Third Sarga
Wandering in Rāha-deśa
1
Then and bowing to the feet of His guru , the mighty-armed Mādhava then requested permission to depart. Following his order, He left secretly for Rāha-deśa, absorbed in confidential thoughts.
2
While travelling on the path in the company of the avadhūta, Śrī Caitanya again and again untiringly discussed the ever-fresh qualities of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and danced and sang bhakti-inspiring songs for His internal identity of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.
3
While wandering, He would meditate on the lotus feet of the Soul of all souls. Then becoming covered by torrents of love-tears, He appeared like a mountain peak surrounded by cascading waterfalls.
4
Sometimes His eyes became blinded by tears, His body trembled, and His hairs bristled out of ecstasy. Entranced in consciousness of Kṛṣṇa, He would sometimes stumble and sometimes run swiftly.
5
Sometimes He would expand in power like an intoxicated war elephant, and sometimes with great reverence, He would utter, "Govinda! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!"
6
Since Śrī Gaurāṅga was unable to hear the names of Śrī Hari chanted in that land, felt great distress and declared, "I shall at once enter this water and give up this body.
7
"In this land, which is populated by so many brāhmaṇas, why do I not hear chanting of the names of Śrī Hari?" Thus, with fixed determination our Prabhu approached the water's edge.
8
Nityānanda Avadhūta saw several boys who were tending their cows and sporting amongst one another and he instructed them on the chanting of the names of Śrī Hari.
9
Amongst them was a boy of prodigious intelligence, who with great exhilaration proclaimed loudly again and again, "Hari Bol! Hari Bol!"
10
Hearing this, the Lord felt happy and thus decided to desist from destroying His body. Then He wept loudly out of feeling anguish of separation from Kṛṣṇa and fell entranced to the earth.
11
Then Gaura Hari was pacified by the avadhūta, who spoke to Him news of Vṛndāvana. Oh! what marvellous news that was. And while proceeding on the path, filled with the great and munificent desires of pure devotion, He gave me some instructions:
12
"At once yo must depart for Navadvīpa," the Lord of Lakṣmī said. Then, afflicted by grief and lamentation, I readied myself to leave.
13
The Lord further said, "Your grace must deliver this message from Me to all My devotees, `namo Nārāyaṇāya, Let us offer our obeisances unto Nārāyaṇa.' This will bring Me joy."
14
I heard this command of Gaurāṅga Hari, but because I had completely given up my life for His sake and thus felt without any shelter other than Him, I simply remained there in His presence, feeling much perturbed.
15
I understood the very astonishing activities of Śrī Gaura Candra to be confidential, in that His external state was merely a reflection of His inner trance. Then with a faltering voice the Lord uttered the auspicious name of Kṛṣṇa.
16
At times He would laugh, at times His voice became choked, and sometimes He would tremble or sing. At times He would weep or wander here and there, and at times He would fall down and sleep upon the earth.
17
At times He would taste the moods of a gopī, at other times the moods of a servant of the Lord, and sometimes the moods of the Supreme Lord Himself. Through these moods, the self-sufficient and self-satisfied Lord taught His people lessons.
18
Until the third day, Gaura Hari continuously lost remembrance of His body. At that, I became very anxious and disturbed, and I worried, "What should I do now?"
19
On the following day, Śrī Gaura regained consciousness of His external body. Then I took permission from that guru of all renunciates and returned to my home.
20
There I gave the message to the devotees, "On the day after tomorrow, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya will come to the house of the Ācārya. At that time, your good selves shall have His darśana. This is certain."
21
Thus did I see and hear sublime chanting and other pastimes performed by Śrī Hari, the all-opulent Personality of Godhead. I have described in full these most auspicious qualities of Hari, which can award all happiness to mankind.
Thus ends the Third Sarga entitled "Wandering in Rāha-deśa," in the Third Prakrama of the great poem Śrī Caitanya Carita.