Chaitanya Bhagavata
by Bhumipati Dāsa | 2008 | 1,349,850 words
The Chaitanya Bhagavata 1.17.66, 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 66 of Adi-khanda chapter 17—“The Lord’s Travel to Gaya”.
Verse 1.17.66
Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.17.66:
প্রেত-গযা-শ্রাদ্ধ করি’ শ্রী-শচীনন্দন দক্ষিণাযে বাক্যে তুষিলেন বিপ্র-গণ ॥ ৬৬ ॥
प्रेत-गया-श्राद्ध करि’ श्री-शचीनन्दन दक्षिणाये वाक्ये तुषिलेन विप्र-गण ॥ ६६ ॥
preta-gayā-śrāddha kari’ śrī-śacīnandana dakṣiṇāye vākye tuṣilena vipra-gaṇa || 66 ||
preta-gaya-sraddha kari’ sri-sacinandana daksinaye vakye tusilena vipra-gana (66)
English translation:
(66) Śrī Śacīnandana offered śrāddha at that place and then satisfied the brāhmaṇas there with sweet words.
Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:
After enacting the pastime of offering oblations at Preta-gayā, the Lord satisfied the local brāhmaṇas with dakṣiṇā in the form of various sweet words. It is seen that pilgrims offer excessive respect and donations to the priests at Gayā. What to speak of this, the foolish, most greedy pāṇḍās of
Gayā have pilgrims worship their feet with flowers and tulasī leaves and thus accumulate grave offenses. That is why the Lord, rather than encouraging such offensive activities, satisfied the pāṇḍās simply with sweet words.