Song 20

Refrain: Hari! Rāma! Nārāyaṇa! Śacī’s son splendid like gold!

1. Please hear another wonderful pastime of Lord Gaurāṅga. Anyone who hears this pastime will attain great spiritual love.

2. Walking on the path with His associates, Lord Gaura tasted the nectar of talking about Lord Kṛṣṇa. His limbs trembled īn ecstasy.

3. On that path a leper came and humbly placed some words before Lord Gaura’s feet:

4. Falling to the ground, he offered respectful obeisances. Very agitated and distressed, he humbly said:

5-6. "Lord, everyone says You are Lord Janārdana, You are eternal, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, You are the master of the great demigods, the friend of everyone in the three worlds. O master, O ocean of mercy, please deliver me.

7. "Hearing that You are the purifier of the fallen, I have come to You. O master of all, please deliver me.

8. "O son of Śacī, O master of the poor and helpless, O Lord Gaurāṅga, O Lord Gopāla, please deliver me.

9. "In the three worlds no one is more sinful than me. Please deliver me from this unbearable leprosy."

10. Hearing these words, Lord Gaura became angry at heart. With angry eyes He stared at the leper.

11. The Lord said: "Listen, O wicked sinner wretched like a pile of ashes. Why did you blaspheme a Vaiṣṇava?

12. "Every living entity in this world of birth and death is My friend. But anyone who hates a Vaiṣṇava is My enemy.

13. "When someone insults Me I am not unhappy. But when someone insults Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, how can I remain peaceful and happy?

14. "You spoke insulting words to him. Even after a hundred births you will not be free of your offense.

15. "I will not deliver anyone who has offended a Vaiṣṇava.

16. "Now you may see only the outside of my body. But inside My heart the Vaiṣṇavas are My life breath. Of this there is no doubt.

17. "If someone hates Me buts serves the Vaiṣṇavas, then I will deliver him. I will kill all his sufferings.

18. "But if some fool attacks a Vaiṣṇava, then I will throw that fool into hell. I will not give him shelter.

19. "You are a wretched, wicked sinner. How long will you suffer in hell? Your sufferings will never end."

20. Hearing these words, the leper fell to the ground and wept. He wept with anguish. He could not restrain himself.

21. The leper said: "In other avatāras You are merciful to your devotees. But in Kalī-yuga in house after house everyone is a wretch and a sinner.

22. "If You kill anyone who does not worship You, then why should You be known as Patita-pāvana (the purifier of the fallen)?

23. "Glory to You, O Lord who bear the name Viśvambhara and who give auspiciousness to everyone! Glory to You, O mighty-armed Lord who establish the true religion!

24. "You build the bridge of the true religion. By walking on that bridge the people cross the ocean of repeated birth and death. Lord, O son of Śacī, please do not reject me.

25. "If there is any mercy in Your heart, then please be merciful to me. Still, I know You are not independent. You are a servant of the Vaiṣṇavas."

26. After hearing these words, Lord Gaura went o Śrīvāsa’s house. Sitting down, He told everything. He said:

27. "On the path I saw a leper. For many births he will suffer the results of his offense.

28. "Because he offended you, his whole body is melting with leprosy. I saw him, but I did not deliver him.

29. "‘Please deliver me!’, the leper called. ‘How can I deliver you? You are an offender.’, I told him.

30. "Of course, if you wish to give mercy to him, then by your mercy you can deliver that sinner."

31. Hearing Lord Gaura’s description of His activities, Śrīvāsa smiled and said:

32. "You speak of me in this way, but actually I am very low and fallen. On my wish, please deliver that sinner.

33. "Please end any offense he has committed to me. Please be merciful to him and end his sufferings."

34. Hearing these words, Lord Gaura said: "Hari!" Becoming merciful, Lord Gaura delivered that person from the disease of leprosy.

35. At that moment, on the Gaṅgā’s bank, that leper attained the supreme medicine, the medicine of Śrīvāsa’s mercy.

36. At that moment he attained a splendid spiritual body. Overcome with ecstatic love, and shouting

"Gaurāṅga!", he ran about.

37. He said: "Where is Lord Gauracandra, the moon of my heart? He delivered me from the great blindness, from the disease of material life."

38. At that moment Lord Gauracandra left Śrīvāsa’s house to find the leper and deliver him from his leprosy.

39. The Lord met the leper on the path. The leper fell to the ground before the Lord’s feet.

40. Picking him up and embracing him, Lord Gaura gave that soul the gift of rare ecstatic spiritual love, love even the demigod Brahmā finds difficult to attain.

41. That soul laughed, wept, danced, sang, and rolled on the ground. Calling out:"Kṛṣṇa, the holder of the club, is my friend!", he danced.

42. Seeing this, all the devotees became joyful. Seeing this, all of Nadīyā was filled with wonder.

43. Everyone plase hear of Lord Viśvambhara’s pastimes. Anyone who hears of them quickly attains loving devotional service (prema-bhakti).

44. Overcome with bliss, Locana dāsa hears Lord Gaura’s wonderful pastimes in Nadīyā.

45. On another day, as Lord Gaura enjoyed pastimes of dancing, a brāhmaṇa came to His door.

46. The brāhmaṇa who came then yearned to see Lord Gauracandra dance.

47. That brāhmaṇa waited at the door, but he could not enter. Unable to see the Lord, he became unhappy.

48. Unhappy, the brāhmaṇa returned to his home. Meanwhile Lord Gaura joyfully danced. He did not know what had happened.

49. The next day that brāhmaṇa unexpectedly meat Lord Gaura as the Lord was bathing in the Gaṅgā.

50. As Lord Gaura was bathing in the Gaṅgā, the brāhmaṇa, his body trembling, with angry eyes stared at the Lord.

51. Staring at the Lord, he angrily said: "I went to Your house. I wanted to see You.

52. "I wanted to see You dance, but a most sinful brāhmaṇa forbade me.

53. "As I, not allowed to enter, had to stay outside the door, so will You also have to stay outside the world of household life."

54. Speaking these words, that brāhmaṇa angrily broke his sacred thread. He was wild with anger. He was not peaceful.

55. "I cannot bear to be left outside the door. I give You this curse: You will stay outside the door of household life."

56. Hearing these words, Lord Gaura became happy at heart. He said: "This curse is a great boon for Me."

57. In this way the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepted the curse. Hearing this, the brāhmaṇa became afraid at heart.

58. He said: "What did I just do? O Lord, You made me speak those words. You are all-pervading. You are the Supersoul present in every heart.

59. "You will deliver the false philosophers. Accepting sannyāsa, You will give them all the gift of ecstatic spiritual love.

60. "People with call You ‘sannyāsī and ‘guru’. They will humbly bow before You. Then You will give them the gift of ecstatic spiritual love.

61. "O Lord Gaura-Hari, O crest-jewel of the philosophers, You will break open the treasurehouse of ecstatic spiritual love and You will freely distribute its contents.

62. "You have vowed to plunge the whole universe in ecstatic spiritual love. What pious or sinful person will You not deliver?

63. "Only I will be cheated of that love. Only I will remain unwounded by that arrow of ecstatic spiritual love. O purifier of the fallen, what will become of me?"

64. Hearing these words, Lord Gaura said: "Your words were not a curse. They were a blessing for Me. You have fulfilled My desire. You need not fear."

65. Hearing this, the brāhmaṇa fell down before the Lord’s feet. Picking him up, Lord Gaura embraced him.

66. Embraced by the Lord, the brāhmaṇa was overcome with ecstatic spiritual love. He trembled with ecstatic love for Lord Kṛṣṇa.

67. Lord Gaura fulfilled the desire in that brāhmaṇa’s heart. Lord Gaura gave him a gift of ecstatic spiritual love even the demigod Brahmā finds difficult to attain.

68. In this way Lord Gaurasundara enjoyed wonderful pastimes, pastimes the wicked-hearted have no power to understand.

69. When He spoke these wordds, Lord Mahāprabhu became very joyful at heart. Locana dāsa thus happily sings the glories of Lord Gaura.