Introduction to chapter 14

This chapter describes the daily service rendered to Śrī Caitanya by the demigods headed by Brahmā and Śiva, their astonishment on seeing the deliverance of Jagāi and Mādhāi, Yamarāja’s inquiry from Citragupta about the extent of Jagāi and Mādhāi’s sins and the means of deliverance from those sins, Yamarāja’s astonishment and falling unconscious, the chanting of Kṛṣṇa’s glories in his ear by Brahmā, Śiva, and other demigods, Yamarāja’s return to external consciousness, and the ecstatic chanting and dancing by the demigods with Yamarāja.

The demigods headed by Brahmā and Śiva would daily come to Mahāprabhu’s house and after secretly performing various services and observing the Lord’s daily pastimes would return home. On seeing the deliverance of the two great sinners, the demigods were astonished as they realized the unlimited glories of Mahāprabhu. They felt particularly joyful by maintaining in their hearts the hope that by the mercy of Gaurasundara they would also be delivered. When Yamarāja inquired from Citragupta about the extent of Jagāi and Mādhāi’s sins and how those sins were totally destroyed, Citragupta said that the two had performed so many sinful activities that if a hundred thousand scribes narrated them for one month and if Yamarāja heard them with a hundred thousand ears, they would not reach the end. His scribes were incapable of recording their sinful activities, which they continually heard from the mouths of the Yamadūtas. They were particularly unhappy to think about how the two would tolerate the painful punishment resulting from their unlimited sinful activities. But by the boundless mercy of Mahāprabhu, all their sinful reactions were destroyed within a moment.

After hearing the description of the deliverance of Jagāi and Mādhāi from the mouth of Citragupta, Yamarāja fell unconscious in his chariot due to love of Kṛṣṇa and his subordinates headed by Citragupta began to cry out. As the demigods and sages headed by Brahmā, Śiva, and Nārada passed by singing the glories of Mahāprabhu’s unlimited mercy and the topics of the two demon’s deliverance, they saw Yamarāja lying unconscious in his chariot. When they inquired about the reason for this, Citragupta related the entire incident to them. On realizing that Yamarāja was absorbed in love for Kṛṣṇa, the demigods chanted Kṛṣṇa’s names in his ear and the son of Sūrya regained his external consciousness. Thereafter, in ecstatic love, Yamarāja and the demigods danced and sang the glories of Mahāprabhu’s unlimited mercy and the topics of Jagāi and Mādhāi’s deliverance and prayed to Mahāprabhu that they may be delivered like Jagāi and Mādhāi.