> # SRI CAITANYA BHAGAVATA

> ## Adi Lila Chapter 2

> All glories, all glories to the beatific Caitanya Mahaprabhu who is Sri Jagannatha Misra's son and the Supreme Lord of all. All glories to Lord Caitanya, the life and soul of Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Gadadhara Pandita. All glories, all glories to the shelter of Sri Advaita Acarya and the other devotees.

> All glories to Lord Sri Gauranga and His associates. One receives loving devotion to the Supreme simply by hearing transcendental topics about Lord Caitanya. Again I offer my obeisances at the Lord's lotus feet and at the lotus feet of all His associates, so that the pastimes of the Lord may appear on my tongue. All glories, all glories to Lord Caitanya, the ocean of compassion; and all glories, all glories to Lord Nityananda, the embodiment of loving devotional service.

> The spiritual identities of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda as brothers and as servitors of the Supreme Lord are unknown, yet by Their causeless mercy Their absolute identities would be revealed. Lord Brahma was enlightened about the Absolute Truth by Lord Krsna's mercy. Srimad-Bhagavatam and all Vedic scriptures describe this. May the Lord who in the beginning of creation amplified Brahma's potential knowledge from within his heart inspiring him with full knowledge of creation and of His own Self, and who appeared to be generated from the mouth of Brahma, be pleased with me.

> In the beginning Lord Brahma did not have the power to see anything, despite having been born on a lotus growing from the Lord's navel. However, when he completely surrendered himself to the Supreme Lord, the Lord by His causeless mercy appeared before him. That same mercy enlightened Lord Brahma with absolute knowledge of the Supreme Lord, the origin of all incarnations. Thereafter, spontaneous pure glorification of Him sprang from Brahma's mouth.

> Without Lord Krsna's causeless mercy, it is impossible to know the truth about His incarnation. His supramundane pastimes are inconceivable and inaccessible. Lord Brahma described them in the Bhagavata Purana.

> O Lord of the Universe, O Supreme Person, O Supreme Soul, O Lord of the mystics, how marvelous You are! Who within the three worlds can know when, where, why or how You expand Your internal spiritual potency "Yogamaya", and perform Your transcendental pastimes? Who can fathom the ontological reason for Your advent in this world? Therefore, I can only submit the conclusions of the Bhagavad-Gita and then the Bhagavata Purana as reasons for Your appearance.

> > "Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendent of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion, at that time I descend myself. In order to deliver the pious and annihilate the miscreants, as well as to re-establish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium."

> Whenever religious practice becomes weak, irreligion gradually increases. Therefore, Lord Brahma and others humbly requested the Lord to appear and protect the pious and destroy the demons. In order to re-establish the religious process of the age, the Supreme Lord descended to the earth with His eternal associates. The religion for Kali Yuga is the congregational chanting of the Lord's holy name, and in order to propagate this religious process, Lord Caitanya appeared as the son of Mother Saci. It is confirmed in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that the Supreme Absolute Truth, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, incarnated solely to propagate the congregational chanting of Krsna's holy name.

> > "O King Nimi, devotees always offer prayers to the Supreme Lord Hari, but now I will explain how the devotees in the Kali Yuga offer the choicest prayers accompanied by various rituals and regulations for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. In this age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by performance of sankirtana yajna." [ SB 11.5.32 ]

> The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya propagated the essence of all religion for the age of Kali - the congregational chanting of Lord Hari's holy name. Accompanied by His associates, He appeared in Kali Yuga simply to establish the religious practice of congregational chanting.

> According to His desire, His eternal associates appeared before Him, taking birth as humans. Ananta Sesa, Siva, Brahma, the sages and other associates of the Lord all took birth as highly elevated, pure Vaisnava devotees - Bhagavatas. Lord Caitanya, Krsna, knew everyone's position and identity. Most of them took birth in Navadvipa, yet some were born in Cattogram, Radhadesh or Srihatta (Bengal), and still others in Orissa. All these associates appeared in different places, but everyone eventually met in Navadvipa.

> Srivasa Pandita, Sri Rama Pandita and Sri Candrasekhar are personalities worshiped in all three worlds. Sri Murari Gupta can cure the disease of material entanglement. Vaisnavas of this caliber appeared in Srihatta. Pundarika Vidyanidhi (the foremost Vaisnava devotee), Caitanya Vallabha, (who was very dear to Lord Caitanya) and Vasudeva Datta all appeared in Cattogram. Haridas Thakura appeared in Budhan.

> The village Ekacakra is in the Radhadesa district of Bengal. The Supreme Lord Nityananda made His appearance there. Lord Nityananda is factually the Supreme Father of all living entities, but to show mercy to Hadai Pandita, a brahmin and pure devotee, He took birth as his son. Lord Nityananda is an ocean of mercy, the shelter of all Vaisnava devotees and the giver of devotion. He appeared in the district of Radhadesa. Expressing their happiness at the appearance of Lord Nityananda, the demigods made joyous sounds and showered flowers. All this was performed unseen by ordinary mundane eyes. From the time of Nityananda's appearance, Radhadesa district grew more and more prosperous each day.

> Sri Paramananda Puri, who was Lord Caitanya's close associate in Nilacala, appeared in Trihut, in Mithila, Bihar.

> When the land on the banks of Mother Ganga are places of pilgrimage, why did the Vaisnava devotees appear in impious lands? Caitanya Himself descended on the banks of Mother Ganga, so why did His eternal associates appear in far away places? In their travels the Pandavas avoided countries devoid of the sound of the holy name of the Lord and the waters of Mother Ganga.

> Lord Krsna Caitanya, being compassionate towards the unfortunate souls born in those lands, arranged for the pure Vaisnava devotees to appear there. His own appearance was required simply to redeem the material world. In order to accomplish this, He arranged for His pure devotees to take birth in impious lands and in impious families. Wherever and in whichever family the pure Vaisnava devotee appeared, he was able to purify everyone in the vicinity by his pure spiritual potency. The birthplace of a pure Vaisnava becomes a place of pilgrimage. Therefore the Supreme Lord Caitanya arranged that His associates take birth in many different places. Although they were all born in different places, they met, as if by accident, in Navadvipa.

> Lord Caitanya's birthplace was Navadvipa, hence Navadvipa was the meeting place for all the devotees. The glory of Navadvipa cannot be compared to any other place in the world. Knowing about Lord Caitanya's descent in Navadvipa, Providence made it a prosperous and flourishing town to receive the Lord. Who is capable of describing Navadvipa's opulence? Hundreds of thousands crowded to bathe on the banks of the Ganga. By Goddess Sarasvati's grace, residents of Navadvipa of all different ages were learned exponents of the scriptures. The people were proud of their material knowledge; even young boys argued logic with senior scholars. Students came from different parts of the country just to study in Navadvipa, because there they could get a taste for scholastics. The number of students in Navadvipa was incalculable, and the exact count of professors was also undetermined.

> The residents were content, graced by the favorable glances of Rama (Laksmi, the Goddess of Wealth), but they wasted their time spending the money for sense pleasures and other worldly affairs. As they grew prouder and more materialistic, the people's tastes for devotional service to the Supreme Lord had decreased alarmingly; the beginning of Kali Yuga had ushered in immoral activities. The only religious or devotional activities they knew were invocations to the demigods and demigoddesses especially Durga devi, and prayers for temporary material benedictions. Some arrogantly worshiped Manasa the goddess of snakes, while others wasted huge portions of their wealth worshiping dolls. They squandered large sums on the marriages of their sons and daughters, and in this way they wasted their human life.

> Even the so-called learned high priests like Bhattacarya, Cakravarti and Misra did did not know the purpose of the scriptures. Though they taught the scriptures, their activities were contrary to scriptural injunction, so along with their students they drowned in the deluge of iniquity. Nobody was engaged in explaining the imports of the congregational chanting of Lord Krsna's holy name - the religion of Kali Yuga. They spent their time simply finding faults in others.

> As for the superstitious so-called renunciates and hermits, not a single name of God ever escaped from their mouths. Those considered most pious in society were heard repeating the Lord's name Govinda or Pundarikaksa only once at the time of their daily abduction. Devotional perspectives were invariably absent in explanations of transcendental literatures like the Bhagavad-Gita or the Srimad-Bhagavatam. The Vaisnava devotees of the Lord became distressed seeing the mass engrossed in material existence under the external energy of the Lord.

> How can all these living entities be liberated? They are completely mesmerized by the myth of sense pleasures. Although people were requested to chant God's holy name, they refused and instead they foolishly busied themselves acquiring fruitless material knowledge.

> The elevated Vaisnava devotees continued their devotional activities by worshiping Krsna, taking bath in the Ganga and discussing Krsna conscious topics. The Vaisnavas became moved to benedict humanity, and prayed that Lord Krsna would quickly shower His mercy upon them. Foremost of the great Vaisnavas in Navadvipa was Advaita Acarya who was glorified throughout the world. This preeminent spiritual preceptor was the exponent of knowledge of the absolute science of devotion and renunciation; His delineation of Krsna conscious topics equaled that of Lord Siva.

> His explanations on all existing scriptures arrived at the same conclusion - the essence of everything is devotion to Lord Krsna's lotus feet. He constantly worshiped Lord Krsna with great devotion, offering Him Tulasi blossoms and Ganga water. His intense attachment for Lord Krsna made him resound loudly in exaltation, and the sound penetrated the coverings of the material world, past the abode of Lord Brahma, and entering Vaikuntha.

> Captured by the booming, ecstatic sound of Advaita Acarya's love, Lord Krsna appeared before His devotee.

> Advaita Acarya Prabhu was the leader of Vaisnavas; His devotional service was the most glorious in Lord Brahma's planetary system. In that manner Advaita Acarya spent His days in Navadvipa; He suffered acute pain at the sight of persons bereft of devotional service.

> The people were all mad after mundane sense pleasures; no one was eager to worship or serve Lord Krsna. Some worshiped Vasuti (a female deity identified with Candi) with many gifts, while others worshiped the Yaksas with flesh and wine. They drowned in the endless tumult of singing, dancing and music - their ears deaf to the nectarine call of the auspicious name of Lord Krsna.

> The demigods are not satisfied with worship from humans which is ultimately not pleasing to Lord Krsna. Advaita Acarya in particular was extremely unhappy about such worship.

> Advaita Acarya Prabhu had a very compassionate nature; He was always thinking of how to liberate the conditioned souls. "If my Lord descends then He can liberate everyone. I can boast of being an incarnation of Lord MahaVishnu only if I can convince the Lord of Vaikuntha, Krsna to appear in this world. And when that Lord of Vaikuntha descends in person, I shall sing and dance in joy, and liberate all the conditioned souls."

> Considering matters in this way, He constantly worshiped the lotus feet of Krsna with undeviating resolve. Lord Caitanya made His appearance because of Advaita Acarya Prabhu's sincere plea. The Lord Himself often repeated this fact.

> Srivasa Pandita and his three brothers were residents of Navadvipa. They always chanted Lord Krsna's name, bathed in the Ganga, and worshiped Krsna thrice a day. Later Lord Caitanya performed many pastimes in Srivasa's house.

> On the instruction of Lord Caitanya, many of His eternal associates like Sri Candrasekhar, Sri Jagadisa, Sri Gopinatha, Sriman, Sri Murari, Sri Garuda and Sri Gangadasa appeared before the Lord. In connection with these various incidents I mention only those personalities known personally to me. Otherwise, to mention every individual would make this a bulky book.

> Each one of the magnanimous devotees executed his spiritual duties and was concerned only with devotional services to Krsna. Each was unaware of the others' spiritual identities (svarupa), yet they mixed intimately as confidential friends. Wherever they looked they saw a world devoid of devotion, and their hearts were seared with sorrow.

> They found no one with any taste for the nectar of Lord Krsna's pastimes, so they simply glorified the Lord amongst themselves. They often spent several hours together in Sri Advaita Acarya's residence discussing topics of Lord Krsna, and in this manner they dispelled all discontent.

> The devotees saw the world burning in the flames of material existence, and they found no occasion to inspire the people to an awareness of God. This caused them great sorrow. Sri Advaita Acarya joined the community of Vaisnavas in an attempt to make the people conscious of God, but not a soul understood them. Stricken with grief due to everyone's suffering, Sri Advaita Acarya began fasting; all the Vaisnavas sighed deeply at the situation.

> Why sing and dance for Krsna? What is the meaning of the congregational chanting of the Lord's holy name? Who are the Vaisnavas? Gross materialistic people running after wealth and family do not comprehend any of these things. Indeed such atheists only taunt and laugh at the Vaisnavas.

> As evening descended, Srivasa Thakura and his three brothers would boisterously sing the Lord's name at home. The atheistic neighbors vilified Srivasa Thakura, pronouncing him mad. They declared that the entire village would be destroyed because of him. The tyrannical Muslim rulers would tear the village apart if they heard people loudly chanting God's name. Some envious neighbors said they would break down Srivasa Thakura's house and float it down the river in order to get rid of him. "When Srivasa Thakura leaves, only then will the village be peaceful again. Otherwise the Muslim rulers will torture us." When the saintly Vaisnavas heard such threats from the atheists they simply wept, telling their sorrows to Lord Krsna.

> Sri Advaita Acarya burned with rage when He heard this news, and unconcerned for His state of undress He addressed the Vaisnavas. "Listen Srivasa Thakura, Sri Gangadasa and Suklambara: I shall make Lord Krsna appear before everyone's eyes. Lord Krsna will come personally and liberate everyone, and along with all you Vaisnavas, the Lord will teach the atheists about love of Godhead. And if I fail to keep my promise, I shall manifest my four-handed form and take up the disc. I shall sever the heads of all the atheists. Only then will I accept that Lord Krsna is My Lord and master, and that I am His proper servitor".

> Sri Advaita Acarya spoke extensively, and then resolved, He worshiped the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. The collective devotees also worshiped Lord Krsna's lotus feet with great attention and continuous tears. As the devotees went about their duties in Navadvipa town, nowhere did they find any discussion about God or devotion. This shocked the devotees with grief; some contemplated leaving their bodies, while others sobbed Krsna's name, letting out deep long sighs. So severe was their pain at the sight of the futile endeavors of a godless society that they lost all appetite.

> At last they renounced all material comfort, whereupon the Supreme Lord made preparations to descend to the material world.

> By the Supreme Lord's desire, Lord Nityananda, the origin of Lord Ananta Sesa, descended before Him in the land called Radha. Lord Nityananda made His appearance in the world of Srimati Padmavati devi on the auspicious thirteenth day of the waxing moon in a village called Ekacakra. Although He is the original Supreme Father of everyone, Nityananda allowed Sri Hadai Pandita, a pure and elevated brahman, to play the role of His father.

> The Supreme Lord Sri Balarama is an ocean of mercy and is the giver of pure devotional service to Krsna. He has again appeared, this time with the name Nityananda. The denizens of the heavenly planets secretly celebrated this occasion, showering flower confetti with tumultuous sounds of joy and praise.

> Lord Nityananda's appearance in the land of Radhadesa gradually increased that district's good fortune in every respect. The Supreme Personality, who appeared to liberate the fallen souls, took the dress of a mendicant and traveled everywhere.

> In this manner Lord Ananta made His advent. Now hear descriptions of Lord Krsna's advent.

> Sri Jagannatha Misra, a great transcendental personality, resided in Navadvipa. He was like Vasudeva (Lord Krsna's father), always engaged in spiritual activities. He was magnanimous and possessed the best of all brahminical qualities. His qualities had no comparison in this world.

> Sri Jagannatha Misra was of the same spiritual category as Kasyapa, Dasaratha, Vasudeva, and Nanda. His dedicated wife, Srimati Sacidevi was the embodiment of devotion to the Supreme Lord. She was the Universal Mother. All of her eight daughters had passed away, and she was left with one greatly fortunate son, Visvarupa. Sri Visvarupa was as beautiful and charming as Cupid, and the source of joy for His parents. From birth Sri Visvarupa was materially renounced, and still as a child He mastered the different scriptures.

> The godlessness seen in the beginning of Kali Yuga was indicative of what the future would have in store - the whole society would become bereft of devotional service. The Supreme Lord descends when religious principles decline and He feels that His devotees are suffering. Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu entered into the bodies of Srimati Sacidevi and Sri Jagannatha Misra.

> Lord Ananta sang hymns praising the Lord. Sri Jagannatha Misra and Sacidevi heard everything as if in a dream. Both husband and wife shone brightly with spiritual radiance, yet ordinary eyes could not see. Lord Siva, Brahma and other demigods, understanding that the Supreme Lord was going to appear, came and offered prayers. These mystical pastimes of the Lord are all recorded, even in the great Vedic scriptures. These eulogies by Lord Brahma and the others are the most confidential knowledge. Hearing them will result in deep attachment for Krsna.

> "All glories! All glories to the Supreme Lord Caitanya, the maintainer of all. You have appeared to inaugurate the congregational chanting of the holy name.

> "All glories! All glories to Lord Caitanya, the protector of the Vedic religion, saintly devotees and pious brahmanas; You are the destroyer of non-devotees, and death personified for the atheists.

> "All glories! All glories to Lord Caitanya. Your transcendental form is absolute, eternal and full of bliss. You are the Supreme Lord of lords whose desires can never be obstructed.

> "You are unmanifest in millions and millions of universes, yet You manifest Yourself in the womb of Srimati Sacidevi. Who can understand the activities of Your sweet will? Creation, maintenance and annihilation of the universes are just aspects of Your wonderful pastimes. Your might, ignited only by Your desire, can destroy the entire cosmic manifestation. Is it not possible then for You to kill demons like Ravana and Kamsa with mere words? Despite of this ability, You appeared in the houses of King Dasaratha and Sri Vasudeva to kill these demons. Who can unravel the mystery behind Your activities?

> "Only You know Your own sweet will. Simply by Your desire any one of Your servitors can liberate all the innumerable universes. In spite of that, You descend Yourself to teach religious principles to the people of the world and thus benedict them. In Satya Yuga, You appeared with a whitish complexion to teach the path of austerity and meditation by performing austerity Yourself. To establish religious principles You took the role of a celibate brahmin with matted hair, carrying an antelope skin and a mendicant's staff and water pot.

> "In Treta Yuga, You appeared in a beautiful reddish complexion as the Lord of Sacrifices to teach the religious practice of sacrifice. With sruk and sruva in hand, You Yourself conducted the sacrificial rituals.

> "In Dvapara Yuga, You came with the transcendentally beautiful dark complexion of a monsoon cloud and established deity worship in every house. Wearing a yellow cloth and decorated with the Srivatsa sign which is exclusively Yours, You performed opulent deity worship.

> "In Kali Yuga, You appeared as a learned brahman with a golden yellow complexion to disseminate the most confidential religious practice of congregationally chanting the Lord's holy name.

> "You accept unlimited incarnations. Who has the power to count Them? In Your incarnation as the transcendental fish, Matsya, You came with the waters of annihilation; and as Kurma, the tortoise You were the support of all living beings (holding the Mandara mountain). As Hayagriva You preserved the Vedas and killed the two demons Madhu and Kaitatha. As Varaha, the boar incarnation, You rescued the earth; and as Lord Nrsimhadeva You pierced and killed the demon Hiranyakasipu. As the dwarf incarnation, Lord Varaha, You outwitted the demon King Bali; as Parasurama You rid the world of the fighting class of ksatriyas.

> "As Lord Ramacandra, You destroyed the demon Ravana; and as Lord Balarama, who holds the plough, You expanded unlimitedly. As Lord Buddha, You preached the religion of compassion and non-violence; and as Lord Kalki, You destroyed the degraded mlecchas (those who do not follow the Vedic injunctions). As Lord Dhanvantari, You distributed the nectar of immortality, amrta; and as Lord Hamsa, the swan incarnation, You spoke the knowledge of the Absolute to Lord Brahma and others. As Narada Muni, you held the vina and sang sweetly; and as Srila Vyasadeva You explained the Truth about Yourself.

> "Lord Krsna is above all the incarnations and Their beautiful eternal pastimes; He eternally resides in Gokula engaged in many variegated pleasure pastimes.

> "In this present incarnation You appeared as a pure unalloyed devotee; You disseminated knowledge of devotional service, and chanted the holy name. The nectar of the congregational chanting of the holy name drowned the entire universe in waves of bliss, and every house knew the process of love of Godhead.

> "How can we describe the universal ecstasy aroused when You danced with all Your devotees and servitors? Just by the constant remembrance of Your lotus feet, Your pure devotees freed this world of all ills and inauspiciousness. The touch of their feet dispelled the dark omens of the world, and a mere glance from them purified all directions.

> "O Lord Caitanya, so glorious are Your servitors that when they dance wonderfully with their arms raised, they remove all disturbances in the heavenly planets."

> "O King, when Lord Krsna's devotees dance (accompanying the chanting of the Lord's name), the touch of their feet on the earth purifies the whole world, their glance purifies all directions, and their upraised arms purify the higher planetary systems."

> "O Lord Caitanya, You are that self-same Supreme Personality, incarnated in person to perform congregational chanting and to distribute love of Godhead with Your devotees.

> "O Lord, who possesses the words to describe Your wonderful potency to freely bestow the most confidential and hidden knowledge of the Vedas? O Lord, we ardently desire and pray for that sublime love of Godhead which You keep as a great mystery (offering only liberation instead to spiritual aspirants).

> "You are the spiritual master of the entire creation, and You distribute priceless wealth because of Your magnanimity. The chanting of Your holy name is the fulfillment of all religious rituals and sacrifices, yet You have personally appeared in Navadvipa. O Lord, be kind to us, so that we may be fortunate enough to see Your wonderful activities in Navadvipa.

> "O Lord, You have fulfilled the innermost desire of Ganga-devi by sporting in her waters. Your exquisite transcendental form, which mystics and yogis envision in their meditations, has become manifest in Navadvipa. I offer obeisances to the holy Navadvipa dhama and the house of Sri Jagannatha Misra and Srimati Sacidevi where You made Your divine appearance."

> In this manner Lord Brahma and other demigods remained unseen while daily offering choicest prayers to the Supreme Lord.

> The Supreme Proprietor of the entire creation remained in the womb of Srimati Sacidevi, and on the full moon night in the month of Phalguna He appeared. That full moon night was the summum bonum of all the auspicious holy occasions of the cosmic manifestation combined.

> The Supreme Personality descended, accompanied by the process of the congregational chanting of the holy name. He propagated this process by practicing it Himself. Who is able to know the wonderful pastimes of the Supreme Lord? He arranged a lunar eclipse at the time of His birth. Upon seeing the lunar eclipse, the residents of Navadvipa began to loudly chant the Lord's holy name and make other auspicious sounds.

> Endless teeming millions convulsed on the Ganges for holy ablutions saturating the air with the loud chanting of the Lord's name. The tumultuous sound of their chanting penetrated the coverings of this material universe and traveled beyond Brahmaloka. All the saintly persons marveled at this wonderful chanting, and prayed for a perennial eclipse. All the devotees experienced deep exhilaration and exclaimed, "Such great joy! Maybe the Supreme Lord Krsna is making His appearance." The devotees went to the Ganges for their ablutions followed by the roar of chanting from all directions. Women, children, aged, pious, and impious - everyone loudly chanted Lord Hari's holy name during the lunar eclipse.

> The only sound within the universe was the all-prevailing chanting of "Hari! Hari!" The demigods showered flower confetti everywhere, proclaiming victory as they beat clamorously on their dundubhi drums.

> Amidst the resounding adulations, the Lord and very soul of the universe appeared as the son of Srimati Sacidevi. The moon was eclipsed by Rahu; the ocean of the holy name inundated Navadvipa, drowning and subduing the darkness of Kali Yuga. The Supreme Lord was manifest! All the fourteen worlds resounded with the profound news. The moon-like Lord Caitanya, Gauranga had arisen, and the residents of Nadia were freed from all sorrows just seeing the Lord. Their happiness and prosperity increased day by day.

> The rolling of the dundubhi drums, the trumpeting of a thousand conch shells, and the shrill of flutes and horns accompanied Vrndavana dasa's songs of praise to their Lordships Sri Caitanya and Sri Nityananda Prabhu.

> His beautifully brilliant luster overshadowed the sun's shining rays and dazzled my eyes. His elongated, slightly drooping eyes defied description.

> The air was surcharged with joy; Lord Caitanya had descended to the material world! One roaring sound, Lord Hari's holy name reverberated throughout the universe, beyond Brahmaloka, carrying the tidings of Lord Caitanya's birth.

> His exquisite complexion was the color of sandalwood paste. His expansive chest was decorated with a gently swaying wildflower garland, and His iridescent, moon-like face was pleasing, cooling and comforting. His long arms reached down to His knees.

> Sounds of victory and praise permeated all directions, and the earth felt especially blessed by the advent of Lord Caitanya. Some sang in great joy while others danced in ecstasy. But for Kali, it was a calamity in the midst of spiritual revelry.

> The jewels of all Vedic conclusions are the Supreme Lords Caitanya and Nityananda Prabhus. Their causeless mercy made no discrimination between the ignorant or the derelict.

> I, Vrndavana dasa, offer this song to Them.

> The Golden Moon, Lord Caitanya had arisen as sounds of great joy filled the air. His beauty humbled a million cupids, and He smiled at His own dancing and singing. His lovely face and charming eyes added to the list of other signs of divinity on His transcendental person; His feet were marked with the signs of a flag, lightning, etc. His entire exquisite form was decorated to enchant the minds of everyone. All fear and despondency were dissipated, and the world was showered with immense fortunes.

> I, Vrndavana dasa, offer this song to my very life and soul, Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda.

> The demigods became overjoyed and sang in praise of Lord Caitanya's appearance. A mere glance at the Lord's beatific, moon-like face was enough to dispel all miseries. This was a glorious and happy occasion.

> Lord Ananta Sesa, Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and other demigods all took up their new forms and, using the lunar eclipse as an excuse, continuously sang Lord Hari's name. I cannot fully describe their exultation.

> Milling crowds poured into Nadia with shouts of "Hari, Hari". Navadvipa was in the grips of unbounded bliss. The Supreme Lord, the demigods and the human beings had all come together to frolic with one another.

> The demigods visited Srimati Sacidevi's house in the darkness of the eclipse and, unseen by humans, fell to the ground and offered obeisances to Lord Caitanya. Who can describe these profound pastimes of the Lord?

> Some broke out in types of glorification, some held the umbrella, some fanned the Lord with a camara, while others showered flowers in ecstasy. Still others sang and danced exuberantly. Lord Caitanya appeared with all His pure devotees. The atheist will never understand this.

> I, Vrndavana dasa sing the nectarine glories of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda.

> The rumble of dundubhi drums, hymns, prayers and sweet music mingled, and resounded in the air. Today, without delay, we can meet that Supreme Personality who is a mystery even in the Vedas.

> The demigods in Indrapura were tumultuously happy; busily decorating themselves, they felt extremely fortunate that they could receive Lord Caitanya's blessed association in Navadvipa.

> They embraced and kissed each other without shame in exultation that the Lord of Navadvipa, Lord Caitanya had taken His birth. There was no distinction between friend or foe.

> In great curiosity, the demigods came to Navadvipa amidst the loud chanting of God's name. Infected by the transcendental mellow of Lord Caitanya, they became almost unconscious in ecstasy, and joined in singing the glories of Lord Caitanya.

> They saw the beautiful form of Lord Caitanya. He was more exquisite than a thousand rising full moons. He accepted the human form and made everyone loudly chant the Lord's holy name, using the eclipse as a good excuse.

> The Lord descended with all His energies and expansions; this is all incomprehensible to the atheists.

> Let me, Vrndavana dasa, sing in adulation about my life and soul, Lord Sri Caitanya and Sri Nityananda Prabhu.

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