Chaitanya Bhagavata
by Bhumipati Dāsa | 2008 | 1,349,850 words
The Chaitanya Bhagavata by Sri Vrindavan Das Thakura is a scripture belonging to the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition from the 16th century. It is similair in content to the Caitanya Caritamrita, but asserts that Chaitanya was the direct incarnation of Krishna (as Bhagavan). The Caitanya Bhagavata contains three major parts including many details regard...
Introduction to chapter 5
This chapter describes Śacī and Jagannātha Miśra hearing the sound of ankle bells and seeing wonderful footprints inside their house and Gaura- gopāla’s eating the wandering mendicant’s food. One day Śrī Jagannātha Miśra ordered his son to bring a book from the house. As Nimāi went in the house to bring the book, Śacī and Jagannātha heard the pleasing sound of ankle bells. After Viśvambhara brought the book and went out to play, the brāhmaṇa couple saw footprints marked with a flag, thunderbolt, goad, and banner in their house. But due to the nature of paternal affection, they could not understand that those footprints belonged to their own jewel-like son, rather they concluded that their family Deity, Śrī Dāmodara-śālagrāma, had walked about their house unseen. Thinking in this way, they arranged an abhiṣeka, a special offering, and worship for their Deity, Lord Dāmodara. On another day a mendicant brāhmaṇa who worshiped Bāla-gopāla became a guest at the house of Jagannātha Miśra. After completing his cooking, the brāhmaṇa offered Lord Kṛṣṇa the foodstuffs in meditation. In order to bestow mercy on the devoted brāhmaṇa, Gaura-gopāla came there and ate a handful of the rice offering. Seeing the boy eat the food that he had offered to Kṛṣṇa, the mendicant brāhmaṇa shouted, “This naughty boy has spoiled the offering.” When Jagannātha Miśra heard this he prepared to beat the boy in anger, but he was stopped by the brāhmaṇa’s request. Jagannātha Miśra then requested the brāhmaṇa to again cook an offering for Kṛṣṇa.
At the suggestion of those present, mother Śacīdevī took the boy to the neighbor’s house until the brāhmaṇa finished eating. Meanwhile, the brāhmaṇa cooked for the second time and then offered the foodstuffs to Bāla-gopāla in meditation. At that moment, Śrī Gaurasundara, the predominating Deity of the mind, bewildered everyone with His yogamāyā potency, came before the brāhmaṇa, and began to eat the offering. When the brāhmaṇa again loudly shouted, “The offering is spoiled!” Jagannātha Miśra became even more angry at Nimāi.
Thereafter, on the special request of Viśvarūpa, Viśvambhara’s elder brother, the brāhmaṇa agreed to cook again. All the relatives then sat around the Lord in a room, and Jagannātha Miśra sat at the doorway to ensure that the naughty boy could not spoil the offering again. Jagannātha Miśra and the others even considered binding the boy with ropes. When the child Gaurahari displayed His pastimes of yoga-nidrā (mystic sleep) inside the room, everyone felt relieved. Then, since it was late at night, everyone fell asleep. When the brāhmaṇa meditated on offering the foodstuffs to Bāla-gopāla for the third time, Gaura-gopāla again came and ate the offering. Śrī Gaurasundara then appeared before the brāhmaṇa in a four-armed form holding conch, disc, club, and lotus; He ate butter with one hand from a pot held in another hand and with two other hands He played flute. After appearing in that wonderful form along with His own abode, the Lord bestowed unlimited mercy on the pious brāhmaṇa. He explained to the brāhmaṇa His own identity, the brāhmaṇa’s position as His eternal servant, and the cause of His incarnation, and then the Lord forbade the brāhmaṇa from disclosing these secret topics to anyone. After this incident the brāhmaṇa would beg alms here and there during the day, but one time everyday he would visit the house of Jagannātha Miśra in Navadvīpa to see his worshipable Lord.