Sree Sree Chaitanya Bhagavat

(Continued from P.285, May, 1928.)

92. In this manner Misra with sublime patience approaching the Lord through knowledge
    By slow degrees quieted the faculties of the mind.
93. In this manner did Biswarup go out of his home
    Whose body is the same as Nityananda’s own proper self.
94. Who listens to the sannyas of Prabhu Biswarup
    Attains devotion to Krishna and is freed from the noose of fruitive works.
95. Hearing the sannyas of Biswarup all the devotees
    With mingled joy and sorrow thus constantly thought within themselves
96. ‘Krishna has robbed us of the only place
    Where it was possible to talk about Krishna.
97. ‘We also will not remain here any longer, we will go into the forest.
    Where we shall not see the faces of these sinful people.
98. ‘How bear the suffering of the words of the pasandis!
    All the people are constantly given to the un-righteous course!
99. ‘In no one’s mouth hear such Name as Krishna
    All the world are in the agony of death being drowned in false pleasures.
100. If it is explained no one takes the path of Krishna
     But on the contrary even ridicules.
101. ‘But serving Krishna what has been your happiness?
     You get your food by begging, this further increases your misery.’
102. ‘It is not proper to live in the society of such people.’
     All of them breathed long-drawn sighs of grief saying ‘ Let us go into the forest.’
103. The generous Advaita consoled them —
     ‘All of you will assuredly obtain the supreme bliss
104. ‘I feel greatly rejoiced in my heart : —
     The thought comes to me ‘Krishna-Chandra has appeared.’
105. ‘Let us all sing Krishna with the greatest joy.
     You will see Krishna in this very place and in a few days;
106. ‘Krishna will sport in your company;—
     If this comes about Advaita is a true servant of Krishna,
107. ‘Such high favour as is hardly obtained by Suka or Prahlad
     Will be the lot of even the servant of you all.’
108. Hearing these exceedingly honeyed words of Advaita
     The devotees cried aloud ‘Hari’ with the greatest joy.
109. With a thundering voice all the devotees shouted the name of Hari
     And the faculties of their minds were steeped in bliss.
110. Sri Gaursunder was at play with the children,
     Hearing the sound of ‘Hari’ He went into the house.
111. ‘What brings Thee here, Darling !’—asked the devotees.
     The Lord made the response, ‘Why did ye call Me ?’
112. Saying this the Lord sped into the midst of the children.
     No one recognised by the force of His illusive power.
113. Since when Viswarup left home
     The Lord became quiet for a time.
114. He was constantly at the side of His parents
     That the father and mother might forget their sorrow.
115. Holding Himself aloof from play the Lord minded only His books
     And never left off even for the fraction of a moment.
116. After the Lord read up a Sutra*
     He puzzled the boys over it.
117. Beholding such extraordinary cleverness all admired.
     ‘All praise to the father and mother of such a family’, they said.
118. Much delighted the people informed ‘Misra,
     You have gained the reward of your good acts by having such a Darling.
119. ‘There does not exist in all the three worlds another child with such good sense;
     He will surpass Brihaspati in learning.
120. ‘He can construe everything as soon as He hears;
     His puzzles no one can un-riddle’.
121. The mother rejoiced listening to this report of the goodness of her Son;
     On the contrary Misra felt greatly depressed in his mind.
122. The worthy Jagannath Misra observed to Sacchi,
     ‘This Son also will not remain in the family.
123. ‘Viswarup, too, after studying the Scriptures in this fashion
     Came to know that this world is not true at all.
124. ‘Realising the true meaning of all the Scriptures Viswarup, steady of purpose,
     Quitted this transitory world.
125. ‘If He, too acquires the knowledge of all the Scriptures
     He will also go away leaving behind all pleasures of the world.
126. ‘This son is verily the life of us both;
     If we do not see Him it will be the death of both.
127. ‘Therefore He need not read any more.
     Let my Nimai be a dunce remaining at home.’
128. Said Sacchi, ‘By what will He live if He be a fool?
     No one will ever give his daughter to one who is so stupid.’
129. Misra said, ‘Thou art a simple daughter of a Brahman.
     Krishna is Slayer, Lord, Support and Protector of all.
130. ‘The Lord of the world maintains the world.
     Who told you that learning maintains any body.’
131. ‘Whether one be a fool or a pandit he needs must have the maiden
     That Krishna ordains, whatever she be.
132. ‘Family, learning and such other matters are but minor indications;
     It is Krishna Who maintains all and is the strength of all.
133. ‘Thou may’st see this directly in my own case:
     Why is it that there is no food in my house despite all my learning,
134. ‘While the door-step of the man who cannot properly tell even his alphabet
     Is thronged with thousands of pandits? This thou canst easily see for thyself.
135. ‘Therefore, it is neither learning nor such other things that provide maintenance.
     It is Krishna alone who nourishes and maintains all.—
136. ‘How can death without pain and life without want
     Betide one who has never worshipped the feet of Govinda?’
137. ‘Death with an easy mind and a life free from want
     Can be had only by serving Krishna and neither by learning nor wealth.
138. ‘Save by the grace of Krishna there is no deliverance from sorrow
     Despite of learning, birth, or wealth that is counted by the crore.
139. ‘Krishna perchance chooses to afflict with some great malady the very person
     In whose house there is the very best of enjoyments.
140. ‘He is thus consumed with grief being unable to enjoy
     Such a person I deem more unhappy than one who owns nothing.
141. ‘By this know that to have a thing does not avail.
     Touching everyone the command of Krishna alone holds good.
142. ‘Therefore, have no anxiety for thy Son.
     Krishna alone will maintain the Boy, I say.
143. ‘As long as there is life in my body
     He will not suffer the least sorrow.
144. ‘Have not all of us Krishna as our Protector?
     Is there anxiety for one whose mother even is as loyal as thyself ?
145. ‘I tell thee He does not require to read further;
     Let my Son being ignorant only remain at home.
146. Saying this the worthy Misra called unto his Son,
     ‘Harken, Darling’, said Misra, ‘this is what I have to say.
147. ‘For Thee there is no more reading from to-day;
     There is my oath if You do otherwise in this matter.
148. ‘Dearest, I shall give Thee what-so-ever Thou mayst want;
     Remaining at home do Thou live in perfect weal’.
149. So saying the Misra went off to other work
     Lord Bisvambhar was deprived of any further chance of study.
150. Sri Gauranga-rai is Himself the old eternal religion.
     He did not disobey His father’s command and gave up going to school.
151. The Lord was grieved at heart for this break of the joy of study.
     He relapsed into His wayward ways in the company of the children.
152. He did not mind whether it was another’s house or His own.
     But smashed all things that came in His way and did great damage.
153. The Lord would not return home even after dusk
     For whole nights He played in divers ways with the children.
154. Covering up the body with a piece of blanket, with one other boy,
     The Lord went about in the likeness of a bull for fun;
155. And when by day He chanced to espy a clump of plantain trees in a house,
     In the guise of the bull broke it up during the night.
156. The inmates of the house would lament thinking it was the bull;
     He would bolt with the boys so soon as the master awoke.
157. He would bind fast from outside the doors of another’s house,
     So the owner could not come out to answer e’en the call of nature.
158. ‘Hallo, who binds our door !’ they would exclaim much perplexed;
     And as soon as the master was astir the Lord decamped.
159. In this manner all night and day the Lord of the gods
     Played constantly in the company of the children.
160. However wayward the deeds that the Lord Viswambhar perpetrated
     The Misra ever maintained un-perturbed silence.
161. One day after the Misra had gone out on business
     The Lord being angry for the reason that He was not allowed to read
162. Sat Himself down on a pile of discarded earthen pots
     That had been used in cooking the offering of meals for Vishnu.
163. This is a very deep subject, so listen with undivided attention;
     By hearing it devotion to Krishna is matured.
164. Making a throne for Himself of all those refuse earthen pots
     And being seated thereon Gaur with His beautiful face went on laughing.
165. The soot from the side of the pots blackened every limb of Gaur:
     As if a charming figure of gold was besmeared with perfumed paste.
166. The children conveyed the tidings to Sachi,—
     ‘Nimai is seated on the pile of pots’.
167. The mother saw for herself as she reached the spot and exclaimed with sorrow,
     ‘My dear in such place it is not proper to sit
168. ‘Those are refuse cooking pots ; one needs must bathe if he touch them.
     It is strange Thou art ignorant of this at Thy age’.
169. The Lord said, ‘you never allow me to read.
     How may a Brahman who is a dunce know right and wrong ?
170. ‘I am ignorant and don’t know what are good and bad places.
     My knowledge of all places is one and undivided.
171. So saying He began to laugh seated on the throne of refuse pots.
     Presently the Lord lapsed in to the mood of Dattatreya.
172. The mother said, ‘Thou sitt’st in a foul place.
     By what method will Thou be cleansed of impurity ?’
173. The Lord replied, ‘Mother, you are very childish.
     I never dwell in any impure place.
174. ‘The place where I am is full of all holiness;
     There abide the Ganges and all the sacred streams.
175. ‘My purity or impurity is a fancy of the imagination.
     Consider well whether any offence is ever possible in the Creator.
176. ‘Admitting a thing to be impure in the opinion of the Scripture or of the people.
     Can such impurity exist after it is touched even by Myself?
177. ‘There has also never been any occasion for impurity with regard to these pots
     In which even thyself cooked for the offering intended for Vishnu.
178. ‘The utensils used in cooking for Vishnu can never be polluted.
     By the touch of those pots other places are sanctified.
179. ‘Whence it follows that I can by no means be in any impure place.
     The purity of all things being due to My touch.’
180. The Lord laughed in the mood of a child having thus declared the whole truth.
     Yet by the influence of His illusory power no one understood.
181. All laughed on hearing these words of the Child
     And Sachi said, ‘come away from that place, Thou needs must bathe.’
182. The Lord would not move and kept His seat.
     Sachi was insistent, ‘Be quick, lest father comes, to know’.
183. The Lord said, ‘If I am not allowed to read!
     Then be sure that I will never come down!’
184. All the people spoke ill of the mother of the Lord
     Saying ‘why, indeed, do you not allow Him to read?
185. One undertakes with all care to educate his son.
     What rare fortune it is when the Child Himself is so anxious to read.
186. ‘What enemy has given you this precious piece of advice
     To keep the Boy at home in order to make Him a dunce?
187. ‘In this matter no iota of blame attaches to the Child.
     ‘Do Thou come down, Darling Nimai,’ said they,
188. ‘If Thou art not given the chance to read even from this very day,
     Then shouldst Thou do all sorts of mischief in right earnest.’
189. The Lord did not come down but continued to laugh seated at that place
     And those people of pious deeds floated in the mid-ocean of happiness.
190. Catching hold of Him herself the mother at last brought down the Child;
     Gaur Chandra laughed like the dark stone scattering light.
191. The Lord told the Truth after the manner of Dattatreya,
     No one understood by the strength of the illusory power of the Vishnu.
192. Taking Him along Sachi of excellent deeds made Him bathe
     When Misra, possessed of a superior order of mind, appeared.
193. Sachi related to Misra all that had happened.
     That the Boy felt grieved at heart being unable to read.
194. The others said, ‘Misra, you are admittedly of a generous disposition.
     By whose advice you disallowed your Boy to read?
195. ‘Whatever Krishna Chandra ordains must come true.
     Giving up all anxiety bravely allow your Son to read.
196. ‘Luckily the Boy Himself is eager for study.
     So on an auspicious day invest Him with the holy thread in a suitable manner.’
197. Misra said, ‘You are the best of friends;
     What you have said are even as my own words.’
198. All people noted that all the deeds of the Child were extraordinary
     And felt astonished ; but no one realised its meaning.
199. Now and then some who were exceptionally fortunate
     Had already declared to Jagannath Misra–
200. ‘This Boy is never a mortal Child;
     Cherish Him in your heart with all tenderness.’
201. The Lord ever sports in this hidden manner.
     In His own yard played the Beloved Lord of Vaikuntha.
202. By command of His father the Lord resumed His studies.
     And the Supreme Lord was most highly delighted at this.
203. Sri Krishna-Chaitanya is the Life of Nityananda-Chand
     At whose twin feet sings Brindabandas.

*Formula, a brief statement.

Here ends chapter seventh entitled ‘the narrative of the sannyas of Sri Biswarup and other matters’ in part First of the Sri Chaitanya Bhagabat.

(To be continued)