Introduction to chapter 25

This chapter describes the Lord’s manifestation of opulence in the chanting of His holy names, the maidservant Duḥkhī’s service of bringing water from the Ganges to the Lord, the changing of Duḥkhī’s name to Sukhī, the departure of Śrīvāsa’s son from his body, the Lord’s mitigation of Śrīvāsa’s entire families’ lamentation by inducing the dead son to speak on spiritual subjects, and the Lord’s entrusting Gadādhara with the responsibility of worshiping the Deity.

Śrīman Mahāprabhu would always remain absorbed in pastimes of saṅkīrtana at the house of Śrīvāsa and would manifest His own opulence. When He would regain His external consciousness, He would go with His associates to take bath in the Ganges. Sometimes the devotees would give the Lord bath in Śrīvāsa’s courtyard.

When the Lord would dance in ecstasy, the maidservant Duḥkhī would watch the Lord dance with tears in her eyes. She would fill some pitchers with Ganges water and keep them in a row within the house. On seeing this, Śrīman Mahāprabhu was pleased. After asking Śrīvāsa who had brought the water, the Lord revealed that anyone who was fortunate enough to do such service could not be called “Duḥkhī,” and He then changed her name to “Sukhī.”

One day when the Lord was absorbed in enjoying kīrtana pastimes in Śrīvāsa’s courtyard, the son of Śrīvāsa left his body. When Śrīvāsa heard the sudden crying of the ladies, he quickly entered the house and instructed everyone to stop their mundane behavior for some time so that the Lord’s feelings of ecstatic love while dancing would not be disturbed, otherwise he threatened to end his life by jumping into the waters of the Ganges. Śrīvāsa then jubilantly rejoined the Lord’s kīrtana. On the pretext of not feeling ecstasy in His heart, the Lord, who is the Supersoul in the hearts of all living entities, asked if any calamity had occurred in the house of Śrīvāsa. The devotees then informed the Lord of everything that had happened. On seeing Śrīvāsa’s display of love for Him, the Lord began to cry. Thereafter the Lord asked the dead boy why he had left the house of Śrīvāsa, and the dead child replied that he had lived as long as he was destined to live in that body and was now going elsewhere. He further said that everyone enjoys the fruits of their respective activities and that relationships with persons like father, mother, and children are all useless.

After hearing those spiritual topics from the mouth of the dead child, the lamentation of Śrīvāsa’s entire family was vanquished. They all fell at the Lord’s feet and began to humbly offer various prayers. The Lord then began to perform kīrtana in ecstasy. Thereafter Śrīman Mahāprabhu explained to Śrīvāsa about the ways of family life and agreed that He and His brother would remain in Śrīvāsa’s house as his sons.

Śrī Gaurasundara would arrange to worship Viṣṇu according to the pāñcarātrika system, but since He was intoxicated with ecstatic love and unable to execute the activities of worship, He gave the responsibility of worshiping the Deity to Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita.