Twenty-fifth Sarga
The Narration of the Lord's Pastimes
Beginning with the Birth of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and
Ending with the Darśana of Gopīnātha
1
[Murāri Gupta continued narrating to Dāmodara Paṇḍita:] O brāhmaṇa, the biography of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya has thus been narrated in an abridged form. Later, Śrīvāsa and other great souls will relate it in detail.
2
Now, the history of Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu will be continuously related in sequence, as well as the benefits obtained by the reader who relishes it.
3
The cause for Śrī Kṛṣṇa's descent and activities was the compassion felt by the sage Nārada, after he sadly saw the materialistic state of humanity in the age of quarrel.
4
Then follows the narration of Śrī Nārada Muni's passage to the spiritual world of Vaikuṇṭha, how Lord Kṛṣṇa appeased his sorrow, the enumeration of all the avatāras, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa's appearance within this material world.
5
Next come descriptions of Kṛṣṇa's various childhood pastimes, including the story how Gaura Gopāla ate the rice cooked by the brāhmaṇa on pilgrimage, and how Śrī Viśvarūpa (who is none other than Lord Nityānanda) accepted sannyāsa.
6
Thereafter follows the narration of Jagannātha Miśra's departure from this world, the grief and lamentation which attended that occasion, the beauty of Śrī Gaura as He performed pastimes of scholarship, and also how He freed His mother from all sorrow.
7
The story of Prabhu's marriage with Lakṣmī Devī and His subsequent departure for the eastern countries, as well as Lakṣmī's death, and the way in which Gaura dispelled Śacī Mātā's grief, are all narrated.
8
Then follows the glorious narration of Gaura's marriage with Śrīmatī Viṣṇu-priyā, and the influence of His transcendental bliss. Gaura met with Śrī Īśvara Purī and fulfilled His duty to His father at Gayā.
9
The symptoms of transcendental ecstasy then made their first appearance on Śrī Gaurāṅga's body. Gaura accepted the form of Varāha-deva. He inaugurated the auspicious movement of Hari-nama-saṅkīrtana, and dispelled thunderclouds as they threatened to interrupt the chanting.
10
Gaura left that spot where a student made an imaginative interpretation of Śrī Hari's names and plunged into the Gaṅgā with all His clothes. Gaura showed submission to the assembly of devotees by offering obeisances to the vaiṣṇavas when He met with Śrīla Advaitācārya.
11
Gaura displayed sympathy for His bhaktas and had His first darśana of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Nityānanda tasted ānanda when He saw Śrī Caitanya's six- armed form, and Gaura revealed that Nitāi is none other than Balarāma.
12
Śrī Gaura Hari became utterly fascinated with the bhakti-rasa, and He cleansed the temple of Śrī Hari. He accepted offerings made by His bhaktas, and showed a great form filled with all opulence.
13
Then follow Gaurāṅga's pastimes of dancing, singing and so forth, diving in the Gaṅgā, and the brāhmaṇa's blessing-curse, which brought about the deliverance of all living entities.
14
While absorbed in the mood of Balarāma, Gaura Hari drank honey wine, and thereafter He danced and performed other pastimes. Then a description of the sweet singing and dancing of Śrī Caitanya as He wore the dress of a gopī follows.
15
As Gaura set off to take sannyāsa, He pacified the hearts of Murāri Gupta and others. Then the townsfolk of Navadvīpa and Kaṇṭaka lamented greatly.
16
After Gaura accepted His sannyāsa name, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, He revealed to His guru the bliss of love for Kṛṣṇa. While wandering in the land of Rāha-deśa, Gaura endowed that land with meaning, and then He sent Candra Śekhara as a messenger to His Navadvīpa bhaktas .
17
Through the agency of Nityānanda Prabhu, Gaura destroyed the sorrow of the people of Navadvīpa, and in Śānti-pura He performed pastimes amongst the assembled bhaktas.
18
Then follows the breaking of the Lord's daṇa, darśana of Gopīnātha, Lord Varāha's purifying darśana, and the darśana of the river Virajā.
19
Lord Gaurāṅga took darśana of the sacred river Vaitaraṇī, the town of Yājapura, and the Śiva-liṅgams present there. After revealing many moods of ecstasy, Gaura took direct darśana of Lord Śrī Śiva, master of the three worlds.
20
Gaura accepted Śrī Śiva's food-remnants, and Murāri Gupta then explained the principle behind this action. As He saw the Deity of Gopāla (Gopīnātha) in His temple at Remunā, Gaura Prabhu wept.
21
Within the lake of the sage Mārkaṇḍeya, Gaura beheld the liṅgam of Śrī Śiva, and when He saw the splendorous form of Jagannātha Swāmī, He tasted great bliss.
22
Again Gaurāṅga took darśana of the radiant face of Lord Jagannātha, and after offering prayers in praise of Jagannātha-mahā-prasādam, He honoured that auspicious food.
23
Śrī Caitanya delivered Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya from the desert of monism. Then travelling south, He took darśana of Kūrma-deva and showed compassion on Kūrma vipra.
24
After Gaura delivered the leper-brāhmaṇa named Vāsudeva, He empowered both him and the vipra Kūrma with potency to preach the message of Godhead. In great happiness, Gaura relished the history of Jiyaḍa-Nṛsiha.
25
Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu had a most fortunate and pleasant meeting with Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya. Then He took darśana of Paramānanda Purī, one of the disciples of Śrī Mādhavendra Purī.
26
He beheld the eternal abode of Śrī Sītā-Rāma named Pañcavatī, and saw Raṅganātha, the great Deity of Viṣṇu who is situated at Raṅga-kṣetra. Then Gaura sent Śrī Paramānanda Purī to stay at Jagannātha Purī.
27
Gaura Hari took darśana of the liṅgam of Lord Śiva named Rāmeśvara at Setu- Bandha. Thereafter He returned to Purī, and felt immense joy to once again see Lord Jagannātha.
28
Indicating that His ultimate destination was Vṛndāvana, Gaura Kṛṣṇa set forth for Gauḍa. Then He displayed very amazing powers in the home of Vācaspati.
29
While giving guidance to Devānanda Paṇḍita, Gaura proclaimed the glories of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and explained that the qualification for a person who hears and speaks the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is freedom from envy.
30
Next the paths and excellent arrangements which were made within Śrī Nsihānanda Brahmacārī's mind as far as the town of Rāmakeli and Kṛṣṇa-nāṭya- sthala are described.
31
Returning to Navadvīpa, Gaura happily arrived at the house of Śrī Advaitācārya and there met with the assembly of bhaktas.
32
After pleasantly accepting the Lord's prasādam, Gaura worshipped His mother's feet, and while returning to Puruṣottama Kṣetra, He took darśana of Gopīnātha in Remuṇā.
Thus ends the Sarga entitled "The Narration of the Lord's Pastimes Beginning with the Birth of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Ending with the Darśana of Gopīnātha," in the Fourth Prakrama of the great poem Śrī Caitanya Carita.