Introduction to chapter 3

This chapter describes the appearance of Śrīmān Mahāprabhu along with the congregational chanting of the holy names on the pretext of a lunar eclipse, the calculation of the child Viśvambhara’s horoscope by Śrī Nīlāmbara Cakravartī, the celebration of Viśvambhara’s appearance at the house of Jagannātha Miśra, and the glories of the appearance days of Viṣṇu and the Vaiṣṇavas.

Prior to His advent, Śrīmān Mahāprabhu preached the congregational chanting of the names of Lord Hari on the pretext of a lunar eclipse, and then He appeared in this world. What to speak of others, even those who had never uttered the names of Hari by mistake loudly chanted the names of Hari while going to take bath in the Ganges on that day. The loud chanting of Kṛṣṇa’s names filled the ten directions. Śrī Śacī and Jagannātha forgot themselves in ecstasy as they looked at the beautiful face of their son. The great astrologer Śrī Nīlāmbara Cakravartī found the symptoms of an exalted personality in his calculation of the Lord’s horoscope. He was struck with wonder and began to glorify the Lord according to His horoscope. One particular brāhmaṇa there described Śrīmān Mahāprabhu as Lord Nārāyaṇa Himself, the deliver of the world, the founder of religious principles, an unprecedented preacher, the giver of religious principles desired by personalities like Lord Śiva and Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the bestower of mercy on all living entities, the life and soul of the entire universe, and the worshipable Lord of everyone. He thus revealed all these extraordinary qualities of the Lord. That brāhmaṇa further declared, “Innumerable universes will glorify the activities of this child Nārāyaṇa. This child is the embodiment of bhāgavata-dharma. He will preach the religious principles for the age of Kali like the yuga- avatāra of Lord Viṣṇu. He will even attract the minds of the atheistic Yavanas and be worshiped by them. This child will be known as Śrī Viśvambhara and Navadvīpa-candra.” Fearing that there may be rasābhāsa, or an unfavorable overlapping of mellows, the brāhmaṇa did not foretell the sannyāsa pastimes of the Lord. This chapter ends with descriptions of the tumultuous sound of various musical instruments in the house of Jagannātha Miśra, the mixing of the demigods’ wives with the brāhmaṇas’ wives, their blessing the child Lord with dūrvā grass and rice paddy, their request to the Lord to benefit everyone by remaining in this world for a long time, the celebrations throughout Navadvīpa of the Lord’s appearance, the glories of Śrī Gaura and Śrī Nityānanda’s appearance days, how the living entities who observe these days are relieved of nescience and attain devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the equally glorious nature of the appearance days of both Viṣṇu and the Vaiṣṇavas, and, lastly, the eternal nature of the appearance and activities of the Lord and His devotees.