Madhya 15: The Lord Accepts Prasāda at the House of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya

© 1975 Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
All Rights Reserved

Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number: 73-93206
International Standard Book Number: 0-912776-68-4

First printing, 1975: 20,000 copies
Printed in the United States of America

The following summary of this chapter is given by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya. After the Ratha-yatra festival, Sri Advaita Acarya Prabhu worshiped Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu with flowers and tulasi. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in return, worshiped Advaita Acarya with the flowers and tulasi that remained on the offered plate and said a mantra, yo 'si so 'si ("What You are, You are"). Then Advaita Acarya Prabhu invited Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu for prasada. When Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His devotees performed the Nandotsava ceremony, the Lord personally dressed Himself as a cowherd boy. Thus the ceremony was very jubilant. Then the Lord and His devotees observed Vijayadasami, the day of victory when Lord Ramacandra conquered Lahka. The devotees all became soldiers of Lord Ramacandra, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in the ecstasy of Hanuman, manifested various transcendentally blissful activities. Thereafter, the Lord and His devotees observed various other ceremonies.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then asked all the devotees to return to Bengal. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu sent Nityananda Prabhu to Bengal for preaching and also sent Ramadasa, Gadadhara dasa and several other devotees with Him. Then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, with great humility, sent some Jagannatha prasada and a cloth from Lord Jagannatha to His mother through Srivasa Thakura. When the Lord bade farewell to Raghava Panḍita, Vasudeva Datta, the residents of Kulinagrama and other devotees, He praised them for their transcendental qualities. Ramananda Vasu and Satyaraja Khan asked some questions, and Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructed them that all householder devotees must engage themselves in the service of Vaisnavas exclusively devoted to chanting the holy name of the Lord. He also directed the Vaisnavas from Khanḍa, instructed Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and Vidya-vacaspati, and praised Murari Gupta for his firm faith in the lotus feet of Lord Ramacandra. Considering the humble prayer of Vasudeva Datta, He established that Lord Sri Krsna is qualified to deliver all the conditioned souls.

Thereafter, when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was accepting prasada at the house of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, Sarvabhauma's son-in-law, Amogha, created trouble in the family with his criticisms. The following morning, he was attacked by the disease of visūcika (cholera). Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu very kindly saved him from death and enlivened him in chanting the holy name of Lord Krsna.