Chaitanya Mangala

100,055 words

This page relates Song 14 of the Grantharambha of the Sutra-khanda of the Chaitanya Mangala by Locana Dasa Thakura (1520 A.D.) translated into English. This book contains songs narrating the activities (pastimes) of Lord Chaitanya and represents a Sanskrit biography written as a narrative poem which can be sung in various ragas.

(Bhāṭīyārī rāga)

Refrain: Sing, O my brothers! Sing the glories of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda!

599. Thus following Lord Mahāprabhu’s command, by their pleanry portions (amśā), all the Lord’s associates took birth on the earth.

600. Lord Śiva was the first. He took birth in a brāhmaṇa’s family. His name was Kamalākṣa.

601. Reading and hearing, he became very learned. In this way he was given the title "Advaita Acārya".

602. Lord Śiva is situated in the mode of pure goodness. Still, the foolish people of this world say he is in the mode of ignorance.

603. They do not know what is in his heart. Seeing only his external activities, they say he is in the mode of ignroance.

604. In his heart Lord Śiva always meditates on Lord Kṛṣṇa. That is why Lord Śiva is called "Harī-hara" (He who always keeps Lord Kṛṣṇa within himself). Rather it is the materialistic people who are in the mode of ignorance. Instead of Lord Kṛṣṇa, they keep the mode of ignorance in their hearts.

605. It is the materialistic devotees are in the mode of ignroance. I say it is they who are lowly and fallen. It is they who are foolish, who have only very little knowledge.

606. How can they say Lord Śiva is in the mode of ignorance? Please do not disrespect Lord Śiva in this way. Do not speak or hear any criticisms of Lord Śiva.

607. Carefully considering everything in my heart, I say this: Lord Gaura is the best of avatāras.

608. Then Lord Balarāma, with whose help all the avatāras enjoy Their pastimes, took birth on the earth.

609. He took birth in a brāhmaṇas family. Following the yuga-dharma, He was always filled with eternal bliss.

610. In His plenary expansion He becomes Lord Ananta, who has a thousand hoods. With only one of those hoods He holds up the earth and protects the entire material creation.

611. This same Lord Balarāma took birth in Padmavatī’s womb. His father was Hadāī Ojha, who was also called by the name Paramānanda.

612. Lord Balarāma’s father and mother gave Him the name Kuvera Paṇḍita. When He accepted sannyāsa, Lord Balarāma accepted the name Nityānanda.

613. In the month of Māgha, on the śukla-trayodaśī, at an auspicious moment, He very happily took birth on the earth.

614. Then Goddess Kātyāyanī also took birth in a brāhmaṇa’s family. Her name was Sītā.

615. She married Advaita Acārya. Together they both manifested great love and devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa.

616. I have very little intelligence. How can I know the truth? How can I explain the identities of the devotees who descended to the earth?

617. What I have heard from the mouths of the great souls I will not repeat. I am too shy.

618. I have no power to say their original identities. I will only list their names.

619. I will not consider who is most important and should come first and who is less important and should come last. How can I know? Neither will I give them in alphabetical order.

620. There were Śacī-devī and Jagannātha Miśra Puranadara. Lord Caitanya took birth in their home.

621. There were Gopīnātha and Kaśī Miśra Thākura. They delighted all who followed Lord Caitanya’s path.

622. There were Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Gadādhara dāsa, Murāri, Mukunda Datta, and Śrīnivāsa.

623. There were Rāmānanda Rāya, Vāsudeva Datta, Haridāsa Thākura, and Govindadāsa.

624. There were Iśvara Puri, Mādhavendra Purī, Viṣṇu Purī, Vakreśvara, and saintly Paramānanda Purī.

625. There were Jagadānanda Paṇḍita, Viṣṇupriyā, Rāghava Paṇḍita, and many others who stayed on the earth.

626. There were Rāmadasa, Gaurīdāsa, glorious Kṛṣṇadāsa, Puruṣottama, and Śrī Kamalākara.

627. There were Kāla Kṛṣṇadāsa and Uddharaṇa Datta. These great souls were among the twelve gopālas in Vraja.

628. There were Parameśvara dāsa, Vṛndāvana dāsa, Kāśīśvara, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, and Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī.

629. There were Govinda, Mādhava Ghoṣa, and Vāsu Ghoṣa, All these met together on the earth.

630. There were Dāmodara Paṇḍita and his five brothers. They took birth in the same family on the earth.

631. There were Purandara Paṇḍita and Paramānanda Vaidya. Some devotees came to the earth earlier and other later.

632. There was also Naraharī Thākura, who is my master. I will especially describe his glorious character anjd activities.

633. How can I describe his glorious character and activities? As far as the power of my intelligence allows, I will describe them.

634. O my heart, please don’t be proud. Simply bow down before my spiritual master’s feet.

635. O my master, by the mercy of your feet even a person like myself, a person worthless like a pile of ashes, can describe your glories.

636. I am Śrī Narahari’s servant. He is my master. In the community of physicians he is glorious and famous.

637. His love for Lord Kṛṣṇa has no limit. His body is filled with Lord Kṛṣṇa’s potency. To his followers he explains the truth of ecstatic spiritual love for Lord Kṛṣṇa.

638. His heart is overcome with compassion for the numberless conditioned souls. His heart is always restless with ecstatic love for Lord Kṛṣṇa.

639. When ectsatic love arose within him it was as if his body was plunged in the nectar of love for Śrī Śrī Rādha.-Kṛṣṇa.

640. In this way, moment after moment plunged in Śrī Śrī Rādha.-Kṛṣṇa’s nectar glories, he lived in the village of Śrīkhaṇḍa.

641. He became known as "Naraharī Caitanya". Without his feet I have no good future.

642. One moment he was plunged in ecstatic love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Another moment he was plunged in ecstatic love for Śrī Rādhā. He was personified nectar love for Śrī Śrī Rādha.-Kṛṣṇa.

643. He purely walked on the path taught by Lord Caitanya. He was the incarnation of the peerless nectar of spiritual love.

644. He is appropriately affectionate to all the Vaiṣṇavas. His pure fame is manifest in all the world.

645. In the spiritual world of Vṛndāvana he is the gopī Madhumatī, who is Śrī Rādhā’s dear friend, and who is a great reservoir of sweetness.

646. During the Kalī-yuga he became Narahari, a personal associate of Lord Caitanya. He is perfectly qualified to taste the great reservoir of ecstatic love for Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

647. His nephew is Śrī Raghunandana Thākura, whose fame is very great in this world.

648. He fed laḍḍus to his Deity, and his Deity personally ate them. What fool dares say Śrī Raghunandana is an ordinary unintelligent person?

649-650. Such person’s cannot know what is in a true Vaiṣṇava’s heart. He would talk with his Kṛṣṇa Deity, and His Deity would talk to him. How can anyone know his true glories?

651. Lord Caitanya said to him: "You are my very life." Abhirāma Gosvāmī revealed his true identity.

652. Seeing Lord Caitanya embrace him, everyone thought he must be an incarnation of Kāmadeva.

653. When the power of Lord Kṛṣṇa entered (āveśa)

him, he danced, his dancing enchanting the hearts of everyone in the world. He did not make distinctions. He loved everyone equally.

654. The words he spoke were always sweet. He never listened to harsh words.

655. He was intelligent, expert, playful, charming, and handsome. His body was like a flood of nectar. He was the most fortunate person in the world.

656. His father was the noble-hearted Mukunda dāsa, who had pure faith in the path Lord Caitanya taught.

657. Seeing a peacock-feather fan in the royal assembly, he fainted, overcome with ecstatic love for Lord Kṛṣṇa.

658. What kind of nectar pastimes did he enjoy in Lord Caitanya’s company? Who knows? Only Lord Ananta Śeṣa, and the other personal associates of the Lord know.

659. How can a conditioned soulk know Lord Kṛṣṇa’s powers and glories? One who knows Lord Kṛṣṇa can see Him directly.

660. What more can I say? The Lord weapons and personal companions came to the earth. How many of them can I name?

661. Perhaps I copuld measure the ocean bt draining it with waterpots, one by one. Perhaps I could one by one countthe particles of dust on the earth.

662. Perahps I could have the power to count the stars in the sky. Even if I could do all this, I still could never have the power to write down all the glories of the Lord’s Gaura-avatāra.

663. I am very unintelligent. What more can I say. How can a fool understand the Vedas?

664. How can a blind man see a glustening jewel? How cana dwarf reach up a touch the moon?

665. How can a proud lame man jump over a mountain? How can a tiny ant carry a great mountain on its back?

666. In the same way my heart yearns to describe Lord Gaura-avatāra’s pastimes

667-668. Folding my hands, I say: Everyone, please hear. By the Lord Gaura’s glory a dumb man can become an eloquent speaker, and a person without a tongue can speak very wise words, and a fool who has never studied books can describe the Supreme Lord.

669. Taking birth on the earth, the great, great devotees of the Lord describe the secret truths of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

670. Without any selfish motive they are compassioned to all the conditioned souks. They are like a mother who takes care of a mischievous child.

671. Seeing that it has no limit, I, a very fallen person, long to attain the nectar of the Lord’s mercy.

672. The body of Śrī Naraharī dāsa is filled with compassion. Seeing this, I, a sinner, love him without limit.

673. Seeing that I was a wicked, blind, very illbehaved sinner who had no shelter, Śrī Naraharī felt compassion for me.

674. By the power of his mercy and the mercy of the other Vaiṣṇavas, this fool hopes to complete this book.

675. Folding my hands, I speak theseplaintive words: I offer myself at the feet of the Vaiṣṇavas.

676. In this world no one is more fallen than me. Only by the Vaiṣṇavas mercy will I be able to complete my task.

677. Placing a straw between his teeth, Locana dāsa humbly bows down and says: Please fulfill my desire.

678. Now the Sūtra-khaṇḍa of this book has come to its end. Everyone please hear. Now I will speak the Adī-khaṇḍa [Ādikhaṇḍa?] describing Lord Gaura-avatāra.

679. The Sūtra-khaṇḍa has now ended. With a happy heart Locana dāsa will now describe the Lord’s pastimes of ecstatic love.

Thus ends the Sūtra-khaṇḍa

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