Introduction to chapter 1

This chapter is the beginning of the Antya-khaṇḍa, which mainly deals with Lord Śrī Gaurahari’s transcendental ecstatic pastimes of preaching the holy name as a sannyāsī.

This chapter describes Mahāprabhu’s stay in Katwa on the night He accepted sannyāsa from Śrī Keśava Bhāratī, the Lord’s instructing Mukunda to begin kīrtana, the Lord’s bestowing love of God on Bhāratī and His departure towards Nīlācala with Bhāratī, the Navadvīpa residents’ feelings of separation and a voice from the sky, the Lord’s entrance into Rāḍha-deśa, His sudden change of direction from westward to eastward, the Lord’s arrangement of sending Nityānanda to Navadvīpa to pacify mother Śacī and the devotees, the Lord’s arrival in Phuliyā and the Navadvīpa residents’ meeting with Him, the Lord’s arrival at the house of Advaita Ācārya in Śāntipura, His hearing about the science of the Absolute Truth from the mouth of Acyutānanda, Nityānanda and the devotees’ arrival at Śāntipura, the Lord’s performance of ecstatic dancing and chanting at the house of Advaita, and the Lord’s sitting on the throne of Viṣṇu and revealing His own glories.

After displaying His pastime of accepting sannyāsa from Keśava Bhāratī in Katwa, Śrī Gaurasundara spent that night in Katwa. He ordered Mukunda to perform kīrtana, and He personally began to display wonderful symptoms of ecstatic love as He started dancing. In the course of dancing, Śrīman Mahāprabhu mercifully embraced Keśava Bhāratī, and Bhāratī immediately manifested symptoms of loving devotional service in his body. When early the next morning Śrī Gaurahari asked Śrī Keśava Bhāratī for permission to leave, Bhāratī expressed his desire to accompany the Lord in His ecstatic performance of saṅkīrtana to search for Kṛṣṇa. Keeping His spiritual master in front of Him, Mahāprabhu proceeded towards the forest with a desire to manifest His pastime of searching for Kṛṣṇa. He also ordered Candraśekhara Ācārya to return to Navadvīpa and inform everyone about His departure for the forest to search for Kṛṣṇa. When Śrī Śacīdevī, Śrī Advaita, and the other devotees of Navadvīpa heard from Śrī Candraśekhara about the Lord’s acceptance of sannyāsa and departure for the forest, they became extremely morose. They all thought that they would give up their bodies because of being unable to tolerate separation from the Lord. At that time a voice from the sky informed them that within a few days the Lord would return to enjoy pastimes with them like before. Meanwhile, Gaurasundara along with Nityānanda, Gadādhara, Mukunda, and Keśava Bhāratī began to walk towards the west, and the Lord freely distributed His mercy in the form of the mellows of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa to those who followed behind Him. As the Lord entered Rāḍha-deśa and saw the natural beauty of that place and the cows grazing in the fields, He immediately remembered the pastimes of His previous incarnation and began to loudly chant the name of Hari and dance in ecstasy. Mahāprabhu then expressed a desire to perform the pastime of solitary worship in the secluded place where Vakreśvara Śiva resides. One night just before dawn, as Gaurasundara was displaying His pastime of taking rest after accepting His meal with the devotees in the house of one pious brāhmaṇa, the Lord suddenly left the devotees behind and secretly went to a field outside the village and began to cry loudly in separation from Kṛṣṇa. The devotees followed the sound of the Lord’s crying and thereby located Him. While Mahāprabhu danced in ecstatic love as He listened to Mukunda’s kīrtana and proceeded towards the west, He suddenly changed direction and proceeded towards the east. The Lord thus began to walk towards the Ganges. On seeing that the provinces He passed through were devoid of devotional service and afflicted by a severe famine of kṛṣṇa-kīrtana, the Lord became so distressed that He resolved to give up His life. At that time the Lord suddenly heard the chanting of the name of Hari from the mouth of a fortunate cowherd boy and concluded that the chanting of the holy name of Hari was still current at that place because of the glories of the great devotee Gaṅgā, who emanated from Lord Viṣṇu’s lotus feet. In the association of Nityānanda, Śrī Mahāprabhu displayed the pastime of taking bath and offering various prayers in glorification of the Ganges.

That night the Lord and Nityānanda stayed at the house of one fortunate person. On the next day all the devotees came and joined the Lord. The Lord then departed with His devotees for Nīlācala.

Mahāprabhu sent Nityānanda to solace the devotee residents of Navadvīpa, and He instructed Nityānanda to inform everyone that He had decided to go see the Lord of Nīlācala and would wait for them at the house of Advaita. After instructing Nityānanda to bring all the devotees to Śāntipura, Mahāprabhu went to Phuliyā, the place of Ṭhākura Haridāsa. Meanwhile, Nityānanda went to the house of Jagannātha Miśra in Māyāpur and explained everything in detail and variously solaced Śrī Śacīdevī, who had been fasting for twelve days, who was afflicted with feelings of separation, and who was nondifferent from mother Yaśodā.

On hearing the news about Mahāprabhu, all the residents of Navadvīpa including children, old people, women, fit, and unfit people became overwhelmed with eagerness to see the Lord and immediately started for Phuliyā. Those atheistic people who previously committed offenses at the feet of Mahāprabhu began to repent as they remembered their past offenses. Soon the entire village of Phuliyā became filled with a vast crowd of people. Everyone became greatly satisfied by seeing Mahāprabhu. When Mahāprabhu left Phuliyā and came to the house of Advaita Ācārya in Śāntipura, Advaita Ācārya Prabhu lost conscious in ecstasy. Then Acyutānanda, the son of Advaita, came and fell at the feet of Gaurāṅga, and the Lord picked him up and placed him on His lap. The child Acyutānanda then spoke a wonderful, conclusive statement.

Meanwhile, Śrīvāsa and other devotees from Nadia came with Nityānanda to meet the Lord at Śāntipura. In the Lord’s grand festival of chanting and dancing at the house of Advaita, various newer and newer transformations of ecstatic love manifested. Climbing on the throne of Lord Viṣṇu, Mahāprabhu began to personally reveal His own glories.

Then, after pacifying all the devotees, winding up His pastimes of opulence, and regaining His external consciousness, the Lord repeated His Vṛndāvana pastimes by engaging with the devotees in various pastimes like taking bath and eating meals.