The Cleansing of the Guṇḍicā Temple

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu washed and cleansed the Guṇḍicā temple with His devotees and associates. In this way He made it as cool and bright as His own heart, and thus He made the temple a befitting place for Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa to sit.

All glories to Gauracandra! All glories to Nityānanda! All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to all the devotees of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu!

All glories to the devotees of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura! I beg their power so that I can properly describe Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned from His South Indian tour, Mahārāja Pratāparudra, the King of Orissa, became very anxious to meet Him.

The King sent a letter from his capital, Kaṭaka, to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, entreating him to obtain the Lord’s permission so that he could go and see Him.

Replying to the King’s letter, the Bhaṭṭācārya wrote that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had not given His permission. After this, the King wrote him another letter.

In this letter the King requested Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, “Please appeal to all the devotees associated with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and submit this petition to them on my behalf.

“If all the devotees associated with the Lord are favorably disposed toward me, they can submit my petition at the lotus feet of the Lord.

“By the mercy of all the devotees, one can attain the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. Without His mercy, my kingdom does not appeal to me.

“If Gaurahari, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, will not show mercy to me, I shall give up my kingdom, become a mendicant and beg from door to door.”

When the Bhaṭṭācārya received this letter, he became very anxious. He then took the letter and went to the devotees of the Lord.

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya met with all the devotees and described the King’s wishes. Then he presented the letter to all of them for inspection.

Upon reading the letter, everyone was astonished to see that King Pratāparudra had so much devotion for the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

The devotees gave their opinion and said, “The Lord will never meet the King, and if we requested Him to do so, the Lord would surely feel very unhappy.”

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya then said, “We shall go once again to the Lord, but we shall not request Him to meet the King. Rather, we shall simply describe the good behavior of the King.”

Having thus reached a decision, they all went to the place of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. There, although ready to speak, they could not even utter a word.

After they arrived at Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s place, the Lord, seeing them, said, “What have you all come here to say? I see that you want to say something, but you do not speak. What is the reason?”

Nityānanda Prabhu then said, “We want to tell You something. Although we cannot stay without speaking, we are still very much afraid to speak.

“We want to submit before You something that may or may not be befitting. The matter is this: unless he sees You, the King of Orissa will become a mendicant.”

Nityānanda Prabhu continued, “The King has decided to become a mendicant and accept the sign of a mendicant by wearing an ivory earring. He does not want to enjoy his kingdom without seeing the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.”

Nityānanda Prabhu continued, “The King also expressed his desire to see the moonlike face of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to his eyes’ full satisfaction. He would like to raise the lotus feet of the Lord to his heart.”

Hearing all these statements, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mind was certainly softened, but externally He wished to speak some harsh words.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “I can understand that you all desire to take Me to Kaṭaka to see the King.”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “What to speak of spiritual advancement — all the people will blaspheme Me. And what to speak of all the people — Dāmodara would chastise Me.

“I shall not meet the King at the request of all the devotees, but I shall do so if Dāmodara will give his permission.”

Dāmodara immediately replied, “My Lord, You are the fully independent Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since everything is known to You, You know what is permissible and what is not permissible.

“I am merely an insignificant jīva, so what power do I have to give directions to You? By Your own personal choice You will meet with the King. I shall see it.

“The King is very much attached to You, and You are feeling affection and love toward him. Thus I can understand that by virtue of the King’s affection for You, You will touch him.

“Although You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead and are completely independent, still You are dependent on the love and affection of Your devotees. That is Your nature.”

Nityānanda Prabhu then said, “Who is there in the three worlds who can ask You to see the King?

“Still, isn’t it the nature of an attached man to give up his life if he does not attain his desired object?

“For instance, some of the wives of the brāhmaṇas who were performing sacrifices gave up their lives in the presence of their husbands for the sake of Kṛṣṇa.”

Nityānanda Prabhu then submitted one suggestion for the Lord’s consideration. “There is a way,” He suggested, “by which You need not meet the King but which would enable the King to continue living.

“If You, out of Your mercy, send one of Your outer garments to the King, the King would live hoping to see You some time in the future.”

The Lord said, “Since you are all very learned personalities, whatever you decide I shall accept.”

Lord Nityānanda Prabhu then obtained an external garment used by the Lord by requesting it from Govinda.

Thus Nityānanda Prabhu delivered the old cloth into the care of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya sent it to the King.

When the King received the old cloth, he began to worship it exactly as he would worship the Lord personally.

After returning from his service in South India, Rāmānanda Rāya requested the King to allow him to remain with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

When Rāmānanda Rāya requested the King to allow him to stay with the Lord, the King immediately gave him permission with great satisfaction. As for the King himself, he began to solicit Rāmānanda Rāya to make a meeting arrangement.

The King told Rāmānanda Rāya, “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very, very merciful to you. Therefore please solicit my meeting with Him without fail.”

The King and Rāmānanda Rāya returned together to Jagannātha-kṣetra [Purī], and Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

At that time, Rāmānanda Rāya informed Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu about the ecstatic love of the King. Indeed, as soon as there was some opportunity, he repeatedly informed the Lord about the King.

Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya was indeed a diplomatic minister for the King. His general behavior was very expert, and simply by describing the King’s love for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he gradually softened the Lord’s mind.

Mahārāja Pratāparudra, in great anxiety, could not endure not seeing the Lord; therefore Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya, by his diplomacy, arranged a meeting with the Lord for the King.

Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya frankly requested Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “Please show Your lotus feet to the King at least once.”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “My dear Rāmānanda, you should make this request after duly considering whether it is befitting for a sannyāsī to meet a king.

“If a mendicant meets a king, this world and the next world are both destroyed for the mendicant. Indeed, what is there to say of the next world? In this world, people will joke if a sannyāsī meets a king.”

Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “My Lord, You are the supreme independent personality. You have nothing to fear from anyone because You are not dependent on anyone.”

When Rāmānanda Rāya addressed Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Caitanya Mahāprabhu objected, saying, “I am not the Supreme Personality of Godhead but an ordinary human being. Therefore I must fear public opinion in three ways — with My body, mind and words.

“As soon as the general public finds a little fault in the behavior of a sannyāsī, they advertise it like wildfire. A black spot of ink cannot be hidden on a white cloth. It is always very prominent.”

Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “My dear Lord, You have delivered so many sinful people. This King Pratāparudra, the King of Orissa, is actually a servitor of the Lord and Your devotee.”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then said, “There may be much milk in a big pot, but if it is contaminated by a drop of liquor, it is untouchable.

“The King certainly possesses all good qualities, but simply by taking up the name ‘king,’ he has infected everything.

“But if you are still very eager for the King to meet with Me, please first bring his son to meet Me.

“It is indicated in the revealed scriptures that the son represents the father; therefore the son’s meeting with Me would be just as good as the King’s meeting with Me.”

Rāmānanda Rāya then went to inform the King about his talks with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and, following the Lord’s orders, brought the King’s son to see Him.

The prince, just entering upon his youth, was very beautiful. He was blackish in complexion and had large lotus eyes.

The prince was dressed in yellow cloth, and there were jeweled ornaments decorating his body. Therefore anyone who saw him would remember Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Seeing the boy, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately remembered Kṛṣṇa. Meeting the boy in ecstatic love, the Lord began to speak.

“Here is a great devotee,” Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said. “Upon seeing him, everyone can remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, son of Mahārāja Nanda.”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “I have become very much obligated just by seeing this boy.” After saying this, the Lord again embraced the prince.

As soon as the prince was touched by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, symptoms of ecstatic love immediately manifested themselves in his body. These symptoms included perspiration, trembling, tears, being stunned and jubilation.

The boy began to cry and dance, and he chanted, “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!” Upon seeing his bodily symptoms and his chanting and dancing, all the devotees praised him for his great spiritual fortune.

At that time, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu calmed the youth and ordered him to come there daily to meet Him.

Rāmānanda Rāya and the boy then departed from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and Rāmānanda took him back to the King’s palace. The King was very happy when he heard of his son’s activities.

Just by embracing his son, the King was filled with ecstatic love, just as if he had touched Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu directly.

From then on, the fortunate prince was one of the most intimate devotees of the Lord.

Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu acted in the society of His pure devotees, performing His pastimes and spreading the saṅkīrtana movement.

Some of the prominent devotees like Advaita Ācārya used to invite Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to take His meals at their homes. The Lord accepted such invitations accompanied by His devotees.

In this way, the Lord passed some days in great jubilation. Then the car festival of Lord Jagannātha approached.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu first of all called for Kāśī Miśra, then for the superintendent of the temple, then for Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya.

When these three people came before the Lord, He begged them for permission to wash the temple known as Guṇḍicā.

Upon hearing the Lord’s request for permission to wash the Guṇḍicā temple, the paḍichā, the superintendent of the temple, said, “My dear Sir, we are all Your servants. Whatever You desire is our duty to perform.

“The King gave a special order for me to do without delay whatever Your Lordship orders.

“My dear Lord, washing the temple is not service befitting You. Nonetheless, if You wish to do so, it is to be accepted as one of Your pastimes.

“To wash the temple, You need many waterpots and brooms. Therefore order me. I can immediately bring all these things to You.”

As soon as the superintendent understood the desire of the Lord, he immediately delivered a hundred new waterpots and a hundred brooms for sweeping the temple.

The next day, early in the morning, the Lord took His personal associates with Him and, with His own hand, smeared sandalwood pulp on their bodies.

He then gave each devotee a broom with His own hand, and taking all of them personally with Him, the Lord went to Guṇḍicā.

In this way the Lord and His associates went to cleanse the Guṇḍicā temple. At first they cleansed the temple with the brooms.

The Lord cleansed everything inside the temple very nicely, including the ceiling. He then took up the sitting place [siṁhāsana], cleansed it and again put it in its original place.

Thus the Lord and His companions cleansed and swept all the temple’s buildings, big and small, and finally cleansed the area between the temple and the kīrtana hall.

Indeed, hundreds of devotees were engaged in cleansing all around the temple, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was personally carrying out the operation just to instruct others.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu washed and cleansed the temple in great jubilation, chanting the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa all the time. Similarly, all the devotees were also chanting and at the same time performing their respective duties.

The entire beautiful body of the Lord was covered with dust and dirt. In this way it became transcendentally beautiful. At times, when cleansing the temple, the Lord shed tears, and in some places He even cleansed with those tears.

After this, the place where the Deity’s food was kept [bhoga-mandira] was cleansed. Then the yard was cleansed, and then all the residential quarters, one after the other.

After Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu collected all the straw, dust and grains of sand in one place, He gathered it all in His cloth and threw it outside.

Following the example of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the devotees, in great jubilation, began to gather straws and dust with their own cloths and throw them outside the temple.

The Lord then told the devotees, “I can tell how much you have labored and how well you have cleansed the temple simply by seeing all the straw and dust you have collected outside.”

Even though all the devotees collected dirt in one pile, the dirt collected by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was much greater.

After the inside of the temple was cleansed, the Lord again allotted areas for the devotees to cleanse.

The Lord then ordered everyone to cleanse the inside of the temple very perfectly by taking finer dust, straws and grains of sand and throwing them outside.

After Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all the Vaiṣṇavas cleansed the temple for the second time, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very happy to see the cleansing work.

While the temple was being swept, about a hundred men stood ready with filled waterpots, and they simply awaited the Lord’s order to throw the water from them.

As soon as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu called for water, all the men immediately brought the hundred waterpots, which were completely filled, and delivered them before the Lord.

In this way, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu first washed the main temple and then thoroughly washed the ceiling, the walls, the floor, the sitting place [siṁhāsana] and everything else within the room.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself and His devotees began to throw water onto the ceiling. When this water fell, it washed the walls and floor.

Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu began to wash the sitting place of Lord Jagannātha with His own hands, and all the devotees began to bring water to the Lord.

All the devotees within the temple began to wash. Each one had a broom in his hand, and in this way they cleansed the temple of the Lord.

Someone brought water to pour into the hands of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and someone poured water on His lotus feet.

The water that fell from the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was drunk by someone who hid himself. Someone else begged for that water, and another person was giving that water in charity.

After the room was washed, the water was let out through an outlet, and it then flowed and filled the yard outside.

The Lord mopped the rooms with His own clothes, and He polished the throne with them also.

In this way all the rooms were cleansed with a hundred waterpots. After the rooms had been cleansed, the minds of the devotees were as clean as the rooms.

When the temple was cleansed, it was purified, cool and pleasing, just as if the Lord’s own pure mind had appeared.

Since hundreds of men were engaged in bringing water from the lake, there was no place to stand on the banks. Consequently someone began to draw water from a well.

Hundreds of devotees brought water in the pots, and hundreds took the empty pots away to fill them up again.

With the exception of Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Ācārya, Svarūpa Dāmodara, Brahmānanda Bhāratī and Paramānanda Purī, everyone was engaged in filling the waterpots and bringing them there.

Many of the waterpots were broken when people collided with one another, and hundreds of men had to bring new waterpots to fill.

Some people were filling the pots, and others were washing the rooms, but everyone was engaged in chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and Hari.

One person begged for a waterpot by chanting the holy names “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa,” and another delivered a pot while chanting “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa.”

Whenever anyone had to speak, he did so by uttering the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Consequently, the holy name of Kṛṣṇa became an indication for everyone who wanted something.

As Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was vibrating the holy name of Kṛṣṇa in ecstatic love, He Himself was performing the work of hundreds of men.

It appeared as though Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu were cleansing and washing with a hundred hands. He approached every devotee just to teach him how to work.

When He saw someone doing nicely, the Lord praised him, but if He saw that someone was not working to His satisfaction, He immediately chastised that person, not bearing him any grudge.

The Lord would say, “You have done well. Please teach this to others so that they may act in the same way.”

As soon as they heard Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu say this, everyone became ashamed. Thus the devotees began to work with great attention.

They washed the Jagamohana area and then the place where food was kept. All other places were also washed.

In this way the meeting place was washed, the entire yard, the raised sitting places, the kitchen and every other room.

Thus all places around the temple were thoroughly washed within and without.

After everything was thoroughly washed, a Vaiṣṇava from Bengal, who was very intelligent and simple, came and poured water on the lotus feet of the Lord.

The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava then took that water and drank it himself. Seeing that, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu felt a little unhappy and was also outwardly angry.

Although the Lord was certainly satisfied with him, He became angry externally in order to establish the etiquette of religious principles.

The Lord then called for Svarūpa Dāmodara and told him, “Just see the behavior of your Bengali Vaiṣṇava!

“This person from Bengal has washed My feet within the temple of the Personality of Godhead. Not only that, but he has drunk the water himself.

“I now do not know what My destination is because of this offense. Indeed, your Bengali Vaiṣṇava has greatly implicated Me.”

At this point Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī caught the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava by the neck and, giving him a little push, ejected him from the Guṇḍicā Purī temple and made him stay outside.

After Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī returned within the temple, he requested Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to excuse that innocent person.

After this incident, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very satisfied. He then asked all of the devotees to sit down in two lines on both sides.

The Lord then personally sat down in the middle and picked up all kinds of straw, grains of sand and dirty things.

While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was picking up the straws and grains of sand, He said, “I shall gather everyone’s collection, and I shall ask whoever has collected less than all the others to pay a fine of sweet cakes and sweet rice.”

In this way all the quarters of the Guṇḍicā temple were completely cleansed and cleared. All quarters were cool and spotless, like one’s cleansed and pacified mind.

When the water from the different rooms was finally let out through the halls, it appeared as if new rivers were rushing out to meet the waters of the ocean.

Outside the gateway of the temple, all the roads were also cleansed, and no one could tell exactly how this was done.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also cleansed the Nṛsiṁha temple inside and outside. Finally, He rested a few minutes and then began dancing.

All around Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu all the devotees performed congregational chanting. The Lord, just like a maddened lion, danced in the middle.

As usual, when Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced, there were perspiration, trembling, fading, tears, jubilation and roaring. Indeed, the tears from His eyes washed His body and those before Him.

In this way Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu washed the bodies of all the devotees with the tears from His eyes. The tears poured like the rains in the month of Śrāvaṇa.

The sky was filled with the great and loud chanting of saṅkīrtana, and the earth shook from the jumping and dancing of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu always liked the loud chanting of Svarūpa Dāmodara. Therefore when Svarūpa Dāmodara sang, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced and jumped high in jubilation.

The Lord thus chanted and danced for some time. Finally, understanding the circumstances, He stopped.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then ordered Śrī Gopāla, the son of Advaita Ācārya, to dance.

While dancing in ecstatic love, Śrī Gopāla fainted and fell to the ground unconscious.

When Śrī Gopāla fainted, Advaita Ācārya hastily took him upon His lap. Seeing that he was not breathing, He became very much agitated.

Advaita Ācārya and others began to chant the holy name of Lord Nṛsiṁha and sprinkle water. The roaring of the chant was so great that it seemed to shake the entire universe.

When the boy did not regain consciousness after some time, Advaita Ācārya and the other devotees began to cry.

Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu placed His hand on the chest of Śrī Gopāla and said loudly, “Gopāla, stand up.”

As soon as Gopāla heard the voice of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he immediately came to his senses. All the devotees then began to dance, chanting the holy name of Hari.

This incident has been described in detail by Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura. Therefore I have described it only in brief.

After taking rest, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all the devotees departed to take their baths.

After bathing, the Lord stood on the bank of the lake and put on dry garments. After offering obeisances to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, whose temple was nearby, the Lord entered a garden.

In the garden, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sat down with the other devotees. Vāṇīnātha Rāya then came and brought all kinds of mahā-prasādam.

Kāśī Miśra and Tulasī, the superintendent of the temple, brought as much prasādam as five hundred men could eat. Seeing the large quantity of prasādam, which consisted of rice, cakes, sweet rice and a variety of vegetables, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very satisfied.

Among the devotees present with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu were Paramānanda Purī, Brahmānanda Bhāratī, Advaita Ācārya and Nityānanda Prabhu.

Ācāryaratna, Ācāryanidhi, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Śaṅkara, Nandanācārya, Rāghava Paṇḍita and Vakreśvara were also present.

Receiving the permission of the Lord, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya sat down. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all His devotees sat on raised wooden seats.

In this way all the devotees sat down to take their lunch in consecutive lines, one beside the other.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was repeatedly calling, “Haridāsa, Haridāsa,” and at that time Haridāsa, standing at a distance, spoke as follows.

Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, “Let Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu take His lunch with the devotees. Since I am abominable, I cannot sit down among you.

“Govinda will give me prasādam later, outside the door.” Understanding his mind, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not call him again.

Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, Jagadānanda, Dāmodara Paṇḍita, Kāśīśvara, Gopīnātha, Vāṇīnātha and Śaṅkara distributed prasādam, and the devotees chanted the holy names at intervals.

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa had previously taken His lunch in the forest, and that very pastime was remembered by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Just by remembering the pastimes of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was agitated by ecstatic love. But considering the time and circumstance, He remained somewhat patient.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “You can give Me the ordinary vegetable known as lāphrā-vyañjana, and you may deliver to all the devotees better preparations like cakes, sweet rice and amṛta-guṭikā.”

Since Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is omniscient, He knew what types of preparations each person liked. He therefore had Svarūpa Dāmodara deliver these preparations to each devotee to his full satisfaction.

Jagadānanda went to distribute prasādam, and suddenly he placed all the first-class preparations on the plate of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

When such nice prasādam was put on the plate of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Lord was outwardly very angry. Nonetheless, when the preparations were placed on His plate sometimes by tricks and sometimes by force, the Lord was satisfied.

When the food was thus delivered, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu looked at it for some time. Being afraid of Jagadānanda, He finally ate something.

The Lord knew that if He did not eat the food offered by Jagadānanda, Jagadānanda would certainly fast. Being afraid of this, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ate some of the prasādam he offered.

Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī then brought some excellent sweetmeats and, standing before the Lord, offered them to Him.

Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī then said, “Just take a little of this mahā-prasādam, and see how it is that Lord Jagannātha has accepted it.”

Upon saying this, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī placed some food before the Lord, and the Lord, out of affection, ate it.

Svarūpa Dāmodara and Jagadānanda again and again offered the Lord some food. Thus they behaved affectionately with the Lord. This was very, very uncommon.

The Lord made Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya sit on His left side, and when Sārvabhauma saw the behavior of Svarūpa Dāmodara and Jagadānanda, he smiled.

Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also wanted to offer Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya first-class food; therefore, out of affection, He had the servers put first-class food on his plate again and again.

Gopīnātha Ācārya also brought first-class food and offered it to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya while speaking sweet words.

After serving the Bhaṭṭācārya with first-class prasādam, Gopīnātha Ācārya said, “Just consider what the Bhaṭṭācārya’s previous mundane behavior was! Just consider how at present he is enjoying transcendental bliss!”

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya replied to Gopīnātha Ācārya, “I was simply a less intelligent logician. But by your grace I have received this opulence of perfection.

“But for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu,” Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya continued, “who is so merciful? He has converted a crow into a Garuḍa. Who could be so merciful?

“In the association of the jackals known as logicians, I simply continued to bark a resounding ‘bheu bheu.’ Now, from the same mouth I am chanting the holy names ‘Kṛṣṇa’ and ‘Hari.’

“Whereas I once associated with the disciples of logic, all nondevotees, I am now merged in the waves of the nectarean ocean of the association of devotees.”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, “From your previous birth you have been in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Thus you love Kṛṣṇa so much that simply by your association we are all developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness.”

Thus there is no one within these three worlds — save for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu — who is always so willing to increase the glories of the devotees and give them satisfaction.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then took all the remnants of food offered to Jagannātha, such as cakes and sweet rice, and distributed them to all the other devotees, calling them individually.

Śrī Advaita Ācārya and Nityānanda Prabhu sat side by side, and when prasādam was being distributed They engaged in a type of mock fighting.

First Advaita Ācārya said, “I am sitting in line with an unknown mendicant, and because I am eating with Him, I do not know what kind of destination is awaiting Me.

“Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is in the renounced order of life. Consequently He does not recognize discrepancies. As a matter of fact, a sannyāsī is not affected by eating food from anywhere and everywhere.

“According to the śāstras, there is no discrepancy in a sannyāsī’s eating at another’s house. But for a householder brāhmaṇa, this kind of eating is faulty.

“It is not proper for householders to dine with those whose previous birth, family, character and behavior are unknown.”

Nityānanda Prabhu immediately refuted Śrīla Advaita Ācārya, saying, “You are a teacher of impersonal monism, and the monistic conclusion is a great hindrance to progressive, pure devotional service.

“One who participates in Your impersonal monistic philosophy does not accept anything but the one Brahman.”

Nityānanda Prabhu continued, “You are such a monist! And now I am eating beside You. I do not know how My mind will be affected in this way.”

Thus They both went on talking and praising one another, although Their praise appeared negative, for it appeared as if They exchanged ill names.

Thereafter, calling all the Vaiṣṇavas, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu distributed mahā-prasādam as if sprinkling nectar. At that time the mock fight between Advaita Ācārya and Nityānanda Prabhu became more and more delicious.

After taking their lunch, all the Vaiṣṇavas stood up and chanted the holy name of Hari, and the resounding noise filled all the upper and lower planetary systems.

After this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu offered flower garlands and sandalwood pulp to all His devoted personal associates.

The seven persons headed by Svarūpa Dāmodara who were engaged in distributing prasādam to others then took their meals within the room.

Govinda saved some remnants of food left by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and kept them carefully. Later, one portion of these remnants was delivered to Haridāsa Ṭhākura.

The remnants of food left by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu were later distributed among devotees who begged for them, and finally Govinda personally took the last remnants.

The fully independent Supreme Personality of Godhead performs various types of pastimes. The pastime of washing and cleansing the Guṇḍicā temple is but one of them.

The next day marked the performance of the festival of Netrotsava. This great festival was the life and soul of the devotees.

Everyone was unhappy for a fortnight because they could not see the Deity of Lord Jagannātha. Upon seeing the Lord at the festival, the devotees were very happy.

On this occasion, greatly happy, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took all the devotees with Him and visited the Lord in the temple.

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to visit the temple, Kāśīśvara walked in front, checking the crowds of people, and Govinda walked in the rear, bringing the sannyāsī’s pitcher filled with water.

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went toward the temple, Paramānanda Purī and Brahmānanda Bhāratī walked in front of Him, and at His two sides walked Svarūpa Dāmodara and Advaita Ācārya.

With great eagerness all the other devotees followed them into the temple of Lord Jagannātha.

Out of great eagerness to see the Lord, they all neglected the regulative principles and, just to see the Lord’s face, went to the place where the food was offered.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very thirsty to see the Lord, and His eyes became like two bumblebees drinking the honey from the lotuslike eyes of Lord Jagannātha, who is Kṛṣṇa Himself.

The eyes of Lord Jagannātha conquered the beauty of blossoming lotus flowers, and His neck was as lustrous as a mirror made of sapphires.

The chin of the Lord, tinged with buff color, conquered the beauty of the bāndhulī flower. This increased the beauty of His mild smiling, which was like lustrous waves of nectar.

The luster of His beautiful face increased at every moment, and the eyes of hundreds and thousands of devotees drank its honey like bumblebees.

As their eyes began to drink the nectarean honey of His lotus face, their thirst increased. Thus their eyes did not leave Him.

Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His devotees enjoyed transcendental bliss upon seeing the face of Jagannātha. This continued to midday.

As usual, there were transcendental blissful symptoms in Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s body. He perspired and trembled, and a constant flow of tears fell from His eyes. But the Lord checked these tears so they would not disturb His seeing the face of the Lord.

Their looking at the face of Lord Jagannātha was interrupted only when He was offered food. Afterwards they would again look upon His face. When the food was being offered to the Lord, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu performed His kīrtana.

Feeling such great pleasure upon seeing the face of Lord Jagannātha, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu forgot everything. The devotees, however, took Him to His lunch at noontime.

Knowing that the car festival would take place in the morning, all the servants of Lord Jagannātha were doubling their offerings of food.

I have briefly described the pastimes of the Lord in washing and cleansing the Guṇḍicā temple. By seeing or hearing these pastimes, even sinful men can awaken their Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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.