Chaitanya Bhagavata

by Bhumipati Dāsa | 2008 | 1,349,850 words

The Chaitanya Bhagavata 1.1.169, English translation, including a commentary (Gaudiya-bhasya). This text is similair to the Caitanya-caritamrita and narrates the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, proclaimed to be the direct incarnation of Krishna (as Bhagavan) This is verse 169 of Adi-khanda chapter 1—“Summary of Lord Gaura’s Pastimes”.

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.1.169:

শেষ-খণ্ডে, সেতুবন্ধে গেলা গৌর-রায ঝরিখণ্ড দিযা পুনঃ গেলা মথুরায ॥ ১৬৯ ॥

शेष-खण्डे, सेतुबन्धे गेला गौर-राय झरिखण्ड दिया पुनः गेला मथुराय ॥ १६९ ॥

śeṣa-khaṇḍe, setubandhe gelā gaura-rāya jharikhaṇḍa diyā punaḥ gelā mathurāya || 169 ||

sesa-khande, setubandhe gela gaura-raya jharikhanda diya punah gela mathuraya (169)

English translation:

(169) In the Antya-khaṇḍa Lord Gaurāṅga goes to Rāmeśvara and later travels again to Mathurā through the Jhārikhaṇḍa forest.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

In order to reach Setubandha Rāmeśvara, one should first go to Maṇḍapam Station via Rāmanāda Station on the S.I.R. Railway. From there one should cross the long bridge over the Panvam Channel and reach Panvam Station. Rāmeśvaram Station is a couple of stations after this. It is the southernmost tip of the India peninsula and situated on the opposite shore from Śrī Laṅkā. Rāmeśvaram is situated two stations before Dhanuṣkoṭi, the last stop on the S.I.R. line, between Panvam and Rāmeśvaram island. One mile from the station there are twenty-four lakes, such as Rāma-tīrtha and Lakṣmaṇa-tīrtha. One mile from those lakes is the huge Rāmeśvara-Śiva Temple (the temple of Lord Śiva, who is the greatest devotee and whose worshipable Lord is Rāma), which is made of stone. On the four sides of this temple there are four gopuras, or lion gates. Within these gates is the nāṭaśālā and the main temple room, which is constructed of granite. Beyond the temple is Adams Bridge, or the historical Setubandha.

The forest of Jhārikhaṇḍa is situated in the present day states of Orissa, western Bengal, the southwestern districts of Bihar, and the eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh. In the book Ākabar-nāma the forest of Jhārikhaṇḍa is said to extend from Birbhum up to Ratanpura, Madhya Pradesh, and from Rotoshgarh, South Bihar, up to the border of Orissa. The towns and cities of Athgarh, Dhenkanal, Angul, Sambalpur, Lahara, Keonjhar, Bamra, Bonai, Gangapur, Mayurabhunja, Simbhuma, Ranchi, Manabhuma, Bankura (Viṣṇupura), Sanotalaparagana, Hazaribag, Palamau, Jashpur, Raigarh, Udayapuragarh, and Saraguja are situated within the mountains and dense forests of Jhārikhaṇḍa.

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