The Dinner at Sarvabhauma's House
Thus did the Master live at the Nilachal with His followers, engaged in
dancing, singing, and delight. In the first year (of His stay) He used
to visit Jagannath to whom He bowed, hymned, danced and sang. When the
god's _Upala-bhog_ was offered, He issued from the temple and took
Haridas home with Himself, and there chanted Hari's name.
Adwaita arriving there adored the Master, washed His feet with perfumed
water, rubbed Him all over with fragrant sandal-paste, placed a garland
round His neck and the tufted _Tulsi_ flower on His head, prostrated
himself at the Master's feet, and adored Him with folded palms. The
Master adored the Acharya with the flowers and Tulsi leaves left over on
the ritual tray, and recited the verse "I bow to thee, that art what
thou art!" Then He made a playful sound with His lips and had a laugh at
the Acharya. Thus did the two honour each other. The Acharya repeatedly
asked the Master to dinner. . . The Master with His party dined at the
houses of the different _bhaktas_ on successive days. Thus did they
spend four months in His company, witnessing all the festivals of
Jagannath.
On Krishna's Nativity Day took place the ceremony of Nanda's grand
festival, at which the Master with His _bhaktas_ personated the
cowherds [of Mathura]. On His own shoulders did He carry the loads of
milk and curds to the place of the ceremony, shouting Hari's name. Kanai
Khuntia played the _role_ of Nanda and Jagannath Mahanti that of the
queen of Braja. With Pratap Rudra himself, Kashi Mishra, Sarvabhaunia,
and the _Parichha_ (minister) Tulsi, the Master danced and sported,
spattering all their bodies with milk, curds and yellow liquid. Adwaita
said, "Bear with me when I tell the truth. I shall know you for a
cowherd only if you can brandish a staff!" At this the Master began to
play with the staff. He tossed it in the air and caught it repeatedly as
it fell. He swung it round His head, behind, before, on the two sides,
and between the legs, spectators laughing. The stick circled round and
round like a lathe, all men wondering at the sight. Similarly Nityananda
too played with his staff. Who can fathom the deep cowherd mood of these
two? At the king's command, Tulsi Parichha brought out a costly cloth,
once worn by Jagannath, and tied it round the Master's head. [Other
clothes] were presented to the Acharya and other followers of the
Master. Kanai Khuntia and Jagannath Mahanti, in their enthusiasm, gave
away all the wealth of their houses. At this the Master was greatly
delighted, and bowed to them as his parents (_i.e._, as Nanda and his
wife, the foster-parents of Krishna). In deep spiritual exaltation did
He return to His quarters. Thus did Chaitanya play.
On the _Bijaya-dashami_, the day of the storming of Lanka, the Master
with His followers played the part of the monkey army [of Ram].
Transported by the spirit of Hanuman, He seized a branch and broke it
off as if it were the citadel of Lanka, shouting in a rage, "Where art
thou, Ravan! Thou hast kidnapped the Mother of the World. Wretch! I
shall destroy thee with thy kith and kin." The people marvelled at His
passion and exclaimed "Glory! glory!" So, too, did He witness the
celebration of _Rasa-yatra_, _Dipavali_ and _Utthan-dwadashi_. One
day He and Nityananda formed a plan in secret, the nature of which His
followers afterwards guessed only from the result. Calling all His
_bhaktas_ together, He said, "Return ye all to Bengal. Come here every
year and visit the Gundicha garden with me." On Adwaita Acharya he
honourably laid His command, "Teach the lesson of faith in Krishna to
all men, down to the Chandals." Nityananda was bidden, "Go to Bengal.
Freely proclaim the gospel of devotion and love. Ramdas, Gadadhar and
some others will assist you. Now and then I shall be with you, and
standing unseen shall witness your dancing." Embracing Shribas Pandit,
He clung to his neck and said tenderly, "In the _kirtan_ at your house
I shall always dance. You alone of all men will be able to see me. Give
my mother this cloth and all this _prasad_ bow to her and beg her
pardon for all my faults. I have turned a monk leaving her service; this
has been an act of irreligion and not of religion on my part. I am bound
by her love; service to her is my religion. It has been madness on my
part to quit it. Tell her to have pity on me, as No mother finds fault
with a crazy child. What need have I of monachism? Love is wealth to me;
I must have gone out of my mind when I turned _sannyasi_. At her
command I am staying at the Nilachal. I shall occasionally go home to
see her. Daily do I go and behold her feet; she feels a delighted
sensation but does not admit it as true. One day [for instance] she
cooked rice, five or six vegetable soups, _sak_, _mochaghanta_, fried
_patal_, _nim_ leaves, lemon, bits of ginger, curds, milk, and sugar
and cream, and offered these many dishes to _Saligram_. Taking up the
_prasad_ she lamented, All these were Nimai's favourite dishes. He is
not here. So I went there quickly and ate up every thing. On seeing the
empty dish she wiped her tears and asked, Who has eaten the rice and
soups? Why is the dish empty? Has the young Gopal (idol) eaten them up?
Or has an illusion seized my mind? Has some animal came in and devoured
them? Or did I by mistake serve no food on the plate at all? So thinking
she looked again at the cooking-pots and found them full, to her wonder
and suspicion [of defilement by some beast or demon]. She then called
Ishan, had the place cleaned, and offered rice to the god Gopal afresh.
Thus, whenever she cooks nice dishes, she weeps in eager desire to feed
me on them. Her affection compels me to eat (the food there); and she is
pleased at heart, though outwardly she is disconsolate. This happened on
the last _Bijaya-dashami_ day. Say unto her and make her believe."
Though overcome in making this speech, the Master composed Himself in
order to bid farewell to the _bhaktas_.
To Raghav Pandit He spoke feelingly, "Your pure devotion has made me
your servant. Hear, all ye, the story of his serving Krishna in the most
pious and excellent manner. Let me speak of one thing only, namely his
offering of cocoanut as _bhog_. In his place cocoanut sells at five
_gandas_ [i.e., quarter anna each]. Though his orchards have hundreds
of cocoanut palms yielding _lakhs_ of fruits, yet wherever he hears of
very sweet cocoanuts, he procures them at the price of four annas for
one, even from 20 miles distance. Every day he strips the fibre off five
or six fruits and cools them in water. Then at _bhog_ he smoothes them
and making small holes at the top offers the fruits to Krishna, who
drinks the milk within, and leaves the fruits empty or full of liquid at
different times. When the fruit is empty of milk, the Pandit rejoices,
cracks the nut and spreading the kernel on a hundred dishes, offers them
to Krishna, while he meditates outside (the god's dining room). Krishna
eats the offering, and leaves the dishes bare, or fills them again with
the kernel. At this the Pandit's devotion grows and he swims in the
ocean of love.
"One day his servant brought ten cleaned cocoanuts to be offered to the
god; but while waiting outside the door he happened to touch the wall
above with his hand and then placed the same hand on the fruits. On
seeing this the Pandit threw away the fruits as defiled and unworthy of
offering to the god, because the dust raised by the feet of people
entering at the door sticks to the wall above. By such pure loving
service he has surpassed the world . . . Similarly whenever he hears of
any good fruit like plantain, mango, or jack, in far off villages, he
carefully buys them dear, washes, cleans, and offers them to the god.
So, too, vegetables, roots, fruits, _chira_, _hurum_, confects, cakes,
sweet drinks, condensed milk, _kashandi_, pickles, scents, cloth,
ornaments, and the pick of all things he offers cleanly to the god. His
loving service is unmatched and soothes the eyes of all who behold it."
So saying the Master embraced Raghav, and showed due respect to the
other _bhaktas_. To Shivananda Sen he spoke in terms of honour, "Do you
look after Vasudev Datta, who is so charitable that every day he spends
all his day's earnings, saving nothing. But he is a householder and
ought to save, for without saving a man cannot support his kinsmen. You
have the charge of the income and expenditure of his house. In your
capacity as head man arrange (his affairs properly). Come every year
with all the _bhaktas_ to the Gundicha garden, taking care of them."
To the pilgrims from the Kulin village He said, "Come here every year
with striped silk cloth (for Jagannath). Gunaraj Khan wrote the _Shri
Krishna Vijay_, one devotional sentence of which, 'Nanda's darling
Krishna is the lord of my life', has made me the bondsman of his line.
Not to speak of you, even a dog of your village is dear to me, above all
others."
At this Satyaraj Khan and Ramananda too entreated the Master, "I am a
worldly man; how can I practise devotion? I beg thee to lay commands on
me." The Master replied, "Ever serve Krishna, ever serve Vaishnavs, ever
sing Krishna's name." Satyaraj asked, "How shall I know a Vaishnav? Tell
me of his general characteristics." The Master answered, "Whosoever
utters Krishna's name even once is to be honoured above all other men.
Krishna's name alone washes away all sins and kindles many forms of
faith. It does not make a man wait for religious initiation or priestly
ministration, but as soon as the word is formed on the tongue, it
redeems all men down to the Chandal caste. Along with that, Krishna's
name destroys our bondage to the world and draws the heart to the love
of Krishna. _Vide_ Shridhar Swami's stanza in the _Padavali_, xviii.
Therefore, he who utters Krishna's name alone is truly a Vaishnav.
Honour him as such."
Of the pilgrims from Khanda the leaders were Mukunda-das, Raghunandan,
and Narahari. To the first, Shachi's son spoke thus, "Tell me truly
whether you are the father and Raghunandan your son, or the converse?
Dispel my doubt." Mukunda replied, "I verily believe that Raghunandan is
my father and I his son, because our devotion to Krishna has been
imbibed from him." The delighted Master broke out, "True are thy words.
He who gives us faith in Krishna is our _guru_." Bliss it is to the
Master to unfold the greatness of _bhaktas_, and He holds forth on the
subject through five mouths as it were. Turning to His followers He
said, "Hark ye about Mukunda's faith. It is a pure and deep love, like
unalloyed gold. Outwardly he is a physician royal and serves his master.
But who can fathom his heart's devotion? One day the Musalman king was
talking with him about medicine, on a high dais, when a servant held a
peacock-feather fan over the Nawab's head. At the sight (of Krishna's
crest), Mukunda in a rapture of devotion tumbled down from the height.
The Nawab, thinking that he was overcome by death, dismounted, restored
him to his senses, and asked where he had been hurt. Mukunda replied
that he did not feel much pain. Then to the Nawab's query about the
cause of his fall, he replied that he was subject to epilepsy. The Nawab
was very wise, he discerned the real reason and thenceforth regarded
Mukunda as a great devotee."
Raghunandan served at Krishna's temple, in front of which there was a
tank with a _Kadamba_ tree blooming all the year round on its _ghat_.
Daily two flowers blossomed there (as if) derived from Krishna. The
Master continued, turning to Mukunda, "Your business is to earn money,
Raghunandan's to serve Krishna. His heart has no other desire. Let
Narahari remain with my _bhaktas_. Do you three ever perform these
duties respectively."
Graciously He addressed the two brothers, Sarvabhauma and
Vidya-vachaspati, "Krishna is at present manifest in the form of wood
and water, the sight and ablution of which saves mankind. As the wooden
god he lives at Puri, while the deity as water is the river Bhagirathi.
Let Sarvabhauma worship the wooden god and Vachaspati the water-deity".
Embracing Murari Gupta, the Master extolled his sincere devotion thus,
"Listen, O ye _bhaktas_! I had formerly often tempted him saying,
'Passing sweet is the lad of Braja's lord, O Gupta! Krishna is God
himself, in all His fulness, the refuge of all. Love is pure, clean, the
source of all passions (_ras_), the ocean in which all virtues are
stored like gems. He is wise, expert, sedate, the chief of the masters
of emotions. Sweet is his character, sweet is his fascination; his
sports are marked by cleverness and skill. Worship that Krishna, seek
refuge in him. The heart cannot accept any other object of adoration'.
His respect for me somewhat influenced him and he replied that he was my
servant, ready to do my bidding, without free will. Going home, he was
restless at the thought of giving up his idol Raghunath, and cried, 'How
can I quit the feet of Raghunath? Kill me to-night, O Lord! So he spent
the whole night watching and weeping, sore at heart. In the morning he
returned, clasped my feet and cried, I have sold my head at Raghunath's
feet, and cannot draw it away now, so great would be the pain of it. I
cannot leave Raghunath's feet, and on the other hand thy command will be
disobeyed. I have no help for it. Take pity, therefore, on me, O Kind
One; and let me die before thee, so that the conflict within me may be
ended'. At these words I rejoiced exceedingly, raised and embraced him,
saying, 'Excellent! Excellent! firm is your devotion, O Gupta, as my
words have not shaken your purpose. It is the devotion of servants of
this kind that ought to be offered at the Lord's feet,--when the Lord
draws away His feet the devotee does not let go his grasp. That I urged
you repeatedly was only to test this your earnest faith. You are Hanuman
himself, the servant of Ram. Why then should you leave his lotus feet?
This is that Murari Gupta [addressing the other _bhaktas_], the very
life of me. My heart breaks to see his meekness of spirit."
Then He embraced Vasudev, and dwelt on his merits with a thousand
tongues. The Datta, blushing to hear his own praise, begged at the
Master's feet, "Thou hast come down to deliver the world. Grant one
prayer of mine. It can be easily granted, if thou willest, O Gracious
One! My heart breaks to see the sorrows of mankind. Lay thou the sins of
the rest of mankind on my head; let me suffer in hell under the load of
their sins, so that, Master, thou mayest remove the earthly pangs
[_i.e._, birth on earth] of all other beings." These words melted the
Master's heart. Trembling and weeping He answered in broken accents,
"This request is no surprise, coming from you who are a Prahlad. Full is
Krishna's grace on you. Krishna brings to fruition whatever his servants
ask for; he has no other work than to gratify his servants wishes. You
have prayed for the salvation of all the creatures of the universe. (I
say) they will all be delivered, without suffering for their sins. The
task is not too much for Krishna, who is omnipotent. Why should he make
you (alone) undergo the due chastisement for (their) sins? Those whose
good you desire are Vaishnavs, all of whose sins are removed by Krishna.
Witness the _Brahma Samhita_, v. 60.
"At your mere wishing, the universe will be redeemed. It is no labour
for Krishna to deliver all men. Ten million figs (_dumbur_) can grow on
one tree; similarly ten million universes float in the water of the
Pure. The tree knows not the loss, if a fruit drops and perishes. So,
too, if one universe is set free [from re-birth], Krishna does not
regard it even as a trifling loss. Endless are Krishna's possessions.
Vaikuntha and other places belong to him. They are girt round by the
ocean of the Cause of Creation. Countless illusive universes float in
that ocean, just as a pot of oil-seeds may float in the ditch round a
city. The loss of one seed-grain out of it matters nothing. So, too,
Krishna does not feel the loss if one universe is gone. Even if illusion
and all the universes subject to it perish, Krishna does not mind the
loss. The illusion [-created world] is no more to Krishna than a
she-goat is to the owner of ten millions of cows giving inexhaustible
milk. _Vide Bhagabat_, X. lxxxvii, 10."
In such terms did the Master speak of the different merits of all His
followers, embrace and give them leave. They wept at parting from Him,
while His mind, too, was saddened. Gadadhar Pandit stayed with Him and
was settled by Him at Jaleswar [in Jagannath-Puri]. The Puri,
Jagadananda, Swarup Damodar, Damodar Pandit, Govinda, and Kashishwar,--
these lived with the Master at Puri. He visited Jagannath every morning.
One day Sarvabhauma solicited Him with folded palms thus, "Now that all
the Vaishnavs have returned to Bengal, I have got an opportunity of
entertaining you. Be pleased to be a guest at my house for a month." The
Master replied, "It is opposed to my rules of duty. I can't do it."
Sarvabhauma persisted, "Let it be for twenty days only." But the Master
objected, No, that too is opposed to the rules of a _sannyasi_."
Sarvabhauma came down to fifteen days, but the Master insisted on dining
with him for one day only. Then Sarvabhauma, clasping His feet, begged
for ten days out of which the Master gradually reduced five, and
accepted the invitation for five days only. Then Sarvabhauma made
another prayer, saying, "There are ten monks with you, out of whom the
Puri will dine with me for five days, as I told you before. Damodar
Swarup, my friend, will go to my house with you and at times alone. The
other eight will be my guests dining singly for two days each. Thus a
month is filled up with engagements. I fear lest I should fail to show
due hospitality if so many monks come to me together. You, too, will
visit my house with your shadow, and sometimes in the company of Swarup
Damodar." Glad of the Master's nod [of assent] he invited Him that very
day. The Bhattacharya's wife was called Shathi's mother; she was greatly
devoted to the Master and a very mother in tenderness. [The cooking, the
courses, and the dinner described in great detail].
The Master said, "It is impossible to eat so much rice" [_viz._, three
maunds]. The Bhatta replied, "I know what is a sufficient quantity for
you. At Puri you [as Jagannath] eat _bhog_ 52 times a day, and the
quantity for each time is hundreds of loads. At Dwaraka you [as King
Krishna dine daily] at the houses of your 16,000 queens, 108 mothers,
and the Yadav clan. At Brindaban you dine twice daily at the houses of
your kinsmen and cowherd comrades. At the Govardhan sacrifice heaps of
rice were brought for you, in comparison with which my dishes form less
than a mouthful. You are God indeed. I am a wretched little creature.
Consent to take only a little mouthful of food at my house." Smiling,
the Master sat down, the Bhatta serving Him with the _prasad_ of
Jagannath. Just then there came Amogh, the son-in-law of Bhattacharya
and the husband of Shathi. He was a _Kulin_ and a fault-finder. He
wished to see the feeding, but could not come, as Bhattacharya kept
watch at the door stick in hand! When Bhattacharya was busy serving the
_prasad_, Amogh came in and looking at the rice began to criticise,
"What! a single monk is eating this rice, on which ten or twelve others
can feed to their fill!" Hearing these words Bhattacharya looked over
his shoulders, and Amogh fled away. . . . His father-in-law cursed him
and his mother-in-law prayed for her daughter's widowhood.
That night Amogh spent in hiding, and next morning he was seized with
cholera. At the news that he was dying, Bhattacharya exclaimed, "The
gods are on my side, and are doing my work. A sin against God bears
immediate fruit. Witness the _Mahabharat_, Bana-parva, ccxli. 17, and
_Bhagabat_, X.iv.3i."
When Gopinath Acharya went to see the Master, in answer to a question
about Bhattacharya, he said, "The couple had fasted at night. Amogh is
dying of cholera." At this the merciful Master hastened there, laid His
hand on Amogh's breast and said, "Pure by nature is this Brahman's
heart,--a fit place for Krishna to sit on. Why have you seated the
Chandal Envy here, and thus defiled a very holy spot? Your sins are
ended by the society of Sarvabhauma. When sin is gone, men recite
Krishna's name. Rise, thou, Amogh! chant Krishna's name. Soon will God
have mercy on you." At these words, Amogh rose up with the cry of
_Krishna! Krishna!_ and began to dance in an ecstasy, of devotion,
weeping, trembling, standing stockstill, perspiring, lisping. The Master
smiled at seeing the surging up of his love. But he begged the Master,
holding His feet, "Gracious Master! forgive my fault." With this he
slapped his own cheeks till they were swollen. Gopinath Acharya held his
hand to stop him, and the Master stroked his body to console him saying,
"You are an object of affection to me, being related to Sarvabhauma.
Even the very servants and dogs of his house are dear to me above all
others. Thou hast not offended. Chant Krishna's name."
So saying the Master came to Sarvabhauma's house, who clasped His feet,
but the Master embraced him, took His seat and began, "Amogh is a child.
He cannot offend. Why are you fasting, why are you angry with him? Up,
bathe, visit Jagannath, and break your fast soon, if you want to please
me. I shall wait here so long as you do not return with the _prasad_
(for your dinner)." Clasping His feet Sarvabhauma asked "Amogh was
dying. Why did you revive him?" The Master replied, "Amogh is your
child. The father, especially if he is the nourisher, does not take note
of the offence of his boy. He has now turned Vaishnav; his sin is gone;
do you then look kindly on him." The Bhatta said, "Go, Master, to see
the god. I Shall quickly join you there after taking my bath." But He
replied, "Gopinath! stay here. When the _prasad_ comes to him, inform
me of it." Then He went to see the god, while the Bhatta bathed, prayed,
and dined.
This Amogh became extremely devoted to the Master. A very sedate man, he
incessantly recited Krishna's name. [Text, canto 15.]