Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Carita | Book 4 Chapter 22

Twenty-second Sarga

The Joyous Meeting of Nityānanda and Advaita

1

Then accompanied by a group of devotees, Śrī Gaura Candra smiled brightly and again addressed Nityānanda Prabhu:

2

"Your Grace! Kindly accomplish all that I formerly instructed You to do. Go now to Gauḍa-deśa!" Hearing this, Nityānanda Prabhu departed smiling.

3

When Nityānanda arrived in the charming town of Pānihāṭa, He went to the house of Rāghava Paṇḍita. That brāhmaṇa offered prostrated obeisances before Him, and Nityānanda very jubilantly embraced him to His heart and said:

4

"O Rāghava, with great haste perform My sacred bath with sweetly scented water. Anoint My body with scents such as sandalwood pulp and decorate Me with flower- ornaments and so forth.

5

"You must fully decorate My body with ornaments of gold, silver, coral, gems and pearls. This is your duty.

6

"Through this expedient, I shall begin to fulfil the desire of My Lord Gaura Candra to spread the holy name throughout Bengal! His body is eternal, cognizant and blissful, and He is the Lord of My life."

7-8

Upon hearing all these instructions, the brāhmaṇa speedily accomplished them with aid of the people of the town. With much joy he immersed the transcendental body of Śrī Nityānanda in sweetly fragrant water from the river of the gods. After decorating Him with ornaments and anointing Him with scented oils, candana and flowers, Rāghava Paṇḍita bowed before Him, falling down like a rod to the ground.

9

Thus fully adorned, Nityānanda shone like Baladeva, the son of Nanda Himself. By His own wish He appeared there in His original form as a gopāla.

10-11

Śrī Rāma, Sundarānanda, Gaurīdāsa and others, who dearly loved to chant the names of Hari, also accepted the forms of the gopāla-sakhās of Vraja, headed by Śrīdāmā. Decorated by the ornaments of the vaśī and veṇu flutes, as well as bugles made of buffalo-horns and other paraphernalia of cowherd boys, those great souls took continuous delight in Nityānanda's company.

12

Bhagavān Rāma played with His sakhās in the waters of the Jāhnavī. Then dancing with immense ecstasy, He wandered from home to home to visit all His bhaktas.

13

Thus He enjoyed with great delight. He next visited the home of Gadādhara Dāsa. Just by seeing Gadādhara and appreciating his gopī-bhāva, Nityānanda became flooded by emotions of prema.

14

Absorbed in kīrtana-bliss, they came to the town named Sapta Grāma and went to the bank of the Trivenī while singing songs of Gaurāṅga's qualities.

15-16

Gadādhara Dāsa danced, displaying the supreme ecstasy of the gopīs. Then Śrī Nityānanda, bestower of the bliss of Gaurāṅga-kīrtana, having created great delight in that place, went to the house of Purandara. There He satisfied that person's heart by His mellows of prema.

17

Persons conversant in the Vedas have named that place where the currents mingle Mukta-veṇī. There all the seven sages contemplate the transcendental abode of all ecstasy, which is the lotus feet of Nārāyaṇa.

18

Sages say that the currents of the Gaṅgā, Yamunā and Sarasvatī eternally flow there, and the sight of that spot causes great jubilation to the pilgrims.

19

Simply by bathing there or even remembering that place, men attain liberation, achieve devotion to Śrī Hari, and nullify all distress.

20

Wandering from house to house amongst the merchants of that town, Nityānanda Prabhu performed a great saṅkīrtana of the names of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.

21

Just as the joy of saṅkīrtana was previously displayed in Navadvīpa, that joy was also supremely victorious at Tri-veṇī by the mercy of Nityānanda.

22

After staying in the house of Uddhāraṇa Datta, that spiritual master of all living beings departed for Śāntipura, immersed in Gaura Candra-rasa.

23

When the very wise Advaita saw the face of Nityānanda, He filled all directions with a resounding roar of joy.

24

The Ācārya glorified Nityānanda with immense bliss, rising and falling before Him again and again. Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu embraced Śrī Advaita and also offered humble obeisances. Then Nityānanda became comfortably seated.

25

After arousing jubilation in Śrī Advaita, Nityānanda, who engladdens the hearts of all the people of the world, departed for Navadvīpa as He was completely intoxicated by the divine attributes of Śrī Gaurāṅga.

Thus ends the Twenty-second Sarga entitled "The Joyous Meeting of Nityānanda and Advaita," in the Fourth Prakrama of the great poem Śrī Caitanya Carita.