Chapter 7
The Lord's Tour of South India
In his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura summarizes the Seventh Chapter as follows. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted the renounced order of life in the month of Māgha (January-February) and went to Jagannātha Purī in the month of Phālguna (February-March). He saw the Dola-yātrā festival during the month of Phālguna, and in the month of Caitra He liberated Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. During the month of Vaiśākha, He began to tour South India. When He proposed to travel to South India alone, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu gave Him a brāhmaṇa assistant named Kṛṣṇadāsa. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was beginning His tour, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya gave Him four sets of clothes and requested Him to see Rāmānanda Rāya, who was residing at that time on the bank of the river Godāvarī. Along with other devotees, Nityānanda Prabhu accompanied the Lord to Ālālanātha, but there Lord Caitanya left them all behind and went ahead with the brāhmaṇa Kṛṣṇadāsa. The Lord began chanting the mantra "kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa he." In whatever village He spent the night, whenever a person came to see Him in His shelter, the Lord implored him to preach the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. After teaching the people of one village, the Lord proceeded to other villages to increase devotees. In this way He finally reached Kūrma-sthāna. While there, He bestowed His causeless mercy upon a brāhmaṇa called Kūrma and cured another brāhmaṇa, named Vāsudeva, who was suffering from leprosy. After curing this brāhmaṇa leper, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu received the title Vāsudevāmṛta-prada, meaning "one who delivered nectar to the leper Vāsudeva."
Chapter 8
Talks Between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Rāmānanda Rāya
The summary of the Eighth Chapter is given by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya.
After visiting the temple of Jiyaḍa-nṛsiṁha, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to the banks of the river Godāvarī, to a place known as Vidyānagara. When Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya went there to take his bath, they met. After being introduced, Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya requested Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to remain in the village for some days. Honoring his request, Caitanya Mahāprabhu stayed there in the home of some Vedic brāhmaṇas. In the evening, Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya used to come to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Rāmānanda Rāya, who was clothed in ordinary dress, offered the Lord respectful obeisances. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu questioned him on the object and process of worship and also asked him to recite verses from Vedic literature.
First of all, Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya enunciated the system of the varṇāśrama institution. He recited various verses about karmārpaṇa, stating that everything should be dedicated to the Lord. He then spoke of detached action, knowledge mixed with devotional service, and finally the spontaneous loving service of the Lord. After hearing Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya recite some verses, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted the principle of pure devotional service devoid of all kinds of speculation. After this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked Rāmānanda Rāya to explain the higher platform of devotional service. Then Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya explained unalloyed devotional service, love of Godhead, and serving the Lord in the moods of pure servitude, fraternity and parental love. Finally he spoke of serving the Lord in conjugal love. He then spoke of how conjugal love can be developed in various ways. This conjugal love attains its highest perfection in Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī's love for Kṛṣṇa. He next described the position of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the transcendental mellows of love of God. Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya then recited a verse of his own concerning the platform of ecstatic vision, technically called prema-vilāsa-vivarta. Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya also explained that all stages of conjugal love can be attained through the mercy of the residents of Vṛndāvana, especially by the mercy of the gopīs. All these subject matters were thus vividly described. Gradually Rāmānanda Rāya could understand the position of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu exhibited His real form, Rāmānanda Rāya fell unconscious. After some days, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked Rāmānanda Rāya to retire from government service and come to Jagannātha Purī. These descriptions of the meetings between Rāmānanda Rāya and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are taken from the notebook of Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī.
Chapter 9
Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's Travels to the Holy Places
A summary of the Ninth Chapter is given by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. After leaving Vidyānagara, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited such places of pilgrimage as Gautamī-gaṅgā, Mallikārjuna, Ahovala-nṛsiṁha, Siddhavaṭa, Skanda-kṣetra, Trimaṭha, Vṛddhakāśī, Bauddha-sthāna, Tirupati, Tirumala, Pānā-nṛsiṁha, Śiva-kāñcī, Viṣṇu-kāñcī, Trikāla-hastī, Vṛddhakola, Śiyālī-bhairavī, Kāverī-tīra and Kumbhakarṇa-kapāla.
Finally the Lord went to Śrī Raṅga-kṣetra, where He converted a brāhmaṇa named Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa, who, along with his family, became a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. After leaving Śrī Raṅga, Caitanya Mahāprabhu reached Ṛṣabha-parvata, where He met Paramānanda Purī, who later arrived at Jagannātha Purī. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then proceeded farther, arriving at Setubandha Rāmeśvara. At Śrī Śaila-parvata, the Lord met Lord Śiva and his wife Durgā in the dress of a brāhmaṇa and brāhmaṇī. From there He went to Kāmakoṣṭhī-purī and later arrived at southern Mathurā. A brāhmaṇa devotee of Lord Rāmacandra's talked with Him. Then the Lord took His bath in the river Kṛtamālā. On the hill known as Mahendra-śaila, the Lord saw Paraśurāma. Then the Lord went to Setubandha and took His bath at Dhanus-tīrtha. He also visited Rāmeśvara, where He collected some papers connected with Sītādevī, whose illusory form was kidnapped by Rāvaṇa. The Lord next visited the places known as Pāṇḍya-deśa, Tāmraparṇī, Naya-tripadī, Ciyaḍatalā, Tila-kāñcī, Gajendra-mokṣaṇa, Pānāgaḍi, Cāmtāpura, Śrī Vaikuṇṭha, Malaya-parvata and Kanyā-kumārī. The Lord then met the Bhaṭṭathāris at Mallāra-deśa and saved Kālā Kṛṣṇadāsa from their clutches. The Lord also collected the Brahma-saṁhitā, Fifth Chapter, on the banks of the Payasvinī River. He then visited Payasvinī, Śṛṅgavera-purī-maṭha and Matsya-tīrtha. At the village of Uḍupī He saw the Gopāla Deity installed by Śrī Madhvācārya. He then defeated the Tattvavādīs in śāstric conversation. The Lord next visited Phalgu-tīrtha, Tritakūpa, Pañcāpsarā, Sūrpāraka and Kolāpura. At Śrī Raṅgapurī the Lord received news of Śaṅkarāraṇya's disappearance. He then went to the banks of the Kṛṣṇaveṇvā River, where He collected from among the Vaiṣṇava brāhmaṇas a book written by Bilvamaṅgala, Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta. The Lord then visited Tāptī, Māhiṣmatī-pura, Narmadā-tīra and Ṛṣyamūka-parvata. He entered Daṇḍakāraṇya and liberated the seven palm trees. From there He visited a place known as Pampā-sarovara and visited Pañcavaṭī, Nāsika, Brahmagiri and also the source of the Godāvarī River, Kuśāvarta. Thus the Lord visited almost all the holy places in South India. He finally returned to Jagannātha Purī by taking the same route, after visiting Vidyānagara again.
