Introduction to chapter 3

This chapter describes Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s bewilderment by the Lord’s illusory energy and his offering instructions to Mahāprabhu, Mahāprabhu’s manifestation of His six-armed form before Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Sārvabhauma’s offering of prayers to Mahāprabhu and his acceptance of Mahāprabhu as the original Personality of Godhead, the Lord’s meeting with Paramānanda Purī, the arrival of the devotees, Śrī Nityānanda’s act of embracing Śrī Balarāma, the Lord’s invoking the Ganges in Śrī Paramānanda Purī’s well, the Lord’s auspicious arrival in Gauḍa-deśa and His stay at the house of Vidyā Vācaspati in Vidyānagara, the Lord’s visit to Kuliyā and His excusing the offenses of the offenders there, and the Lord’s glorification of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and His description of the process of reciting Śrīmad Bhāgavatam in reply to Devānanda Paṇḍita’s inquiry on the process of reciting Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.

One day in Nīlācala, Mahāprabhu, on the pretext of humility and with His actual identity concealed, inquired from Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya about His prescribed duties. Being bewildered by the Lord’s illusory energy and considering Mahāprabhu an ordinary living entity and a sannyāsī, Sārvabhauma gave the Lord various instructions and ascertained the uselessness of accepting Māyāvāda sannyāsa in Vaiṣṇava dharma. He also quoted statements of Śrī Śaṅkarācārya to substantiate that it was not Śrī Śaṅkara’s internal intention to establish the philosophy of oneness between the living entities and the Lord. On the pretext of humility the Lord revealed to Sārvabhauma that His sole purpose in accepting sannyāsa was to display the pastime of cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was considering Mahāprabhu as simply an exalted sannyāsī. When Mahāprabhu inquired from Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya about the meaning of the ātmārāma verse, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya explained it in thirteen different ways. Without touching any of those explanations, Mahāprabhu astonished Sārvabhauma with many new meanings and then displayed to Sārvabhauma His six-armed form.

Sārvabhauma thus fell unconscious to the ground, and Mahāprabhu brought him back to consciousness by placing His hand on Sārvabhauma’s body. Then, out of His causeless mercy, Mahāprabhu placed His lotus feet on the chest of Sārvabhauma, who by the Lord’s mercy became filled with ecstasy and profusely repented for his audacity of previously instructing Mahāprabhu. He then prayed to the Lord for loving devotional service and began to glorify Him by composing one hundred verses. Mahāprabhu then told Sārvabhauma that persons who recite those one hundred verses, called Sārvabhauma-śataka, would certainly attain pure devotional service to Him. The Lord also told Sārvabhauma not to inform the public about the six-armed form that He had manifested for as long as He remained in this world. After delivering Sārvabhauma, the Lord made the lives of the residents of Nīlācala successful by distributing to them the mellows of the holy names of Hari. Gradually devotees like Śrī Paramānanda Purī, Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara, Pradyumna Miśra, and Rāya Rāmānanda came to join the Lord and began to enjoy ecstatic saṅkīrtana pastimes with the Lord. While taking darśana of Lord Jagannātha, Śrī Nityānanda, who was intoxicated by the mellows of ecstatic love for Śrī Caitanya, would sometimes attempt to grab Jagannātha. One day He climbed on the golden throne, and after embracing Balarāma, He took the flower garland from Balarāma’s neck and put it on His own neck. Mahāprabhu lived with the devotees on the seashore and would pass the entire night enjoying kīrtana pastimes and displaying symptoms of ecstatic love. The Lord would exhibit wonderful ecstatic emotions whenever He heard Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita’s recitation of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. One day Mahāprabhu came to Śrī Purī Gosvāmī’s monastery and found out that the water in his well was unfit for any use.

By the Lord’s benediction the sacred Ganges entered his well the very next day, and the well was filled with pure water. When Mahāprabhu came to see the well water, He told the devotees that anyone who takes bath in that water would attain pure devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, the same result one attains by taking bath in the Ganges. At that time Mahāprabhu elaborately described the glories of Śrīla Purī Gosvāmī. When Mahāprabhu first arrived in Nīlācala, Pratāparudra, the King of Utkal, was engaged elsewhere in a military campaign, so he was not able to see the Lord. After Mahāprabhu stayed for some time in Nīlācala, He returned to Gauḍa-deśa. In spite of trying to live secretly in Vidyānagara at the house of Vidyā Vācaspati, the brother of Sārvabhauma, news of His arrival was made public and the place of Vācaspati filled with people. On hearing the loud commotion of the holy name of Hari, Mahāprabhu gave darśana to everyone. He blessed everyone by saying, “May your minds be fixed on Kṛṣṇa,” and He instructed them to worship Kṛṣṇa. In order to avoid the crowd Mahāprabhu secretly left for Kuliyā without informing Vācaspati. Meanwhile, Vācaspati became afflicted by the Lord’s separation on one hand and on the other hand the crowd continually accused him of hiding Mahāprabhu in his house. When Vācaspati heard from a brāhmaṇa about the Lord’s departure for Kuliyā, he immediately informed everyone and personally led them to Kuliyā. To counter people’s baseless charge against Vācaspati, Mahāprabhu, on Vācaspati’s request, gave darśana to everyone and made their lives glorious by awarding them the mellows of saṅkīrtana desired by the best of the sages and yogis. When a brāhmaṇa asked the Lord about the atonement for committing offenses to a Vaiṣṇava, the Lord said that one who drinks poison should counteract the effect of the poison by drinking nectar with the same mouth. Similarly, glorification of a Vaiṣṇava’s transcendental qualities is the only atonement for blaspheming a Vaiṣṇava. By the influence of Vakreśvara Paṇḍita’s association, Devānanda Paṇḍita developed faith in Mahāprabhu and attained His mercy. Mahāprabhu described the glories of Vakreśvara Paṇḍita to Devānanda Paṇḍita. After his offense was nullified, Devānanda Paṇḍita developed humility and inquired from the Lord about the process of explaining Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Mahāprabhu replied that pure devotional service is the ultimate goal of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, and that Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is eternal and unique. Those who try to equate other literatures with Śrīmad Bhāgavatam or try to equate other opinions, paths, or mental speculations with pure devotional service, which is the goal of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, do not know anything about Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Accepting the book Bhāgavata and the devotee Bhāgavata to be nondifferent, one should always serve the Bhāgavata by offerings of glorification. Lord Nityānanda is the personification of the devotional mellows of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. The fully transcendental Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is not under the jurisdiction of mundane imagination.