Touring the South

Caitanya Mahaprabhu's biographers have given us many details of His journey to South India. First He went to Kūrmaksetra, where He performed a miracle by curing a leper named Vasudeva. He then met Ramananda Raya, the governor of Vidyanagara, on the banks of the Godavari and had a philosophical conversation with him on the subject of love of God. He worked another miracle by touching (making them immediately disappear) the seven trees through which Ramacandra, the son of Dasaratha, had shot His arrow and killed the great Vali Raja. He preached devotional service and chanting the names of God throughout the journey. At Rahgaksetra He stayed for the four months of the rainy season in the house of Vyehkata Bhatta. There He converted the whole family of Vyehkata to devotional service of Krsna, along with the son of Vyehkata, a boy of ten years named Gopala, who afterward went to Vrndavana and became one of the Six Gosvamis or prophets serving under their leader, Sri Krsna Caitanya.

Upon the Lord's return to Puri, King Prataparudra and several brahmanas joined the banner of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He was now twenty-seven years of age. In His twenty-eighth year He went to Bengal as far as Gauḍa in Malda. There He picked up two great personages named Rūpa and Sanatana. Though descended from the lines of brahmanas, these two brothers had become demi-Muslims by their continual contact with Hussain Shah, then the emperor of Gauḍa. Their names had been changed by the emperor into Dabir Khas and Sakara Mallik, and the Shah loved them heartily, for they were both learned in Persian, Arabic, and Sanskrit and were loyal servants of the state. The two gentlemen had found no way to come back as regular Hindus and had written to Lord Caitanya for spiritual help while He was at Puri. Caitanya had written in reply that He would come to them and extricate them from their spiritual difficulties. Now that Caitanya had come to Gauḍa, both the brothers appeared before Him with their long-standing prayer. Caitanya ordered them to go to Vrndavana and meet Him there.