> # SRI CAITANYA BHAGAVATA

> ## Adi Lila Chapter 5

> All glories, all glories to the Supreme Personality Sri Visvambhara, Lord Caitanya. He is the Supreme Lord of lords and His feet are decorated by the marks of a flag, lightning, goad, etc.

> The Supreme Lord performed various transcendental pastimes while residing in Jagannatha Misra's house.

> One day, Sri Jagannatha Misra called his dear son, Visvambhara and told Him, "Bring my book." Nimai hastened to the house when He heard His father's call, and the ankle bells on His feet jingled loudly as He moved.

> Sri Jagannatha Misra enquired, "Where is that tinkling of ankle-bells coming from?" Both he and his wife, Srimati Sacidevi searched all around. "My son does not wear ankle-bells on His feet. Where does this sweet sound of ankle-bells come from?

> "How extraordinary!" The father and mother considered the incident but remained speechless with surprise. After bringing the book, the Lord ran off to play. The parents saw another wonder when they entered their house. All over the house they saw wonderful footprints with different symbols like the flag, lightning, goad, festoons, etc. Both were thrilled with great delight, and their eyes brimmed with tears as they examined the footprints. They offered obeisances to the lotus footprints and said, "We will be liberated; no more births."

> Sri Jagannatha Misra requested his wife: "Please listen, mother of Visvarupa (Lord Caitanya's elder brother), cook a nice sweet rice preparation with ghee. In the morning I shall bathe our house deity, Sri Damodara Sila with panca-gavya (the five substances: cow-milk, yogurt, ghee, cow urine and cow-dung). I believe that the sound of ankle-bells actually came from the feet of the deity as He secretly moved about the house." Jagannatha Misra and Sacimata felt great happiness as they worshiped the Salagrama Sila, as Lord Caitanya smiled within His mind.

> Hear once again another wonderful pastime of Lord Caitanya, the son of Sri Jagannatha Misra. A very pious brahmin was visiting different places of pilgrimages to satisfy the Supreme Lord Krsna. He worshiped Lord Krishna by chanting the Gopala-mantra consisting of six syllables, and he did not eat anything other than the remnants of food offered to Lord Gopala. After visiting many pilgrimage sites, the fortunate brahmin at last came to the house of Lord Caitanya.

> As a person of incomparable purity, he was enveloped in a great spiritual effulgence. He carried Lord Gopala and Salagrama Sila around his neck as his most wonderful decorations. With half-closed eyes the brahmin constantly chanted Krishna, Krsna; deep in his heart he tasted the nectar of love of God.

> Seeing this shining personality, Jagannatha Misra rose out of respect, and then offered his obeisances. The most respectable Sri Jagannatha Misra did everything to properly welcome his esteemed guest. He personally washed the guest's feet and offered him a fine elevated seat.

> Once the brahmin was seated comfortably, Sri Jagannatha Misra enquired, "Where is your place of residence?" The brahmin replied, "I am disinterested in worldly affairs so I travel throughout different countries; it is only because of my restless mind that I roam".

> Sri Jagannatha Misra said respectfully, "It is the good fortune of the world that you travel everywhere. I especially feel most fortunate today, so please permit me to cook for you."

> The brahmin replied, "Dear Misra, do as you please." Happily Sri Misra made extraordinary and wonderful arrangements. Sri Misra had the kitchen thoroughly cleaned, and then arranged for all the ingredients for cooking to be brought. The brahmin himself cooked to his full satisfaction and sat down to offer all the foodstuff to Lord Krsna.

> Sri Sacinandana Caitanya is the Supersoul within everyone's heart; He decided to show Himself to the brahmin. The brahmin had just begun his meditation when the Supreme Lord, Sri Gaurasundara appeared in his presence. He stood there naked, His entire form covered with dust. He was the color of the sun, with beautiful hands and feet. Smiling, He took a handful of food from the brahmin's offering, then ate it while the brahmin looked on.

> Although favored by good fortune, the brahmin called out, "Alas! alas! This restless boy has stolen the food meant for offering."

> When Sri Jagannatha Misra came, he saw that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Gaurasundara was happily eating rice and smiling. Intending to beat the Lord, an angry Misra chased after Him, but the brahmin stood up fearfully, and caught hold of Misra's hand.

> The brahmin said, "My dear Misra, you are a respectable and knowledgeable person, but what knowledge does this little boy have? What will beating Him accomplish? It is one thing to beat a person who can reason right from wrong, but I forbid you to beat this boy."

> Feeling miserable, Sri Misra sat down holding his head. He did not speak a word nor did he lift his head. "Do not feel sad, dear Misra," said the brahmin. "The Supreme Lord certainly knows everything that happens at all times. Please bring whatever fruits or vegetables you have in the house. I shall simply eat that today."

> Sri Misra said, "If you kindly consider me your servant, then let me arrange for you to cook again. I shall only be satisfied when you cook once again. I have all the necessary ingredients for cooking in the house." The other friends and relatives in the house also implored him to cook again. "Since you all desire it," agreed the brahmin, "I shall cook every preparation again." Everyone was satisfied that he had agreed, and they cleaned the cooking place for him. They quickly gathered the cooking ingredients, and the brahmin began to cook. Some people warned the brahmin that the restless child might spoil the offering again.

> "Take the child to another house and keep Him there until the brahmin has completed his cooking and eating," they told Sacimata. Mother Saci carried her child to a neighbor's house.

> The young ladies all teased "Hey Nimai! Is this the way You should act, stealing the brahmin's food?" With a smile on His exquisite moon-like face Lord Caitanya replied, "What is my fault? The brahmin called Me."

> But they objected. "Oh Nimai, will You do more mischief, now that You have lost Your caste? Who knows this brahmin, where he comes from, or who his family is? How can You maintain Your caste after having eaten food cooked by him?"

> Smiling, Lord Caitanya replied, "I belong to the cow tenders caste! I accept food prepared by a brahmin all the time. How does a cow tender lose his caste by eating a brahmin's food?" Saying this the Lord looked at everyone with a smile. The Supreme Lord, Sri Caitanya used this trick to explain to them the truth about Himself, but His illusory potency is so perfect that no one could understand Him.

> As they carried Him around, the various residents of the neighboring houses enjoyed the child's arguments. The Lord went joyfully from arms to arms, and whoever held Him floated in an ocean of bliss.

> In the meantime, the brahmin cooked once again and sat down to make an offering to Lord Balagopala. While offering, the brahmin thought of Lord Balagopala, but Lord Gauracandra, the Supersoul knew everything. Lord Caitanya charmed everyone, and then left their presence completely unnoticed. Smiling all the while, He went to the spot where the brahmin was offering his food.

> Stealthily Lord Caitanya put a handful of rice into His mouth and left. The brahmin, caught by surprise, looked on in disbelief. The brahmin raised a loud alarm, "Alas! Alas!" as the child ate his rice and sprinted off.

> Sri Misra angrily grabbed a stick and chased after young Nimai. Lord Nimai fled in dread and hid Himself in a room, but Sri Misra came after Him, roaring in fury. Sri Misra said, "You shall see today! Act in this mischievous way will You? Although I am cultured and knowledgeable, You think I am a great fool. In whose house can You find as big a thief as this?" With rising indignation, he chased after Nimai. The people in the house caught hold of Sri Misra to dissuade him, but the angry father insisted. "Leave me! Today I shall beat Him."

> They tried to reason with him, "Dear Misra, you are known to be liberal. What superior intelligence will you display by beating Him? His sense of discrimination between good and bad is still undeveloped due to His tender age, and only a very foolish person would beat such a small child. By nature children are restless; it is not true that one can teach them by beating them."

> The pilgrim hurriedly rushed to the scene and caught hold of Sri Misra's hand. "Respected Sir, please hear me. The young boy is not at fault; whatever is destined to occur on a certain day must happen. I am not destined to have Lord Krsna's rice offerings today. What I am saying is the confidential truth in this matter." Sri Jagannatha Misra hung his head in dejection, and because of his perturbed mind he could not look at anyone.

> At that moment, Visvarupa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the abode of spiritual effulgence, arrived on the scene. His entire form was so charming that no beauty in all the fourteen worlds could match it. He stood there, an embodiment of all spiritual potencies, a brahmin's thread across His shoulders. He appeared as the identical expansion of Lord Nityananda Himself. Visvarupa was always engaged in explaining the prime essence of all scriptures: devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna.

> Enchanted by His exquisite form, the pilgrim brahmin stared at Him with a gaping mouth. "Who is the father of this extraordinary personality"? asked the brahmin. "He is the son of Sri Misra," came the reply. The brahmin embraced Visvarupa in extreme joy saying, "Virtuous are the parents of such a son."

> Sri Visvarupa sat down after offering obeisances to the brahmin, then He began speaking nectarine words which flowed like a stream. "The day turned auspicious and the house was blessed with great fortune when you came as a guest," said Visvarupa. "You are constant and happy within yourself; you travel everywhere simply to sanctify the earth.

> "It is my immense fortune that I have a guest like your good self, but at the same time I feel very unfortunate that you have to go without eating. If a guest in a house must fast, then that house will inevitably fall victim to aspersions and inauspiciousness. I received immense pleasure when seeing you, but it pained me greatly to hear about all that had occurred here."

> The brahmin said, "Please do not feel sorry. I shall eat some fruits and vegetables. I am a forest dweller. I cannot get rice or cooked food in the forest, so I live mostly on fruits, roots and vegetables. I seldom eat rice - only if it comes my way without my endeavoring for it. I feel I have eaten a million times over, simply from the pleasure of seeing You. Please go and bring whatever You have in the house - fruits, vegetables or offerings - and I will eat them now."

> An extremely depressed Sri Jagannatha Misra sat holding his head between his hands, not replying to anyone. Sri Visvarupa said, "Sir, you are a magnanimous ocean of mercy, yet I feel hesitant to ask you something. Saintly persons by nature feel distressed at others' suffering and are always ready to expand others' feelings of joy. With a little endeavor you can cook a nice offering for Lord Krsna. This will dispel all the miseries of My family today, and I will feel maximum pleasure and happiness."

> The brahmin said, "I already cooked twice, yet Lord Krsna did not allow me to eat. So I can understand I am destined not to eat today. This is Lord Krsna's desire, so why should I make such an endeavor? One may have unlimited food stuffs in the house but they can only eat if Lord Krsna allows. One may endlessly try for something, but if Lord Krsna does not desire it, they will be unsuccessful. It is now past one-thirty in the night, going on two o'clock. Is it appropriate to start cooking this late? Therefore please do not make any arrangements for cooking. I will simply eat some fruits and vegetables."

> Sri Visvarupa replied, "There is nothing wrong with the time. Everyone will be pleased if you cook." Sri Visvarupa then caught hold of the brahmin's feet, and everyone in the house entreated him to cook again. The brahmin was charmed by Sri Visvarupa, and he agreed to cook. Everyone uttered Sri Hari's name in joy and cleaned the place for cooking. They cleaned quickly, and meanwhile the necessary ingredients for cooking were brought. The respected brahmin then proceeded to cook, and everyone kept the child at a secure distance.

> Sri Misra posted himself at the doorway of Nimai's room. "Tie the doors to the room from the outside so that He cannot escape," suggested someone. "Good, good," agreed Sri Misra, "That is a good plan. Tie the doors from the outside and we will remain out here." The ladies inside Nimai's room said, "Don't worry, Nimai is fast asleep. There is nothing more He can do." The child was kept away in this manner, and in a short while the brahmin finished cooking.

> That pious brahmin then prepared an offering plate filled with the things he had cooked Then he sat down to offer everything to Lord Krishna through his meditation.

> Nimai, the son of Mother Saci, knew everything because He is the Supersoul with everyone's heart. He desired to appear before the brahmin and reveal Himself. By the Supreme Lord's will, Nimai enchanted everyone and they slept effortlessly. Sri Sacinandana appeared in the place where the brahmin was offering his rice to the Lord. When the brahmin saw the young boy Nimai he raised an alarm, but no one heard him because they were all in a deep sleep. Nimai, the Supreme Lord said, "O brahmin, you are known to be a magnanimous soul. You called for Me, so I came. Why should I be blamed for it? You chanted mantras to invoke Me; you beckoned Me. So I came to you. How could I resist? You incessantly meditate on Me, so I decided to appear before you."

> At that moment the brahmin saw a wonderful sight. The Supreme Lord stood before him in His eight-handed form holding in four of His hands the four symbols - conch shell, disc, mace and lotus. With two other hands He held butter and ate it, and with the last two hands He played the flute. He saw the Lord's entire form decorated with gem-studded ornaments, His breast marked with Laksmi-devi's sign of srivatsa, as the priceless Kaustubha jewel hung brilliantly with other precious gems in a necklace.

> His head was decorated with fresh forest flowers that encircled His peacock feather. His ruddy lips, like the rising sun, set off His softly glowing moon-like face. His pink lotus petal eyes smiled sweetly as His knee-length Vaijayanti flower garland and His exquisite shark-shaped earrings swayed delicately. His feet were like blossoming lotus flowers, decorated with gently tinkling gem-studded ankle-bells. The luster from His delicate pearl-like nails dissipated the darkness.

> The brahmin saw the place transformed immediately into Vrndavana dhama. The wonderful kadamba trees became clamorous with the chirping of birds. Cowherd boys and girls roamed about on their own, and everything was exactly as he had seen it in his meditation. Overcome with ecstasy at seeing such extraordinary displays of opulence, the pious brahmin fell unconscious.

> The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Gaurasundara who is an ocean of mercy placed His transcendental hand on the brahmin's body.

> He regained consciousness by the Lord's touch, but the brahmin was still speechless and inert with overwhelming joy. Again and again he fell swooning to the ground. Sometimes getting up, and sometimes falling down; he was moved by great upsurges of spiritual emotion. Overcome by shivering, perspiration and horripilation, he was unable to remain still. Tears flowed as freely as Mother Ganga flows. The brahmin caught hold of the Lord's lotus feet and cried loudly for some time. Acknowledging the brahmin's eagerness, the Supreme Lord Sri Gaurasundara spoke a few words with His enchanting smile.

> The Supreme Lord said, "O learned brahmin, please listen. In many past lives you were My servitor. You have always meditated upon Me, therefore I came to show Myself to you. In My previous incarnation I appeared to you in the house of Maharaja Nanda in this self-same form; but you have forgotten. In My previous incarnation (as Krsna) I appeared in Gokula-dhama, and in that lifetime you were making pilgrimages to holy sites with sincere spiritual fervor. By divine arrangement you came as a guest to Nanda Maharaja's house and offered Me your foodstuff. In that encounter we also exchanged affections just as we are now. I ate your offering then, as I have done tonight.

> "You are My servant, birth after birth. Therefore I have appeared before you. No one other than My servants can see Me as I am. I am entrusting these confidential topics to you; do not reveal them to anyone. As long as My present incarnation remains on this earth, if you reveal My identity I shall destroy you. I made my appearance where the congregational chanting of Lord Krsna's holy name has already begun, and I will initiate the propagation of that chanting throughout the world. I will freely distribute to every home the process of loving devotional service to the Supreme Lord which is so fervently desired even by Lord Brahma and other elevated personalities. Remain with us for some time to come, and you will see many things. But you are strictly forbidden to describe them to anyone."

> Then the Supreme Lord Gaurasundara went back to His room after He had showered His mercy on the brahmin by giving him all assurance. He lay down like a child in His previous sleeping posture. No one was aware of anything because of the deep slumber caused by the Lord's mystic potency.

> The pious brahmin was filled with great exhilaration after seeing the extraordinary pastimes of the Lord. He smeared that transcendental rice over his entire body, and then ate it while crying incessantly in ecstasy. He danced, sang, laughed and made loud roaring sounds while continuously shouting, "All glories to Lord Bala-Gopala!"

> The brahmin's loud roaring awakened the residents of the house, so he quickly restrained himself from further outbursts of spiritual emotions, and cleaned up his body. The brahmin ate without worry and everyone was immensely pleased by this.

> The brahmin considered telling everyone what he knew. "Let them know that the Supreme Lord is amongst them; that way they can all be liberated," he thought. "The Supreme Personality of Godhead who is desired by, and offered prayers to, by Lord Siva and Lord Brahma has now appeared in the family of a brahmin."

> But the brahmin remembered the Lord's instruction not to reveal anything to anyone. Afraid to disobey Him, he did not speak to anyone. The brahmin knew the Lord's real identity but others were unaware that the brahmin had this extraordinary knowledge. Happily the brahmin remained near the Lord. He begged alms from many different places, but each day he returned to see the Supreme Lord.

> Such wonderful pastimes of the Lord are revealed in the Vedic literatures. If one hears these topics they receive the complete shelter of Lord Sri Krsna.

> The Adi-Khanda is full of nectarine topics. It describes how the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana performed playful pastimes acting as though He were a mere child.

> The Supreme Lord Gaurasundara is the crest-jewel of the fourteen worlds and the Supreme Lord of the Vaikuntha planets that lie beyond this material world. He is Lord Narayana, the husband of Laksmi-devi. He is also Lord Ramacandra, the husband of Sita-devi.

> In Treta Yuga, Gaurasundara appeared as Lord Rama with His younger brother Sri Laksmana (Lord Nityananda). He performed various extraordinary pastimes and killed the great demon King Ravana. In Dvapara Yuga, He appeared as Lord Krsna with Sankarsana Balarama. Performing many wonderful pastimes, They alleviated the weight of sin in the world.

> I, Vrndavana dasa, offer this humble song at the lotus feet of Sri Krsna Caitanya and Sri Nityananda Candra Prabhu, who are my life and soul.

> The Vedas always glorify the two Supreme Personalities, Lord Mukunda (Krsna) and Lord Ananta Sesa (Balarama). Know for certain that these two Supreme Personalities have now appeared as Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda.

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