Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Carita | Book 2 Chapter 4

Fourth Sarga

Bathing in the Sky-River

1

From that time on, the brāhmaṇa named Śuklāmbara would weep constantly, falling repeatedly to the earth like a rod, he proclaimed again and again:

2

"Dear Lord, now You have transformed Navadvīpa into Mathurā!" So saying, he wept and rolled about on the earth, immersed in loving sentiments.

3

At times the Supreme Soul would dance, placing His hand on the shoulder of an associate; at times the hairs of His body would thrill out of rapture.

4

Sometimes in the mood of the Supreme Controller, He awarded boons to His servitors, and sometimes, while dancing, He taught the people the moods of bhava by many kinds of expressive gestures.

5

Once, while Prabhu was passing leisure moments at night, He enlivened the hearts of His associates by mounting upon their shoulders and sporting in a pleasurable mood.

6

On another day, while sitting on the ground, He clapped the palms of His hands, making sounds which reverberated in all directions, and called out, "Oh! Just behold the activities of the actor!

7

"Behold, behold the wonderful seed which I have planted in the earth! Look, look at this sprout which has germinated and become a tree within a moment!

8

"Look now! Thousands of flowers are blossoming! Look, look at the fruits that are forming! And now look how the fruits are ripe and ready to pick!

9

"Certainly neither these fruits nor the tree, which have been created within a moment by My illusory energy, have any reality. They are like the mirage in the desert, from which there is nothing to be obtained.

10

"In this way, all work performed under the guidance of the illusory potency is insubstantial, but one performing service under the Lord's guidance receives the immense wealth of prema.

11

"All that which is done for the sake of Īśvara brings actual benefit. Therefore a man of refined intelligence should perform all his work for the Lord's satisfaction."

12

Then the all-opulent Lord spoke to the physician Mukuṇḍa, who was standing in His presence, "Do you not have any personal realization of spiritual life as taught in the Vedas?"

13

After saying this, the Lord, subduer of the foe, recited the following verse which establishes the glory of the illustrious name of Rāma. This verse is a confidential summary of Vedic truth:

14

"Persons who are connected through yoga with the Personality of Godhead derive pleasure only in the Lord, whose unlimited form is composed of eternity, cognizance and bliss. For this reason, the Supreme Brahman is described by the term `Rāma,' meaning the reservoir of pleasure."

15-16

Again the Lord spoke, chastising the physician Mukuṇḍa, "You have declared that meditation on the four-armed form of the Lord is best, and you consider meditation on His two-armed form inferior. By such differentiation between the forms of the Supreme Lord, you can certainly attain only grief.

17

"If you understand the actual welfare of the spirit-soul, then you should meditate on the Lord's two-armed form with intense endeavour, and this will endow you with all desired benefits."

18

Then Mukuṇḍa, that best among singers, who was like a bee tasting the honey at the lotus feet of Gaurāṅga, replied to the Lord with his head bowed submissively:

19

"I have bathed to my heart's content in the waters of the sura-nadī, and my body is decorated with the dust from the feet of the blessed vaiṣṇavas. Now today kindly bestow the beautiful umbrella of Your lotus feet on my head, and by performing an abhiśeka with Your foot-dust, please initiate me as Your servant."

20

Upon hearing these words, the Lord became pleased and bestowed His lotus feet on the head of Mukuṇḍa, who then became very jubilant.

21

The body of that intelligent man became covered by ecstatic pulakas and his eyes filled with tears. The lotus-eyed Lord then addressed Murāri:

22-24

"O physician, is your realization of the supreme truths of the Gītā concerning the transcendent spirit-soul and Super-soul complete? Now, if you have a desire to truly live, and if you have a desire to attain love for Hari, then completely putting aside the Gītā, just compose a verse from your heart about Hari." Hearing this, the intelligent physician Murāri Gupta modestly replied to the Lord, who had appeared as a guru and whose affection is like an ocean: "Because Nārāyana is indeed Your confidential avatāra, it is only fitting that You Yourself should speak about Him.

25

"Kindly fulfil this command, O Lord of gods." The Lord heard this with a smiling face and replied to him, "Certainly this must happen.

26

"Whatever this physician may speak is the essence of truth and must come to pass." Hearing these words of Hari, Murāri said nothing out of fear. Yet his heart rejoiced at that incident.

27

Śrīman Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita was attached to pure behaviour and dedicated to the service of Śrī Hari.

28

After bathing early and performing complete worship of Śrī Hari according to the guidance of scripture, Śrīvāsa and his brothers would constantly wait upon the Lord.

29-30

Together they jubilantly sang the names of Hari and songs of devotion as they bathed Him with sanctified waters, made offerings of excellent paraphernalia, and fed Him with foods made from fruits and the products of the cow. The younger brother of Śrīvāsa named Rāma was endowed with opulence and was affectionate to his brothers.

31

He was dear to all living beings and dedicated to the service of his elders. Together with his brother, that thoughtful person rendered sevā day after day to Śrī Hari.

32-33

Those two brothers, Śrīvāsa and Śrīrāma, were always dear to Nṛhari. As the wielder of the Sudarśana disc danced with them in their home, He appeared like the great soul Kapila Muni accompanied by sages.

34

On another day as the limitless Lord instructed His students, one of them, the son of a brāhmaṇa, said that the Kṛṣṇa's name was a product of māyā Hearing that malicious person's words, covering His ears the golden lord went to the Gaṅgā and plunged in with His clothes together with all His students. Then He returned to His home, which was like an ocean of His pleasure-pastimes.

35

The person who reads this narration of Gaura Hari's bathing in the sky-born river can verily obtain the fruits of sacrifice, as well as unalloyed devotion to and constant remembrance of Śrī Hari. Indeed, simply by hearing it one obtains that same benefit.

Thus ends the Fourth Sarga entitled "Bathing in the Sky-River," in the Second Prakrama of the great poem Śrī Caitanya Carita.