Chapter 17
The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana
TEXT 25
nirjana-vane cale prabhu kṛṣṇa-nāma lañā
hasti-vyāghra patha chāḍe prabhure dekhiyā
SYNONYMS
nirjana-vane—in a solitary forest; cale—walks; prabhu—Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kṛṣṇa-nāma lañā—chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa; hasti—elephants; vyāghra—tigers; patha chāḍe—leave the path; prabhure—Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; dekhiyā—seeing.
TRANSLATION
When the Lord passed through the solitary forest chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, the tigers and elephants, seeing Him, gave way.
TEXT 26
pāle-pāle vyāghra, hastī, gaṇḍāra, śūkara-gaṇa
tāra madhye āveśe prabhu karilā gamana
SYNONYMS
pāle-pāle—in flocks; vyāghra—tigers; hastī—elephants; gaṇḍāra—rhinoceros; śūkara-gaṇa—boars; tāra madhye—through them; āveśe—in ecstasy; prabhu—Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; karilā gamana—passed.
TRANSLATION
When the Lord passed through the jungle in great ecstasy, packs of tigers, elephants, rhinoceros and boars came, and the Lord passed right through them.
TEXT 27
dekhi' bhaṭṭācāryera mane haya mahā-bhaya
prabhura pratāpe tārā eka pāśa haya
SYNONYMS
dekhi'—seeing; bhaṭṭācāryera—of Bhaṭṭācārya; mane—in the mind; haya—there was; mahā-bhaya—great fear; prabhura pratāpe—by the influence of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; tārā—they; eka pāśa haya—stand to one side.
TRANSLATION
Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya was very much afraid to see them, but by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's influence, all the animals stood to one side.
TEXT 28
eka-dina pathe vyāghra kariyāche śayana
āveśe tāra gāye prabhura lāgila caraṇa
SYNONYMS
eka-dina—one day; pathe—on the path; vyāghra—a tiger; kariyāche śayana—was lying down; āveśe—in ecstatic love; tāra gāye—on his body; prabhura—of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; lāgila—touched; caraṇa—lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
One day a tiger was lying on the path, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, walking along the path in ecstatic love, touched the tiger with His feet.
TEXT 29
prabhu kahe,--kaha 'kṛṣṇa', vyāghra uṭhila
'kṛṣṇa' 'kṛṣṇa' kahi' vyāghra nācite lāgila
SYNONYMS
prabhu kahe—Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said; kaha kṛṣṇa—please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa; vyāghra uṭhila—the tiger got up; kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kahi'-chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa; vyāghra—the tiger; nācite—to dance; lāgila—began.
TRANSLATION
The Lord said, "Chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa!" The tiger immediately got up and began to dance and chant,"Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!"
TEXT 30
āra dine mahāprabhu kare nadī snāna
matta-hasti-yūtha āila karite jala-pāna
SYNONYMS
āra dine—another day; mahāprabhu—Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kare—does; nadī snāna—bathing in the river; matta-hasti-yūtha—a herd of maddened elephants; āila—came; karite—to do; jala-pāna—drinking water.
TRANSLATION
Another day, while Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was bathing in a river, a herd of maddened elephants came there to drink water.
TEXT 31
prabhu jala-kṛtya kare, āge hastī āilā
'kṛṣṇa kaha' bali' prabhu jala pheli' mārilā
SYNONYMS
prabhu—Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; jala-kṛtya kare—bathed and was chanting the Gāyatrī mantra within the water; āge—in front; hastī—the elephants; āilā—came; kṛṣṇa kaha—chant Hare Kṛṣṇa; bali'-saying; prabhu—Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; jala pheli'-throwing water; mārilā—struck.
TRANSLATION
While the Lord was bathing and murmuring the Gāyatrī mantra, the elephants came before Him. The Lord immediately splashed some water on the elephants and asked them to chant the name of Kṛṣṇa.
PURPORT
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was the Supreme personality of Godhead playing the part of a very great advanced devotee. On the mahā-bhāgavata platform, the devotee makes no distinction between friends and enemies. On that platform he sees everyone as a servant of Kṛṣṇa. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā:
vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śuni caiva śvapāke ca
paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ
"The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater [outcaste]." (Bg. 5.18)
A mahā-bhāgavata, being learned and advanced in spiritual consciousness, sees no difference between a tiger, an elephant or a learned scholar. The test of advanced spiritual consciousness is that one becomes fearless. He envies no one, and he is always engaged in the Lord's service. He sees every living entity as an eternal part and parcel of the Lord, rendering service according to his capacity by the will of the Supreme Lord. As Bhagavad-gītā confirms:
sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo
mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca
"I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness." (Bg. 15.15)
The mahā-bhāgavata knows that Kṛṣṇa is in everyone's heart. Kṛṣṇa is dictating, and the living entity is following His dictations. Kṛṣṇa is within the heart of the tiger, elephant and boar. Therefore Kṛṣṇa tells them, "Here is a mahā-bhāgavata. Please do not disturb him." Why, then, should the animals be envious of such a great personality? Those who are neophytes or even a little progressed in devotional service should not try to imitate the mahā-bhāgavata. Rather, they should only follow in their footsteps. The word anukara means "imitating," and anusara means "trying to follow in the footsteps." We should not try to imitate the activities of a mahā-bhāgavata or Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Our best efforts should be exerted in trying to follow them according to our ability. The mahā-bhāgavata's heart is completely freed from material contamination, and he can become very dear even to fierce animals like tigers and elephants. Indeed, the mahā-bhāgavata treats them as his very intimate friends. On this platform there is no question of envy. When the Lord was passing through the forest, He was in ecstasy, thinking the forest to be Vṛndāvana. He was simply searching for Kṛṣṇa.
TEXT 32
sei jala-bindu-kaṇā lāge yāra gāya
sei 'kṛṣṇa' 'kṛṣṇa' kahe, preme nāce, gāya
SYNONYMS
sei—those; jala—of water; bindu—drops; kaṇā—particles; lāge—touch; yāra—whose; gāya—body; sei—they; kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa—Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa; kahe—say; preme—in ecstasy; nāce—dance; gāya—sing.
TRANSLATION
The elephants whose bodies were touched by the water splashed by the Lord began to chant,"Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!" and dance and sing in ecstasy.
TEXT 33
keha bhūme paḍe, keha karaye citkāra
dekhi' bhaṭṭācāryera mane haya camatkāra
SYNONYMS
keha—some of them; bhūme—on the ground; paḍe—fall down; keha—some of them; karaye—perform; cit-kāra—screaming; dekhi'-seeing; bhaṭṭācāryera—of Bhaṭṭācārya; mane—in the mind; haya—there was; camatkāra—astonishment.
TRANSLATION
Some of the elephants fell to the ground, and some screamed in ecstasy. Seeing this, Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya was completely astonished.
TEXT 34
pathe yāite kare prabhu ucca saṅkīrtana
madhura kaṇṭha-dhvani śuni' āise mṛgī-gaṇa
SYNONYMS
pathe yāite—while passing on the path; kare—does; prabhu—Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; ucca—loud; saṅkīrtana—chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa; madhura—sweet; kaṇṭha-dhvani—the voice from His throat; śuni'-hearing; āise—came; mṛgī-gaṇa—she-deer.
TRANSLATION
Sometimes Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu chanted very loudly while passing through the jungle. Hearing His sweet voice, all the does came near Him.
TEXT 35
ḍāhine-vāme dhvani śuni' yāya prabhu-saṅge
prabhu tāra aṅga muche, śloka paḍe raṅge
SYNONYMS
ḍāhine-vāme—right and left; dhvani—vibration; śuni'-hearing; yāya—they follow; prabhu-saṅge—with the Lord; prabhu—Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; tāra—their; aṅga—bodies; muche—pats; śloka—verse; paḍe—recites; raṅge—in great curiosity.
TRANSLATION
Hearing the Lord's great vibration, all the does followed Him left and right. While reciting a verse with great curiosity, the Lord patted them.
TEXT 36
dhanyāḥ sma mūḍha-matayo 'pi hariṇya etā
yā nanda-nandanam upātta-vicitra-veśam
ākarṇya veṇu-raṇitaṁ saha-kṛṣṇa-sārāḥ
pūjāṁ dadhur viracitāṁ praṇayāvalokaiḥ
SYNONYMS
dhanyāḥ—fortunate, blessed; sma—certainly; mūḍha-matayaḥ—foolish, without good sense; api—although; hariṇyaḥ—she-deer; etāḥ—these; yāḥ—who; nanda-nandanam—the son of Mahārāja Nanda; upātta-vicitra-veśam—dressed very attractively; ākarṇya—hearing; veṇu-raṇitam—the sound of His flute; saha-kṛṣṇa-sārāḥ—accompanied by the black deer (their husbands); pūjām dadhuḥ—they worshiped; viracitām—performed; praṇaya-avalokaiḥ—by their affectionate glances.
TRANSLATION
"Blessed are all these foolish deer because they have approached the son of Mahārāja Nanda, who is gorgeously dressed and is playing on His flute. Indeed, both the does and the bucks worship the Lord with looks of love and affection."
PURPORT
This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.21.11) spoken by the gopīs of Vṛndāvana.
TEXT 37
hena-kāle vyāghra tathā āila pāṅca-sāta
vyāghra-mṛgī mili' cale mahāprabhura sātha
SYNONYMS
hena-kāle—at this time; vyāghra—tigers; tathā—there; āila—came; pāṅca-sāta—five to seven; vyāghra-mṛgī—the tigers and deer; mili'-coming together; cale—go; mahāprabhura sātha—with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
TRANSLATION
While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was passing through the jungle, five or seven tigers came. Joining the deer, the tigers began to follow the Lord.
TEXT 38
dekhi' mahāprabhura 'vṛndāvana'-smṛti haila
vṛndāvana-guṇa-varṇana śloka paḍila
SYNONYMS
dekhi'—seeing; mahāprabhura—of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; vṛndāvana—of the holy land of Vṛndāvana; smṛti haila—there was remembrance; vṛndāvana—of Śrī Vṛndāvana; guṇa—of the qualities; varṇana—description; śloka—verse; paḍila—recited.
TRANSLATION
Seeing the tigers and deer following Him, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately remembered the land of Vṛndāvana. He then began to recite a verse describing the transcendental quality of Vṛndāvana.
TEXT 39
yatra naisarga-durvairāḥ
sahāsan nṛ-mṛgādayaḥ
mitrāṇīvājitāvāsa-
druta-ruṭ-tarṣaṇādikam
SYNONYMS
yatra—where; naisarga—by nature; durvairāḥ—living in enmity; saha-āsan—live together; nṛ—human beings; mṛga-ādayaḥ—and animals; mitrāṇi—friends; iva—like; ajita—of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; āvāsa—residence; druta—gone away; ruj—anger; tarṣaṇa-ādikam—thirst and so on.
TRANSLATION
"Vṛndāvana is the transcendental abode of the Lord. There is no hunger, anger or thirst there. Though naturally inimical, both human beings and fierce animals live together there in transcendental friendship."
PURPORT
This is a statement from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.13.60). After stealing the cowherd boys, calves and cows of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Lord Brahmā kept them asleep and hid them. After a moment, Brahmā returned to see Kṛṣṇa's condition. When he saw that Kṛṣṇa was still busy with His cowherd boyfriends and animals and was not disturbed, Lord Brahmā appreciated the transcendental opulence of Vṛndāvana.
TEXT 40
'kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kaha' kari' prabhu yabe balila
'kṛṣṇa' kahi' vyāghra-mṛga nācite lāgila
SYNONYMS
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kaha—chant Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa; kari'-in this way; prabhu—Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; yabe—when; balila—uttered; kṛṣṇa kahi'-chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa; vyāghra-mṛga—the tigers and deer; nācite lāgila—began to dance.
TRANSLATION
When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said,"Chant Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!" the tigers and deer began to dance and chant, "Kṛṣṇa!"
TEXT 41
nāce, kunde vyāghra-gaṇa mṛgī-gaṇa-saṅge
balabhadra-bhaṭṭācārya dekhe apūrva-raṅge
SYNONYMS
nāce—dance; kunde—jump; vyāghra-gaṇa—the tigers; mṛgī-gaṇa-saṅge—with the does; balabhadra-bhaṭṭācārya—Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya; dekhe—sees; apūrva-raṅge—with great wonder.
TRANSLATION
When all the tigers and does danced and jumped, Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya saw them and was struck with wonder.
TEXT 42
vyāghra-mṛga anyonye kare āliṅgana
mukhe mukha diyā kare anyonye cumbana
SYNONYMS
vyāghra-mṛga—the tigers and deer; anyonye—one another; kare—do; āliṅgana—embracing; mukhe mukha diyā—touching one anothers' mouths; kare—do; anyonye cumbana—kissing one another.
TRANSLATION
Indeed, the tigers and deer began to embrace one another, and, touching mouths, they began to kiss.
TEXT 43
kautuka dekhiyā prabhu hāsite lāgilā
tā-sabāke tāhāṅ chāḍi' āge cali' gelā
SYNONYMS
kautuka dekhiyā—seeing this fun; prabhu—Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; hāsite lāgilā—began to smile; tā-sabāke—all of them; tāhāṅ chāḍi'-leaving there; āge—forward; cali' gelā—advanced.
TRANSLATION
When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw all this fun, He began to smile. Finally He left the animals and continued on His way.