Madhya 13: The Ecstatic Dancing of the Lord at Ratha-yātrā

A summary of this chapter is given by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya as follows. After bathing early in the morning, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw the Deities (Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra) get aboard Their three carts. This function is called Pandu-vijaya. At that time, King Prataparudra took a broom with a golden handle and began to cleanse the road. Lord Jagannatha took permission from the goddess of fortune and then started in the car for the Gundica temple. The road to the temple led along a broad, sandy beach, and on both sides of the road were residential quarters, houses and gardens. Along that road the servants called gaudas began to pull the cars. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu divided His saṅkirtana party into seven divisions. With two mrdaṅgas in each division, there were altogether fourteen mrdaṅgas. While performing kirtana, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu exhibited various symptoms of transcendental ecstasy, and Jagannatha and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu exchanged Their feelings very blissfully. When the cars reached the place known as Balagandi, the devotees offered the Deities simple food. At this time, in a nearby garden, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His devotees took a brief rest from the dancing.