirupati, where He extensively preached the chanting of the Lord’s holy name.

After visiting the temples of Tirumala and Tirupati, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had to subdue some atheists. He then visited the temple of Ahovala-nṛsiṁha.

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to the land of Śrī Raṅga-kṣetra, on the bank of the Kāverī, He visited the temple of Śrī Raṅganātha and was there overwhelmed in the ecstasy of love of Godhead.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu lived at the house of Trimalla Bhaṭṭa for the four months of the rainy season.

Śrī Trimalla Bhaṭṭa was both a member of the Śrī Vaiṣṇava community and a learned scholar; therefore when he saw Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who was both a great scholar and a great devotee of the Lord, he was very much astonished.

Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed the Cāturmāsya months with the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas, singing, chanting the holy name and dancing.

After the end of Cāturmāsya, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued traveling throughout South India. At that time He met Paramānanda Purī.

After this, Kṛṣṇadāsa, the servant of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, was delivered from the clutches of a Bhaṭṭathāri. Caitanya Mahāprabhu then preached that Lord Kṛṣṇa’s name should also be chanted by brāhmaṇas who were accustomed to chanting Lord Rāma’s name.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then met Śrī Raṅga Purī and mitigated all the sufferings of a brāhmaṇa named Rāmadāsa.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu also had a discussion with the Tattvavādī community, and the Tattvavādīs felt themselves to be inferior Vaiṣṇavas.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then visited the Viṣṇu temples of Anantadeva, Puruṣottama, Śrī Janārdana, Padmanābha and Vāsudeva.

After that, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu delivered the celebrated Sapta-tāla trees, took His bath at Setubandha Rāmeśvara and visited the temple of Lord Śiva known as Rāmeśvara.

At Rāmeśvara, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had a chance to read the Kūrma Purāṇa, in which He discovered that the form of Sītā kidnapped by Rāvaṇa was not that of the real Sītā but a mere shadow representation.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very glad to read about the false Sītā, and He remembered His meeting with Rāmadāsa Vipra, who was very sorry that mother Sītā had been kidnapped by Rāvaṇa.

Indeed, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu eagerly tore this page from the Kūrma Purāṇa, although the book was very old, and He later showed it to Rāmadāsa Vipra, whose unhappiness was mitigated.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also found two other books — namely, the Brahma-saṁhitā and Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta. Knowing these books to be excellent, He took them to present to His devotees.

After collecting these books, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned to Jagannātha Purī. At that time, the bathing ceremony of Jagannātha was taking place, and He saw it.

When Jagannātha was absent from the temple, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who could not see Him, felt separation and left Jagannātha Purī to go to a place known as Ālālanātha.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu remained for some days at Ālālanātha. In the meantime, He received news that all the devotees from Bengal were coming to Jagannātha Purī.

When the devotees from Bengal arrived at Jagannātha Purī, both Nityānanda Prabhu and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya greatly endeavored to take Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu back to Jagannātha Purī.

When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu finally left Ālālanātha to return to Jagannātha Purī, He was overwhelmed both day and night due to separation from Jagannātha. His lamentation knew no bounds. During this time, all the devotees from different parts of Bengal, and especially from Navadvīpa, arrived in Jagannātha Purī.

After due consideration, all the devotees began chanting the holy name congregationally. Lord Caitanya’s mind was thus pacified by the ecstasy of the chanting.

Previously, when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had been touring South India, He had met Rāmānanda Rāya on the banks of the Godāvarī. At that time it had been decided that Rāmānanda Rāya would resign from his post as governor and return to Jagannātha Purī to live with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Upon the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya took leave of the King and returned to Jagannātha Purī. After he arrived, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu very much enjoyed talking with him both day and night about Lord Kṛṣṇa and His pastimes.

After Rāmānanda Rāya’s arrival, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu bestowed His mercy upon Kāśī Miśra and met Pradyumna Miśra and other devotees. At that time three personalities — Paramānanda Purī, Govinda and Kāśīśvara — came to see Lord Caitanya at Jagannātha Purī.

Eventually there was a meeting with Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, and the Lord became very greatly pleased. Then there was a meeting with Śikhi Māhiti and with Bhavānanda Rāya, the father of Rāmānanda Rāya.

All the devotees from Bengal gradually began arriving at Jagannātha Purī. At this time, the residents of Kulīna-grāma also came to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu for the first time.

Eventually Narahari dāsa and other inhabitants of Khaṇḍa, along with Śivānanda Sena, all arrived, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu met them.

After seeing the bathing ceremony of Lord Jagannātha, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu washed and cleaned Śrī Guṇḍicā temple with the assistance of many devotees.

After this, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all the devotees saw the Ratha-yātrā, the car festival ceremony. Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself danced in front of the car, and after dancing He entered a garden.

In that garden, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu bestowed His mercy upon King Pratāparudra. Afterwards, when the Bengali devotees were about to return home, the Lord gave separate orders to almost every one of them.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu desired to meet all the devotees of Bengal every year. Therefore He ordered them to come to see the Ratha-yātrā festival every year.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was invited to dine at the house of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. While He was eating sumptuously, the son-in-law of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya [the husband of his daughter Ṣāṭhī] criticized Him. Because of this, Ṣāṭhī’s mother cursed him by praying that Ṣāṭhī would become a widow. In other words, she cursed her son-in-law to die.

At the end of the year, all the devotees from Bengal, headed by Advaita Ācārya, again came to see the Lord. Indeed, there was a great rush of devotees to Jagannātha Purī.

When all the devotees from Bengal arrived, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu allotted them residential quarters, and Śivānanda Sena was put in charge of their maintenance.

A dog accompanied Śivānanda Sena and the devotees, and that dog was so fortunate that after seeing the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, it was liberated and went back home, back to Godhead.

Everyone met Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya on his way to Vārāṇasī.

After arriving at Jagannātha Purī, all the Vaiṣṇavas met with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Later, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sported in the water, taking all the devotees with Him.

First the Lord washed the temple of Guṇḍicā very thoroughly. Then everyone saw the Ratha-yātrā festival and the Lord’s dancing before the car.

In the garden along the road from the Jagannātha temple to Guṇḍicā, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu performed various pastimes. A brāhmaṇa named Kṛṣṇadāsa performed the bathing ceremony of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

After dancing in the Guṇḍicā temple, the Lord sported in the water with His devotees, and on Herā-pañcamī day they all saw the activities of the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmīdevī.

On Janmāṣṭamī, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s birthday, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu dressed Himself as a cowherd boy. At that time He carried a balance with pots of yogurt and wheeled a rod about.

After this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu bade farewell to all the devotees from Gauḍa-deśa [Bengal] and continued chanting with His intimate devotees who constantly remained with Him.

To visit Vṛndāvana, the Lord went to Gauḍa-deśa [Bengal]. On the way, King Pratāparudra performed a variety of services to please the Lord.

On the way to Vṛndāvana via Bengal, there was an incident wherein some cloth was exchanged with Purī Gosāñi. Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya accompanied the Lord as far as the city of Bhadraka.

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu reached Vidyānagara, Bengal, on the way to Vṛndāvana, He stopped at the house of Vidyā-vācaspati, who was the brother of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu suddenly arrived at his house, great crowds of people gathered.

For five consecutive days all the people gathered to see the Lord, and still there was no rest. Out of fear of the crowd, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu left at night and went to the town of Kuliyā [present-day Navadvīpa].

Hearing of the Lord’s arrival in Kuliyā-grāma, many hundreds of thousands of people came to see Him.

The specific acts performed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at this time were His showing favor to Devānanda Paṇḍita and excusing the brāhmaṇa known as Gopāla Cāpala from the offense he had committed at the lotus feet of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura.

Many atheists and blasphemers came and fell at the lotus feet of the Lord, and the Lord in return excused them and gave them love of Kṛṣṇa.

When Śrī Nṛsiṁhānanda Brahmacārī heard that Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu would go to Vṛndāvana, he became very pleased and mentally began decorating the way there.

First Nṛsiṁhānanda Brahmacārī contemplated a broad road starting from the city of Kuliyā. He bedecked the road with jewels, upon which he then laid a bed of stemless flowers.

He mentally decorated both sides of the road with bakula flower trees, and at intervals on both sides he placed lakes of a transcendental nature.

These lakes had bathing places constructed with jewels, and they were filled with blossoming lotus flowers. There were various birds chirping, and the water was exactly like nectar.

The entire road was surcharged with many cool breezes, which carried the fragrances from various flowers. He carried the construction of this road as far as Kānāi Nāṭaśālā.

Within the mind of Nṛsiṁhānanda Brahmacārī, the road could not be constructed beyond Kānāi Nāṭaśālā. He could not understand why the road’s construction could not be completed, and thus he was astonished.

With great assurance he then told the devotees that Lord Caitanya would not go to Vṛndāvana at that time.

Nṛsiṁhānanda Brahmacārī said, “The Lord will go to Kānāi Nāṭaśālā and then will return. All of you will come to know of this later, but I now say this with great assurance.”

When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu began to proceed from Kuliyā toward Vṛndāvana, thousands of men were with Him, and all of them were devotees.

Wherever the Lord visited, crowds of innumerable people came to see Him. When they saw Him, all their unhappiness and lamentation disappeared.

Wherever the Lord touched the ground with His lotus feet, people immediately came and gathered the dirt. Indeed, they gathered so much that many holes were created in the road.

Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu eventually arrived at a village named Rāmakeli. This village is situated on the border of Bengal and is very exquisite.

While performing saṅkīrtana in Rāmakeli-grāma, the Lord danced and sometimes lost consciousness due to love of God. While at Rāmakeli-grāma, an unlimited number of people came to see His lotus feet.

When the Muslim king of Bengal heard of Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s influence in attracting innumerable people, he became very much astonished and began to speak as follows.

“Such a person, who is followed by so many people without giving them charity, must be a prophet. I can surely understand this fact.”

The Muslim king ordered the magistrate, “Do not disturb this Hindu prophet out of jealousy. Let Him do His own will wherever He likes.”

When the Muslim king asked his assistant, Keśava Chatrī, for news of the influence of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Keśava Chatrī, although knowing everything about Caitanya Mahāprabhu, tried to avoid the conversation by not giving any importance to Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s activities.

Keśava Chatrī informed the Muslim king that Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a mendicant touring different places of pilgrimage and that, as such, only a few people came to see Him.

Keśava Chatrī said, “Out of jealousy your Muslim servant plots against Him. I think that you should not be very interested in Him, for there is no profit in it. Rather, there is simply loss.”

After pacifying the King in this way, Keśava Chatrī sent a brāhmaṇa messenger to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, requesting Him to leave without delay.

In private, the King inquired from Dabira Khāsa [Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī], who began to speak about the glories of the Lord.

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī said, “The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who gave you this kingdom and whom you accept as a prophet, has taken birth in your country due to your good fortune.

“This prophet always desires your good fortune. By His grace, all your business is successful. By His blessings, you will attain victory everywhere.

“Why are you questioning me? Better that you question your own mind. Because you are the King of the people, you are the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore you can understand this better than I.”

Thus Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī informed the King about his mind as a way of knowing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He assured the King that whatever occurred in his mind could be considered evidence.

The King replied, “I consider Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no doubt about it.”

After having this conversation with Rūpa Gosvāmī, the King entered his private house. Rūpa Gosvāmī, then known as Dabira Khāsa, also returned to his residence.

After returning to his residence, Dabira Khāsa and his brother decided after much consideration to go see the Lord incognito.

Thus in the dead of night the two brothers, Dabira Khāsa and Sākara Mallika, went to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu incognito. First they met Nityānanda Prabhu and Haridāsa Ṭhākura.

Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and Haridāsa Ṭhākura told Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu that two personalities — Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana — had come to see Him.

In great humility, both brothers took bunches of straw between their teeth and, each binding a cloth around his neck, fell down like rods before the Lord.

Upon seeing Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the two brothers were overwhelmed with joy, and out of humility they began to cry. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked them to get up and assured them of all good fortune.

The two brothers got up, and again taking straw between their teeth, they humbly offered their prayers with folded hands.

“All glories to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the most merciful savior of the fallen souls! All glories to the Supreme Personality!

“Sir, we belong to the lowest class of men, and our associates and employment are also of the lowest type. Therefore we cannot introduce ourselves to You. We feel very much ashamed, standing here before You.

“ ‘Dear Lord, let us inform you that no one is more sinful than us, nor is there any offender like us. Even if we wanted to mention our sinful activities, we would immediately become ashamed. And what to speak of giving them up!’”

The two brothers submitted, “Dear Lord, You have incarnated to deliver the fallen souls. You should consider that in this world there is none so fallen as us.

“You have delivered the two brothers Jagāi and Mādhāi, but to deliver them You did not have to exert Yourself very much.

“The brothers Jagāi and Mādhāi belonged to the brāhmaṇa caste, and their residence was in the holy place of Navadvīpa. They never served low-class persons, nor were they instruments to abominable activities.

“Jagāi and Mādhāi had but one fault — they were addicted to sinful activity. However, volumes of sinful activity can be burned to ashes simply by a dim reflection of the chanting of Your holy name.

“Jagāi and Mādhāi uttered Your holy name by way of blaspheming You. Fortunately, that holy name became the cause of their deliverance.

“We two are millions and millions of times inferior to Jagāi and Mādhāi. We are more degraded, fallen and sinful than they.

“Actually we belong to the caste of meat-eaters because we are servants of meat-eaters. Indeed, our activities are exactly like those of the meat-eaters. Because we always associate with such people, we are inimical toward the cows and brāhmaṇas.”

The two brothers, Sākara Mallika and Dabira Khāsa, very humbly submitted that due to their abominable activities they were now bound by the neck and hands and had been thrown into a ditch filled with abominable, stoollike objects of material sense enjoyment.

“No one within the three worlds is sufficiently powerful to deliver us. You are the only savior of the fallen souls; therefore there is no one but You.

“If You simply deliver us by Your transcendental strength, then certainly Your name will be known as Patita-pāvana, the savior of the fallen souls.

“Let us speak one word that is very true. Plainly hear us, O merciful one. There is no other object of mercy within the three worlds but us.

“We are the most fallen; therefore by showing us Your mercy, Your mercy is most successful. Let the power of Your mercy be exhibited throughout the entire universe!

“ ‘Let us submit one piece of information before You, dear Lord. It is not at all false but is full of meaning. It is this: If You are not merciful upon us, then it will be very, very difficult to find more suitable candidates for Your mercy.’

“We are very depressed at being unfit candidates for Your mercy. Yet since we have heard of Your transcendental qualities, we are very much attracted to You.

“Indeed, we are like a dwarf who wants to capture the moon. Although we are completely unfit, a desire to receive Your mercy is awakening within our minds.

“ ‘By serving You constantly, one is freed from all material desires and is completely pacified. When shall I engage as Your permanent eternal servant and always feel joyful to have such a fitting master?’”

After hearing the prayer of Dabira Khāsa and Sākara Mallika, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “My dear Dabira Khāsa, you two brothers are My old servants.

“My dear Sākara Mallika, from this day your names will be changed to Śrīla Rūpa and Śrīla Sanātana. Now please abandon your humility, for My heart is breaking to see you so humble.

“You have written several letters showing your humility. I can understand your behavior from those letters.

“By your letters, I could understand your heart. Therefore, in order to teach you, I sent you one verse, which reads as follows.

“ ‘If a woman is attached to a man other than her husband, she will appear very busy in carrying out her household affairs, but within her heart she is always relishing feelings of association with her paramour.’

“I really had no business in coming to Bengal, but I have come just to see you two brothers.

“Everyone is asking why I have come to this village of Rāmakeli. No one knows My intentions.

“It is very good that you two brothers have come to see Me. Now you can go home. Do not fear anything.

“Birth after birth you have been My eternal servants. I am sure that Kṛṣṇa will deliver you very soon.”

The Lord then placed His two hands on the heads of both of them, and in return they immediately placed the lotus feet of the Lord on their heads.

After this, the Lord embraced both of them and requested all of the devotees present to be merciful upon them and deliver them.

When all of the devotees saw the mercy of the Lord upon the two brothers, they were very much gladdened, and they began to chant the holy name of the Lord, “Hari! Hari!”

All the Vaiṣṇava associates of the Lord were present, including Nityānanda Prabhu, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Mukunda, Jagadānanda, Murāri and Vakreśvara.

In accordance with the instructions of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the two brothers, Rūpa and Sanātana, immediately touched the lotus feet of these Vaiṣṇavas, who all became very happy and congratulated the two brothers for having received the mercy of the Lord.

After begging the permission of all the Vaiṣṇavas present, the two brothers, at the time of their departure, humbly submitted something at the lotus feet of the Lord.

They said, “Dear Lord, although the King of Bengal, Nawab Hussain Shah, is very respectful toward You, You have no other business here. Kindly depart from this place.

“Although the King is respectful toward You, he still belongs to the yavana class and should not be believed. We think that there is no need for such a great crowd to accompany You on Your pilgrimage to Vṛndāvana.

“Dear Lord, You are going to Vṛndāvana with hundreds and thousands of people following You, and this is not a fitting way to go on a pilgrimage.”

Although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, the Supreme Lord, and was therefore not at all fearful, He still acted like a human being to teach neophytes how to act.

Having spoken thus, the two brothers offered prayers to the lotus feet of the Lord and returned to their homes. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu then desired to leave that village.

In the morning, the Lord left and went to a place known as Kānāi Nāṭaśālā. While there, He saw many pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

That night the Lord considered Sanātana Gosvāmī’s proposal that He should not go to Vṛndāvana followed by so many people.

The Lord thought, “If I go to Mathurā with such crowds behind Me, it would not be a very happy situation, for the atmosphere would be disturbed.”

The Lord concluded that He would go alone to Vṛndāvana or, at most, would take only one person as His companion. In that way, going to Vṛndāvana would be very pleasant.

Thinking like this, the Lord took His morning bath in the Ganges and started for Nīlācala, saying “I shall go there.”

Walking and walking, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu arrived at Śāntipura and remained at the house of Advaita Ācārya for five to seven days.

Taking this opportunity, Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu sent for mother Śacīdevī, and she remained at His house for seven days to prepare the meals for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Taking permission from His mother, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu then started for Jagannātha Purī. When the devotees followed Him, He humbly begged them to remain and bade them all farewell.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, although requesting all the devotees to go back, allowed two people to follow Him. He requested all the devotees to come to Jagannātha Purī and meet Him during the car festival.

The two persons who accompanied Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to Jagannātha Purī [Nīlācala] were Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya and Dāmodara Paṇḍita.

After remaining at Jagannātha Purī for a few days, the Lord secretly started for Vṛndāvana at night. He did this without anyone’s knowledge.

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu left Jagannātha Purī for Vṛndāvana, only Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya was with Him. Thus He traveled on the path through Jhārikhaṇḍa and arrived in Benares [Vārāṇasī] with great delight.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stayed at Benares only four days and then left for Vṛndāvana. After seeing the town of Mathurā, He visited the twelve forests.

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited all twelve places of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, He became very much agitated because of ecstasy. Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya somehow or other got Him out of Mathurā.

After leaving Mathurā, the Lord began to walk along the path on the bank of the Ganges, and finally He reached the holy place named Prayāga [Allahabad]. It was there that Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī came and met the Lord.

At Prayāga, Rūpa Gosvāmī fell down on the ground to offer obeisances to the Lord, and the Lord embraced him with great delight.

After instructing Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī at Prayāga, at the Daśāśvamedha-ghāṭa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu ordered him to go to Vṛndāvana. The Lord then returned to Vārāṇasī.

When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu arrived at Vārāṇasī, Sanātana Gosvāmī met Him there. The Lord remained there for two months and instructed Sanātana Gosvāmī perfectly.

After fully instructing Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sent him to Mathurā with empowered devotional service. In Benares He also bestowed His mercy upon the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs. He then returned to Nīlācala [Jagannātha Purī].

The Lord traveled all over India for six years. He was sometimes here and sometimes there, performing His transcendental pastimes, and sometimes He remained at Jagannātha Purī.

While at Jagannātha Purī, the Lord passed His time in great joy by performing saṅkīrtana and visiting the temple of Jagannātha in great ecstasy.

Thus I have given a synopsis of the madhya-līlā, the middle pastimes of the Lord. Now, O devotees, kindly hear the synopsis of the final pastimes of the Lord, known as the antya-līlā.

When the Lord returned to Jagannātha Purī from Vṛndāvana, He remained there and did not go anywhere else for eighteen years.

During those eighteen years, all the devotees of Bengal used to visit Him at Jagannātha Purī every year. They would remain there for four continuous months and enjoy the company of the Lord.

At Jagannātha Purī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu performed chanting and dancing unceasingly. Thus He enjoyed the pastime of saṅkīrtana. He manifested His causeless mercy, pure love of God, to everyone, including the lowest man.

Residing with the Lord at Jagannātha Purī were Paṇḍita Gosāñi and other devotees, such as Vakreśvara, Dāmodara, Śaṅkara and Haridāsa Ṭhākura.

Jagadānanda, Bhagavān, Govinda, Kāśīśvara, Paramānanda Purī and Svarūpa Dāmodara were other devotees who also lived with the Lord.

Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya and other devotees who were residents of Jagannātha Purī also remained permanently with the Lord.

Other devotees of the Lord — headed by Advaita Ācārya, Nityānanda Prabhu, Mukunda, Śrīvāsa, Vidyānidhi, Vāsudeva and Murāri — used to visit Jagannātha Purī and remain with the Lord for four continuous months. The Lord enjoyed various pastimes in their company.

At Jagannātha Purī, Haridāsa Ṭhākura passed away. The incident was very wonderful because the Lord Himself performed the festival of Ṭhākura Haridāsa’s departure.

At Jagannātha Purī Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī met the Lord again, and the Lord invested his heart with all transcendental power.

After this, the Lord punished Junior Haridāsa, and Dāmodara Paṇḍita gave some warning to the Lord.

Thereafter Sanātana Gosvāmī met the Lord again, and the Lord tested him in scorching heat during the month of Jyaiṣṭha.

Being pleased, the Lord sent Sanātana Gosvāmī back to Vṛndāvana. After that, He was fed wonderfully by the hands of Śrī Advaita Ācārya.

After sending Sanātana Gosvāmī back to Vṛndāvana, the Lord privately consulted with Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. He then sent Him to Bengal to preach love of Godhead.

Soon afterward, Vallabha Bhaṭṭa met the Lord at Jagannātha Purī, and the Lord explained to him the import of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa.

After explaining the transcendental qualities of Rāmānanda Rāya, the Lord sent Pradyumna Miśra to his residence, and Pradyumna Miśra learned kṛṣṇa-kathā from him.

After this, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu saved Gopīnātha Paṭṭanāyaka, the younger brother of Rāmānanda Rāya, from being condemned to death by the King.

Rāmacandra Purī criticized Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s eating; therefore the Lord reduced His eating to a minimum. However, when all the Vaiṣṇavas became very sorry, the Lord increased His portion to half as much as usual.

There are fourteen planetary systems within the universe, and all living entities reside in those planetary systems.

Dressing like human beings on pilgrimage, they all used to come to Jagannātha Purī to visit Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

One day all the devotees, headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, were chanting the transcendental qualities of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Not liking the chanting of His transcendental qualities, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu chastised them as if He were angry. “What kind of chanting is this?” He asked. “Are you leaving aside the chanting of the holy name of the Lord?”

Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu chastised all the devotees, telling them not to show impudence and spoil the entire world by becoming independent.

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was apparently in an angry mood and chastising His devotees, many thousands of people outside loudly cried in a tumultuous voice, “All glories to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu!”

All the people began to call very loudly, “All glories to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is the son of Mahārāja Nanda! Now You have appeared in order to deliver the whole world!

“O Lord, we are very unhappy. We have come a long distance to see You. Please be merciful and show us Your favor.”

When the Lord heard the humble petition made by the people, His heart softened. Being very merciful, He immediately came out and gave audience to all of them.

Raising His arms, the Lord asked everyone to chant loudly the vibration of the holy name of Lord Hari. There immediately arose a great stir, and the vibration of “Hari!” filled all directions.

Seeing the Lord, everyone became joyful out of love. Everyone accepted the Lord as the Supreme, and thus they offered their prayers.

While the people were offering their prayers unto the Lord, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura sarcastically said to the Lord, “At home, You wanted to be covered. Why have You exposed Yourself outside?”

Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura continued, “Who has taught these people? What are they saying? Now You can cover their mouths with Your own hand.

“It is as if the sun, after rising, wanted to hide itself. We cannot understand such characteristics in Your behavior.”

The Lord replied, “My dear Śrīnivāsa, please stop joking. You have all combined together to humiliate Me in this way.”

Thus speaking, the Lord entered His room after glancing auspiciously upon the people out of charity. In this way the desires of the people were completely fulfilled.

At this time, Raghunātha dāsa approached Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and, according to His order, prepared a feast and distributed prasādam composed of chipped rice and curd.

Later, Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī left home and took shelter of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Jagannātha Purī. At that time, the Lord received him and placed him under the care of Svarūpa Dāmodara for spiritual enlightenment.

Later, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stopped Brahmānanda Bhāratī’s habit of wearing deerskin. The Lord thus enjoyed His pastimes continuously for six years, experiencing varieties of transcendental bliss.

I have thus given a synopsis of the madhya-līlā. Now please hear the pastimes the Lord performed during the last twelve years.

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.