Sri Srivasa Pandita tirovirbhava tithi [disappearance day]Thursday, June 28, 2019 [Mayapura, West Bengal, India time]
Srila Prabhupada explains
the glories or Srivasa Thakura
After this incident
the Lord began to preach and propagate His Bhāgavata–dharma,
or saṅkīrtana
movement, more vigorously, and whoever stood against this propagation of the
yuga–dharma,
or duty of the age, was properly punished by various types of chastisement. Two
brāhmaṇa
gentlemen named Cāpala
and Gopāla,
who also happened to be maternal uncles of the Lord, were inflicted
with leprosy by way of chastisement, and later, when they were
repentant, they were accepted by the Lord. In the course of His
preaching work, He used to send daily all His followers, including
Śrīla NityānandaPrabhu
and Ṭhākura Haridāsa,
two chief whips of His party, from door to door to preach the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
All of
Navadvīpa
was surcharged with His saṅkīrtana
movement, and His headquarters were situated at the house of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and Śrī
Advaita
Prabhu,
two of His chief householder disciples.
These
two learned heads of the brāhmaṇa
community were the most ardent supporters of Lord Caitanya’s movement. Śrī
AdvaitaPrabhu
was the chief cause for the advent of the Lord. When AdvaitaPrabhu
saw that the total human society was full of materialistic activities
and devoid of devotional service, which alone could save mankind from
the threefold miseries of material existence, He, out of His causeless
compassion for the age-worn human society, prayed
fervently for the incarnation of the Lord and continually worshiped the
Lord with water of the Ganges and leaves of the holy
tulasī
tree. As far as preaching work in the saṅkīrtana
movement was concerned, everyone was expected to do his daily share according to the order of the Lord.
Srimad Bhgavatam Introduction
śrīvāsa
paṇḍita, āra śrī-rāma paṇḍitadui
bhāi–dui śākhā, jagate vidita SYNONYMS śrīvāsa
paṇḍita—of
the name Śrīvāsa
Paṇḍita;
āra—and;
śrī–rāma
paṇḍita—of the name Śrī
Rāma
Paṇḍita;
dui
bhāi—two brothers;
dui
śākhā—two branches;
jagate—in
the world;
vidita—well
known.
TRANSLATION
The
two brothers Śrīvāsa
Paṇḍita and Śrī
Rāma
Paṇḍita started two branches
that are well known in the world.
PURPORT
In
the
Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā,
verse 90, Śrīvāsa
Paṇḍita (Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura)
is described as an incarnation of
Nārada
Muni, and Śrī
Rāma
Paṇḍita, his younger brother,
is said to be an incarnation of
Parvata
Muni, a great friend of Nārada’s.
Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s wife,
Mālinī, is celebrated as an
incarnation of the nurse
Ambikā, who fed Lord
Kṛṣṇa with her breast milk,
and as already noted, his niece
Nārāyaṇī, the mother of Ṭhākura
Vṛndāvana
dāsa, the author of
Śrī
Caitanya–bhāgavata,
was the sister of
Ambikā in
kṛṣṇa–līlā.
We also understand from the description of
Śrī
Caitanya–bhāgavata
that after Lord
Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s acceptance
of the
sannyāsa
order,
Śrīvāsa
Paṇḍita left
Navadvīpa, possibly because
of feelings of separation, and domiciled at Kumārahaṭṭa/ Sri Caitanya caritamrta Adi Lila 10.8.
DhruvaMahārāja
was given a specific arrow made by Lord Nārāyaṇa
Himself, and he now fixed it upon his bow to finish the illusory
atmosphere created by the Yakṣas. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā
(7.14),
māmevayeprapadyantemāyāmetāṁtarantite.
Without Nārāyaṇa,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, no one is able to overcome the action of the illusory energy.
Śrī Caitanya
Mahāprabhu
has also given us a nice weapon for this age, as stated in the Bhāgavatam:
sāṅgopāṅgāstra—in this age, the nārāyaṇāstra, or weapon to drive away māyā,
is the chanting of the Hare
Kṛṣṇa
mantra
in pursuance of the associates of Lord Caitanya,
such as Advaita
Prabhu,
Nityānanda,
Gadādhara
and Śrīvāsa. Srimad
Bhgavatam 4.11.1
bhagavānera
bhakta yata śrīvāsa pradhānatāṅ’-sabhāra
pāda-padme sahasra praṇāma
SYNONYMS
bhagavānera—of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhakta—the
devotees; yata—as
many (as there are); śrīvāsa
pradhāna—headed
by Śrī Śrīvāsa;
tāṅ’-sabhāra—of
all of them; pāda–padme—unto
the lotus feet; sahasra—thousands;
praṇāma—respectful
obeisances.
TRANSLATION
There
are innumerable devotees of the Lord,
of whom Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura is the foremost. I offer my respectful obeisances thousands of times unto their lotus feet.Sri Caitanya Caritarmta Adi-Lila 1.38kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ
tviṣākṛṣṇaṁsāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadamyajñaiḥ
saṅkīrtana-prāyairyajanti
hi su-medhasaḥ
SYNONYMS
kṛṣṇa–varṇam—repeating
the syllables
kṛṣ-ṇa;tviṣā—with
a luster; akṛṣṇam—not
black (golden); sa–aṅga—along
with associates; upāṅga—servitors;
astra—weapons;
pārṣadam—confidential
companions; yajñaiḥ—by
sacrifice; saṅkīrtana–prāyaiḥ—consisting
chiefly of congregational chanting; yajanti—they
worship; hi—certainly;
su–medhasaḥ—intelligent
persons.
TRANSLATION
“In
the Age of Kali,
intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the name of
Kṛṣṇa.
Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṇa
Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.”
PURPORT
This
text is from
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
(11.5.32). Śrīla Jīva
Gosvāmī has explained this verse in his commentary on the Bhāgavatam,
known as the Krama–sandarbha,
wherein he says that Lord Kṛṣṇa
also appears with a golden complexion. That golden Lord Kṛṣṇa
is Lord Caitanya,
who is worshiped by intelligent men in this age. That is confirmed in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
by GargaMuni,
who said that although the child Kṛṣṇa
was blackish, He also appears in three other colors-red, white and yellow. He exhibited His white and red complexions in the
Satya
and Tretā
ages respectively. He did not exhibit the remaining color, yellow-gold, until He appeared as Lord
Caitanya,
who is known as GauraHari.
Śrīla
Jīva
Gosvāmī explains that kṛṣṇa–varṇam
means Śrī KṛṣṇaCaitanya.
Kṛṣṇa–varṇa
and KṛṣṇaCaitanya
are equivalent. The name Kṛṣṇa
appears with both Lord Kṛṣṇa
and Lord CaitanyaKṛṣṇa.
Lord Śrī CaitanyaMahāprabhu
is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He always engages in describing
Kṛṣṇa
and thus enjoys transcendental bliss by chanting and remembering His name and form. Lord
Kṛṣṇa
Himself appears as Lord Caitanya
to preach the highest gospel.
Lord
Caitanya
always chants the holy name of Kṛṣṇa
and describes it also, and because He is Kṛṣṇa
Himself, whoever meets Him will automatically chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa
and later describe it to others. He injects one with transcendental Kṛṣṇa
consciousness, which merges the chanter in transcendental bliss. In all respects, therefore, He appears before everyone as
Kṛṣṇa,
either by personality or by sound. Simply by seeing Lord Caitanya
one at once remembers Lord Kṛṣṇa.
One may therefore
accept Him as viṣṇu–tattva.
In other words, Lord Caitanya
is Lord Kṛṣṇa
Himself.
Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
further indicates that Lord Caitanya is Lord Kṛṣṇa. His body is always
decorated with ornaments of sandalwood and with sandalwood paste. By His
superexcellent beauty He subdues all the people of the age. In other
descents the Lord sometimes used weapons to
defeat the demoniac, but in this age the Lord subdues them with His
all-attractive figure as Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī
explains that His beauty is His
astra, or weapon, to subdue the demons.
Because He is all-attractive, it is to be understood that all the
demigods lived with Him as His companions. His acts were uncommon and
His associates wonderful. When He propagated the
saṅkīrtana movement, He attracted many great scholars and
ācāryas, especially in Bengal and Orissa. Lord Caitanya is always
accompanied by His best associates like Lord Nityānanda, Advaita,
Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa.
Śrīla
Jīva
Gosvāmī cites a verse from the Vedic literature which says that there
is no necessity of performing sacrificial demonstrations or ceremonial
functions. He comments that instead of engaging in such external,
pompous exhibitions, all people, regardless of
caste,
color or creed, can assemble together and chant HareKṛṣṇa
to worship Lord Caitanya.
Kṛṣṇa–varṇaṁ
tviṣākṛṣṇam
indicates that prominence should be given to the name of Kṛṣṇa.
Lord Caitanya
taught Kṛṣṇa
consciousness and chanted the name of Kṛṣṇa.
Therefore, to worship Lord Caitanya,
everyone should together chant the mahā–mantra–Hare
Kṛṣṇa,
Hare
Kṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa, Hare
Hare Hare
Rāma,
Hare
Rāma,
Rāma
Rāma, Hare
Hare.
To propagate worship in churches, temples or mosques is not possible,
because people have lost interest in that. But anywhere and everywhere,
people can chant
HareKṛṣṇa.
Thus worshiping Lord Caitanya,
they can perform the highest activity and fulfill the highest religious purpose of satisfying the Supreme Lord.
Śrīla
SārvabhaumaBhaṭṭācārya,
a famous disciple of Lord Caitanya,
said, “The principle of transcendental devotional service having been lost, Śrī
KṛṣṇaCaitanya
has appeared to deliver again the process of devotion. He is so kind that He is distributing love of
Kṛṣṇa.
Everyone should be attracted more and more to His lotus feet, as
humming bees are attracted to a lotus flower.” Sri Caitanya Caritamrta
Adi Lila 3.62
śrīvāsādi
pāriṣada sainya saṅge lañādui
senā-pati bule kīrtana kariyā
SYNONYMS
śrīvāsa–ādi—Śrīvāsa
and others; pāriṣada—associates;
sainya—soldiers;
saṅge—along
with; lañā—taking;
dui—two;
senā–pati—captains;
bule—travel;
kīrtanakariyā—chanting
the holy name.
TRANSLATION
These
two captains,
with Their soldiers such as Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, travel everywhere, chanting the holy name of the Lord.
Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta Adi-Lila 4. 75guru-varga,–nityānanda,
advaita ācāryaśrīvāsādi,
āra yata–laghu, sama, āryasabe
pāriṣada, sabe līlāra sahāyasabā
lañā nija-kārya sādhe gaura-rāya
SYNONYMS
guru–varga—elders;
nityānanda—Lord
Nityānanda;
advaitaācārya—and
Advaita
Ācārya; śrīvāsa–ādi—Śrīvāsa
Ṭhākura and others; āra—others;
yata—all;
laghu,
sama,
ārya—junior,
equal or superior; sabe—everyone;
pāriṣada—associates;
sabe—everyone;
līlārasahāya—helpers
in the pastimes; sabālañā—taking
all of them; nija–kārya—His
own aims; sādhe—executes;
gaura–rāya—Lord
Śrī CaitanyaMahāprabhu.
TRANSLATION
His
elders such as
Lord Nityānanda,
Advaita
Ācārya and Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura,
as well as His other devotees-whether His juniors, equals or superiors-are
all His associates who help Him in His pastimes. Lord Gaurāṅga
fulfills His aims with their help.
Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Adi-Lila 5. 144-145pañca-tattva
avatīrṇa caitanyera saṅgepañca-tattva
lañā karena saṅkīrtana raṅge
SYNONYMS
pañca–tattva—these
five
tattvas;avatīrṇa—advented;
caitanyera—with
CaitanyaMahāprabhu;
saṅge—in
company with; pañca–tattva—the
same five subjects; lañā—taking
with Himself; karena—He
does; saṅkīrtana—the
saṅkīrtana
movement;
raṅge—in great pleasure.
TRANSLATION
These
five tattvas incarnate with Lord Caitanya
Mahāprabhu,
and thus the Lord executes His saṅkīrtana
movement with great pleasure.
PURPORT
In
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
there is the following statement regarding Śrī CaitanyaMahāprabhu:
kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ
tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ
sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair
yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ
“In the Age of Kali,
people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the
Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by performance of
saṅkīrtana–yajña.”
(Bhāg. 11.5.32) Śrī
CaitanyaMahāprabhu
is always accompanied by His plenary expansion Śrī NityānandaPrabhu,
His incarnation Śrī AdvaitaPrabhu,
His internal potency Śrī GadādharaPrabhu
and His marginal potency Śrīvāsa Prabhu.
He is in the midst of them as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should know that Śrī
CaitanyaMahāprabhu
is always accompanied by these other
tattvas. Therefore our obeisances to Śrī CaitanyaMahāprabhu
are complete when we say śrī–kṛṣṇa–caitanya
prabhu
-ityānanda śrī–advaita
gadādhara
śrīvāsādi-gaura–bhakta–vṛnda.
As preachers of the Kṛṣṇa
consciousness movement, we first offer our obeisances to Śrī CaitanyaMahāprabhu
by chanting this Pañca–tattvamantra;
then we say HareKṛṣṇa,
HareKṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa, Hare
Hare HareRāma,
HareRāma,
Rāma
Rāma, Hare
Hare. There are ten offenses in the chanting of the HareKṛṣṇamahā–mantra,
but these are not considered in the chanting of the Pañca–tattvamantra,
namely, śrī–kṛṣṇa–caitanya
prabhu–nityānanda
śrī–advaita
gadādhara
śrīvāsādi-gaura–bhakta–vṛnda.
Śrī CaitanyaMahāprabhu
is known as mahā-vadānyāvatāra,
the most magnanimous incarnation, for He does not consider the offenses
of the fallen souls. Thus to derive the full benefit of the chanting of
the
mahā–mantra
(HareKṛṣṇa,
HareKṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa, Hare
Hare HareRāma,
HareRāma,
Rāma
Rāma, Hare
Hare), we must first take shelter of Śrī CaitanyaMahāprabhu,
learn the Pañca–tattvamahā–mantra,
and then chant the HareKṛṣṇamahā–mantra.
That will be very effective.
Taking
advantage of Śrī CaitanyaMahāprabhu,
many unscrupulous devotees manufacture a mahā–mantra
of their own. Sometimes they sing, bhaja
nitāi
gaura
rādhe
śyāma
hare
kṛṣṇa
hare
rāma
or śrī–kṛṣṇa–caitanya
prabhu–nityānanda
hare
kṛṣṇa
hare
rāma
śrī–rādhe
govinda.
Actually, however, one should chant the names of the full Pañca–tattva
(śrī–kṛṣṇa–caitanya
prabhu–nityānanda
śrī–advaita
gadādhara
śrīvāsādi-gaura–bhakta–vṛnda)
and then the sixteen words HareKṛṣṇa,
HareKṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa, Hare
Hare HareRāma,
HareRāma,
Rāma
Rāma, Hare
Hare, but these unscrupulous, less intelligent men confuse the entire
process. Of course, since they are also devotees they can express their
feelings in that way, but the method prescribed by Śrī
Caitanya
Mahāprabhu’s pure devotees is to chant first the full Pañca–tattvamantra
and then chant the mahā–mantra–HareKṛṣṇa,
HareKṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa, Hare
Hare HareRāma,
HareRāma,
Rāma
Rāma, Hare
Hare.
Sri Caitanya Caritarmta Adi Lila 7.4
________________________________________________________
asyaartho
vivrtas tair yahsa
sankshipyaa vilikhyatebhakta-rupo
gaurachandroyato
‘sau nandanandanah bhakta-swarupo
nityanandovraje
yah sri-halayudhahbhaktaavatara
acaryo‘dvaito
yah sri-sadaasivah bhaktaakhyaah
srinivaasaadyaayatas
te bhakta-rupinahbhakta-shaktir
dvi jaagranyahsri-gadaadhara-panditah
“I
shall now summarily
explain the meaning of these words. In this Pancha-tattwa, the
bhakta-rupa (form of a devotee) is Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who
formerly appeared as Sri Krishna, the son of Nanda Maharaj. The
bhakta-swarupa (devotional incarnation) is Lord Nityananda, who
formerly appeared in Vrajabhumi as Lord Balarama. The bhaktaavatara
(devotional manifestation) is Lord Advaita Acarya, who is not different
from Sadaashiva. The bhataakhya (pure devotee) is Srinivasa and other
great devotees as well. The bhakta-shakti (devotional
energy) is Gadadhara Pandita, the foremost of brahmanas.” (Gaura
Ganodesh Dipika 11.)sri-visvambharaadvaita-nityanandaavadhutahahatra
trayah samunneyaavighraha
prabhavaash ca te eko
mahaaprabhur jneyahsri-caitanya
dayaambudhihprabhu
dvau sri-yutau nityaa-nandaadvaitau
mahaashayau goswaamino
vighrash cate
dvi jaash ca gadaadharahpancha-tattwaatmaka
ete
srinivaasas ca
panditah
“Lord
Chaitanya,
Lord Nityananda Avadhuta, and Lord Advaita, are all incarnations of the
supremly exalted Personality of Godhead, and They are all known by the
title Prabhu (Master). Among Them, Lord Chaitanya, Who is an ocean of
mercy, is known as Mahaprabhu (The Great Master),
and the great personalities Lord Nityananda and Lord Advaita are known
only as Prabhu (Master). All three are also known as Goswami (Master of
the Senses). Gadaadhara is called by the title Dvija (Brahmana, and
Srinivaasa is called by the title Pandita (Learned
Scholar). These are the titles of the members of the Pancha-tattwa.”
(Gaura Ganodesha Dipika 13.)
“O
my Lord Gaurahari,
You are the abode of auspiciousness which is as beautiful as the
kirtana of Krsna. You are the ocean of elegance, bestower of constant
flow of devotion and mountain of love which is as bright as gold. Your
beautiful features give soothing relief to the eyes
of every living being and you are mankind’s salvation from all kinds of
misfortune. You are the center of the Lila Vilasa, and the life of the
devotees. Be kind to me.”
(Bhakti-ratnakara. KJA1.)
“O
my Prabhu,
Sri Gopala Bhatta, the bee at the lotus like feet of Sri Gaura. You are
the sun which destroys the darkness of illusion, the ocean of kindness
and the greatest of all the brahmanas. You are the son of Sri Venkata
Bhatta and a valuable ornament of divine love
and devotion. You are the destroyer of worldly miseries and a resort of
happiness to the misery stricken people. O Lord save me.”
(Bhakti-ratnakara. KJA.2.)
“O
my Prabhu,
Srila Gopala Bhatta, a bee at the lotus like feet of Mahaprabhu. You
are the most skillful devotee of the Lord. O my Prabhu Srinivasa, whose
complexion is as golden as Sri Sacinandana, you are the king amongst all
the brahmanas. Please bless me.” (Bhakti-ratnakara.
KJA3.)
“I
constantly
worship the companions of Srinivasa Prabhu who is like the wishing tree
of devotional love of Sri Krsna Caitanya Candra.” (Bhakti-ratnakara.
KJA4.)
“My
dear listeners,
please repeatedly and joyfully hear the Bhaktiratnakara which is the
life of all Vaisnavas and the destroyer of all miseries and
misfortunes.” (Bhakti-ratnakara. KJA5.)
“Sri
Gadadhara
is expansion Radharani and Srinivasa is the expansion of Narada Muni,
or in other words they are the internal and the devotional energy
respectively.” (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad. Letter 27th May
1970.)
srivas-pandito
dhimaanyah
pura narado munihpurvataakhyo
muni-varoya
aasin narada-priyahsa
raama-panditah srimamstat-kanistha-sahaodarah
“Intelligent
Srivaasa
Pandita had previously been Narada Muni, the best of the sages.
Srivaasa’s younger brother, Sriman Rama Pandita, had previously been
Narada’s close friend Parvata Muni” (Gaura Ganodesh Dipika 90.)
Srila Vrindavana
dasa Thakura, the Vyasadeva of Sri Gaurasundara’s pastimes, has sung the praises of Srivasa Pandita in this way:
“It
was in Srivasa
Pandita’s house that Sri Caitanya enacted His pastimes of sankirtana.
Those four brothers (Srivasa, Sri Rama, Sripati and Srinidhi) were
continuously engaged in singing the names of Sri Krsna. They worshipped
Sri Krsna and bathed in the Ganges thrice daily.”
These
four brothers
previously lived in the district of Sri Hatta. Later on they came to
reside on the banks of the Ganges. There they regularly used to attend
the assembly of devotees who gathered at Sri Advaita Acarya’s house to
hear the Srimad Bhagavatam and engage in congregational
chanting of the Holy Names. Gradually the brothers became very close
friends of Sri Jagannatha Misra, with whom they would chant and listen
to the Bhagavatam.
In
all matters
Srivasa was the leader of the four brothers. By the strength of his
devotion, he could understand that Sri Krsna was going to appear in the
house of Jagannatha Misra.
Srivasa Pandits’s
wife’s name was Sri Malinidevi. She was a very close friend of Sri Sacidevi and was always very helpful to her.
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Srila Prabhupada desccribes the maha-prakasha at Srivasa Thakura;s housśrī-murāri gupta śākhā–premera bhāṇḍāraprabhura hṛdaya drave śuni’ dainya yāṅra SYNONYMS śrī–murāri gupta—of the name Śrī Murāri Gupta; śākhā—branch; premera—of love of Godhead; bhāṇḍāra—store; prabhura—of the Lord; hṛdaya—the heart; drave—melts; śuni‘-hearing; dainya—humility; yāṅra—of whom. TRANSLATION Murāri Gupta, the twenty-first branch of the tree of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, was a storehouse of love of Godhead. His great humility and meekness melted the heart of Lord Caitanya. PURPORT Śrī Murāri Gupta wrote a book called Śrī Caitanya–carita. He belonged to a vaidya physician family of Śrīhaṭṭa, the paternal home of Lord Caitanya, and later became a resident of Navadvīpa. He was among the elders of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Lord Caitanya exhibited His Varāha form in the house of Murāri Gupta, as described in the Caitanya–bhāgavata, Madhya–līlā, Third Chapter. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu exhibited His mahā–prakāśa form, He appeared before Murāri Gupta as Lord Rāmacandra. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu were sitting together in the house of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, Murāri Gupta first offered his respects to Lord Caitanya and then to Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. Nityānanda Prabhu, however, was older than Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and therefore Lord Caitanya remarked that Murāri Gupta had violated social etiquette, for he should have first shown respect to Nityānanda Prabhu and then to Him. In this way, by the grace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Murāri Gupta was informed about the position of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, and the next day he offered obeisances first to Lord Nityānanda and then to Lord Caitanya. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave chewed pan, or betel nut, to Murāri Gupta. Once Śivānanda Sena offered food to Lord Caitanya that had been cooked with excessive ghee, and the next day the Lord became sick and went to Murāri Gupta for treatment. Lord Caitanya accepted some water from the waterpot of Murāri Gupta, and thus He was cured. The natural remedy for indigestion is to drink a little water, and since Murāri Gupta was a physician, he gave the Lord some drinking water and cured Him. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in the house of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura in His Caturbhuja mūrti, Murāri Gupta became His carrier in the form of Garuḍa, and in these pastimes of ecstasy the Lord then got up on his back. It was the desire of Murāri Gupta to leave his body before the disappearance of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but the Lord forbade him to do so. This is described in Caitanya–bhagāvata, Madhya–līlā, Chapter Twenty. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu one day appeared in ecstasy as the Varāha mūrti, Murāri Gupta offered Him prayers. He was a great devotee of Lord Rāmacandra, and his staunch devotion is vividly described in the Caitanya–caritāmṛta, Madhya–līlā, Fifteenth Chapter, verses 137 through 157. Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Adim Lila 10.49 prabhura abhiṣeka tabe karila śrīvāsakhāṭe vasi’ prabhu kailā aiśvarya prakāśa SYNONYMS prabhura—of the Lord; abhiṣeka—worship; tabe—after that; karila—did; śrīvāsa—of the name Śrīvāsa; khāṭe—on the cot; vasi‘-sitting; prabhu—Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kailā—did; aiśvarya—opulence; prakāśa—manifestation. TRANSLATION Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura then worshiped Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu by the process of abhiṣeka. Sitting on a cot, the Lord exhibited transcendental opulence. PURPORT Abhiṣeka is a special function for the installation of the Deity. In this ceremony the Deity is bathed with milk and water and then worshiped and given a change of dress. This abhiṣeka function was especially observed at the house of Śrīvāsa. All the devotees, according to their means, worshiped the Lord with all kinds of paraphernalia, and the Lord gave benedictions to each devotee according to his desire, Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Adi Lila 17.11 TEXT 18 tabe sapta-prahara chilā prabhu bhāvāveśeyathā tathā bhakta-gaṇa dekhila viśeṣe SYNONYMS tabe—thereafter; sapta–prahara—twenty-one hours; chilā—remained; prabhu—the Lord; bhāva–āveśe—in ecstasy; yathā—anywhere; tathā—everywhere; bhakta–gaṇa—the devotees; dekhila—saw; viśeṣe—specifically. TRANSLATION After this incident, the Lord remained in an ecstatic position for twenty-one hours, and all the devotees saw His specific pastimes. PURPORT In the Deity’s room there must be a bed for the Deity behind the Deity’s throne. (This system should immediately be introduced in all our centers. It does not matter whether the bed is big or small; it should be of a size the Deity room can conveniently accommodate, but there must be at least a small bed.) One day in the house of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu sat down on the bed of Viṣṇu, and all the devotees worshiped Him with the Vedic mantras of the Puruṣa–sūkta, beginning with sahasra–śīrṣā puruṣaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ sahasra–pāt. This veda–stuti should also be introduced, if possible, for installations of Deities. While bathing the Deity, all the priests and devotees must chant this Puruṣa–sūkta and offer the appropriate paraphernalia for worshiping the Deity, such as flowers, fruits, incense, ārati paraphernalia, naivedya, vastra and ornaments. All the devotees worshiped Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in this way, and the Lord remained in ecstasy for seven praharas, or twenty-one hours. He took this opportunity to show the devotees that He is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, who is the source of all other incarnations, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.8): ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate. All the different forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or viṣṇu–tattva, emanate from the body of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu exposed all the private desires of the devotees, and thus all of them became fully confident that Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Some devotees call this exhibition of ecstasy by the Lord sāta-prahariyā bhāva, or “the ecstasy of twenty-one hours,” and others call it mahābhāva–prakāśa or mahā–prakāśa. There are other descriptions of this sāta-prahariyā bhāva in the Caitanya-bhāvagata, Chapter Nine, which mentions that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu blessed a maidservant named Duḥkhī with the name Sukhī. He called for Kholāvecā Śrīdhara, and showed him His mahā–prakāśa. Then He called for Murāri Gupta and showed him His feature as Lord Rāmacandra. He offered His blessings to Haridāsa Ṭhākura, and at this time He also asked Advaita Prabhu to explain the Bhagavad-gītā as it is (gītāra satya–pāṭha) and showed special favor to Mukunda. Sri caitanya caritamrtas 17.18