How the Master favoured Rup
Rup and Sanatan, after meeting the Master at the village of Ramkeli,
went back to their own quarters. The two brothers devised how to get rid
of their worldly ties. They secured two priests with costly gifts, and
performed two ceremonies preparatory to a journey (_purashcharan_) in
the mantra of Krishna, hoping thereby to attain speedily to Chaitanya's
feet. Then Rup came to his own house by boat with much wealth, of which
he distributed one half to Brahmans and Vaishnavs, one quarter to his
kinsmen for their support, and laid by the other quarter for paying the
fine. The money was lodged with good Brahmans, and ten thousand Rupees
were deposited with a grocer at Gaur, subject to expenditure by Sanatan.
When Rup heard of the Master's journey to Puri and of His intention to
go to Brindaban by the forest route, he sent two agents to Puri to bring
quickly word about the date of the Master's starting for Brindaban, as
he wanted to shape his own course accordingly.
At Gaur Sanatan thought within himself, "The Sultan's love for me is a
tie (keeping me here). If he were only to turn angry, it will be my
deliverance." On the plea of illness he stayed at home, gave up his
official work, and discontinued his visits to the Court. The greedy
writers (_Kayastha_) transacted the business of state (in his absence),
while he at home discussed the _Shastras_. With twenty or thirty
Bhattacharya pandits he discussed the _Bhagabat_ in assembly. One day
the Sultan with only one attendant suddenly entered Sanatan's meeting.
At the sight of the king, all hurriedly stood up, and seated him with
due honour. The Sultan said, "I sent a physician to you, who reported
that you were in perfect health. All my affairs depend on you, and yet
you are staying at home neglecting them! You have ruined all my
business. Tell me what you really mean by it?" Sanatan replied, "I am
unable to do the work. Get some one else for the purpose." The Sultan in
anger cried out again and again, "Your elder brother is acting like a
robber. He has desolated the districts (_chakla_) under him by killing
men and cattle. And here you are ruining all my affairs!" Sanatan
pleaded, "You are the free king of Bengal; punish all offenders."
At this the Sultan returned to his palace and imprisoned Sanatan lest he
should escape. When the king set out to invade Orissa, he asked Sanatan
to accompany him. The minister replied, "I cannot bear you company, as
you are going to molest my gods." Then the Sultan set out, leaving
Sanatan in prison.
When the Master set out for Brindaban, the two messengers brought news
of it to Rup. At this Rup wrote to Sanatan, "Chaitanya has started for
Brindaban. We two brothers are going to join him. Do you run away from
Gaur by hook or crook. I have left ten thousand Rupees with a grocer
there. Spend it to secure your release soon, and fly to Brindaban by any
way that you can find." Then Rup went to Prayag with his youngest
brother, Anupam Mallik (surnamed?) Shri-Vallabh, devout Vaishnav.
The Master delighted at the news. As He was going to visit Bindu Madhav,
_lakhs_ of men came to meet Him, some weeping, some laughing, some
singing and dancing, others rolling on the ground while shouting
_Krishna! Krishna!_ The Master drowned Prayag in the flood of Krishna's
love, while the Ganges and the Jamuna between them had failed to
submerge the land! Seeing the crowd, Rup and his brother stood apart.
The Master was thrown into ecstasy when beholding Madhav, and danced
with uplifted arms shouting 'Say _Hari! Hari!_' Men marvelled at His
greatness. His feats at Prayag baffle description. A Deccani Brahman who
knew Him, took Him to his house, where the Master was sitting down in
seclusion when Rup and Vallakh came to Him. With two blades of grass
between their teeth, they fell down prone on seeing Him from afar. Again
and again they rose up and fell down, reciting many verses, overcome
with love at the sight of Him. Graciously did the Master speak, "Rise,
rise! Rup, come to me! Krishna's grace passes all speech: He has plucked
you from the well of worldliness in which you were sunk. Witness the
_Hari-bhakti-vilas_, x. 91; the words of God:
_'It is not by studying the four Vedas that one can become my bhakta.
Even low-caste Chandals can win my love by their faith. To such bhaktas
I grant my love and accept their love, and they are worthy of adoration
like myself'."_
Repeating the above verse He embraced both and placed His feet on their
heads as a favour. At this they praised Him humbly with folded palms.
[Verses].
Then the Master seated them by Himself and asked for the news of
Sanatan. Rup answered, "He is in the king's prison. If you save him then
only can he be released. The Master said, "Sanatan has been set free and
will soon join us all. The Brahman invited the Master to dinner. Rup
passed the day there. Balabhadra Bhattacharya bade both the brothers to
dinner, and the two ate the leavings of the Master's plate. The Master
lodged in a house on the junction of the rivers; Rup and Vallabh took a
house near it.
There was then one Vallabh Bhatta[1] at the village of Ambuli. He came on
hearing of the Master's arrival, bowed to Him, received His embrace, and
the two discoursed long on Krishna, at which the Master's devotion
surged up, but He checked Himself in the presence of the Bhatta, who
detected the uncontrollable fervour within Him and marvelled
exceedingly. Then the Bhatta invited the Master, who introduced to him
the two brothers. They very humbly bowed to the Bhatta from a distance,
and as he ran to meet them they receded further crying, "Touch not
untouchable sinners like us!" The Bhatta marvelled; the Master was
delighted and told their story to the Bhatta, adding, "Touch not these;
they are of a low caste, while you are a Vaidic sacrificial Brahman, old
and a _kulin_." Hearing Krishna's name incessantly on their lips, the
Bhatta, taking hint from the Master's winking, remarked, "Krishna's name
is dancing on their tongue. They cannot be low; they are the best of
men. Witness the _Bhagabat_ III. xxxiii. 7."
The Master, pleased to hear it, praised him much and in rapture recited
these verses:
_"Wise men will honour even a Chandal who has been purified in
consequence of the sins of his low birth having been burnt away by the
blazing fire of pure faith; while an atheist is not to be honoured even
though learned in the Vedas. Vain are high pedigree, scholarship,
repetition of the holy name, and austerities, in a man who lacks faith
in God. As a lifeless doll is dressed up only for show to people, so are
the virtues of a faithless man futile._ (_Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya_, iii.
12 and 11.)"
The Bhatta wondered as he gazed at the Master's passion of devotion,
power, true faith, and beauty. He took Him with His followers in a boat
to his own house for dinner. Beholding the sparkling blue waters of the
Jamuna, the Master was overcome by love, and leaped into the river with
a roar. They were all seized with concern at it and hurriedly pulled Him
out of the water. He began to dance on the boat, which rolled right and
left under His weight and shipped a good deal of water, being ready to
sink. His love was uncontrollable; still in the presence of the Bhatta
the Master checked Himself, as His transport was inopportune, and
disembarked at the Ambuli ghat. The anxious Bhatta, after keeping His
company at bath, brought Him to his own house, gave Him a fine garment,
washed His feet and poured the water on the heads of himself and his
family. He clothed the Master in a new waist-band and _dhuti_, and
adored Him with scents, flowers, incense and lights. Bhattacharya cooked
and the Master dined; so did Rup and his brother; Rup and Krishna-das
were given the leavings of His dinner. After chewing spices the Master
lay down to repose, the Bhatta rubbing His feet. Sent away by the
Master, the Bhatta despatched his own dinner and came back to His feet.
Now came there Raghupati Upadhyaya, a great scholar and Vaishnav of
north Bihar (Tirhut). As he bowed, the Master greeted him with "Be thy
mind fixed on Krishna,"--to the great delight of the Upadhyaya. At the
Master's request he recited verses of his own composition describing
Krishna's deeds. [Verses.]
The Master had a transport of love as He listened and urged the poet to
proceed further. The Upadhyaya marvelled at such fervour, and knew Him
to be Krishna himself and not a mortal. The Master asked, "Upadhyaya!
what do you consider most excellent?" The poet replied, "Black is the
best of colours." "Where is the best abode of the black complexion?" The
poet answered, "Mathura is the best of cities." "Which is the best
age--boyhood, maturity, or adolescence?" The Upadhyaya replied,
"Adolescence is the only age fit for our meditation." "Which do you
think is the best among emotions?" "Love is the highest of all emotions
(_ras_)." The Master remarked, "Thou hast taught me the true lore", and
then in a tremulous voice recited Madhavendra Puri's verses (embodying
the above answers). In rapture He embraced the Upadhyaya, who began to
dance in a frenzy of love.
Vallabh Bhatta marvelled at the sight. With his two sons he fell down at
the Master's feet. The villagers flocked thither to see Him, and at His
sight became worshippers of Krishna. Vallabh Bhatta stopped the Brahmans
who were inviting the Master, saying, "This holy man jumped into
mid-Jamuna in ecstasy. I must not detain Him here, but convey Him back
to Prayag. Invite Him there, if you list." So saying he carried the
Master across in the boat.
Avoiding the press of the people, the Master went to the Dashashwamedh
ghat and there taught Rup about Krishna's essence, the path of
_bhakti_, the lore of emotions, the conclusions of the _Bhagabat_. He
imparted to Rup all the doctrines He had learnt from Ramananda, and
infused (His own) force into Rup's heart, in order to make him a perfect
doctor of Vaishnav theology. (Verses quoted from the
_Chaitanya-chandrodaya_.)
Thanks to the Master's grace on them, Rup and Sanatan became objects of
favour and pride to all His leading devotees and associates. Chaitanya's
attendants used to ask every one who returned to Bengal from Brindaban,
"Tell us how Rup and Sanatan are living there. Tell us of their
asceticism, their meals, their adoration of Krishna all day." Then
praising the two, the returned pilgrims would answer, "The two are
living homeless, sleeping every night under a different tree. In the
Brahman houses they get coarse food, in contrast with the sweetmeats
they formerly fed upon. They chew dry bread or gram, leaving all
enjoyments. In their hands is the beggar's gourd, they are wrapped in
tattered quilts; they speak of Krishna, chant his name, dance, and
exult. Throughout the day and night they recite Krishna's praise, and
sleep for two hours, and sometimes, absorbed in the passion of chanting
the name, they deny themselves even that short sleep. At times they
compose works on _bhakti_, hear discourses about Chaitanya, and
meditate on Him." These words greatly pleased the Fathers of the Church.
What wonder [that such should be their life], when Chaitanya's grace was
on them?
Thus passing ten days at Prayag, the Master taught Rup and inspired him
with strength, adding, "Listen, Rup! to the signs of a _bhakta_, which
I shall describe in brief sentences, without going into detail. I speak
to you only of one drop of the shoreless profound ocean of _bhakti_, in
order to give you a smack of it. Behold in the universe countless beings
that pass through 84 lakhs of births. The nature of a creature is as
minute as a hundredth part of a hundredth part of the point of a hair.
[Verses from the _Shruti-byakhya_, and the _Panchadashi_, 83.]
_'O, immutable God! if we admit that bodied beings are limitless,
eternal and omnipresent, then we cannot maintain the law that they are
subject to you. Then the creatures, though subject to birth, will be
law-givers unto themselves, even though they have not risen above their
mortal nature. Those who say that God and beings are equal, know not thy
true nature and their doctrines are false._ (_Bhagabat_, X. lxxxvii.
26.)'
"Among creatures we must distinguish between the animate and the
inanimate. Among the animate are many classes, such as sky-dwellers,
land animals, water animals &c., men being only a minority of them.
[Eliminate from] men the Mlechchhas, Pulindas, Bauddhas, and Shabars;
and from the followers of the Vedas one-half who follow the Vedas in
lips only, doing sins condemned by the Vedas and disregarding piety.
Among religious people many are devoted to work [as the means of
salvation]. For ten million men devoted to work we have one devoted to
knowledge, and therefore superior to the former. Among ten million men
devoted to knowledge we have only one liberated soul. And among ten
million liberated souls hardly one devotee of Krishna is found. The
_bhakta_ of Krishna is passionless and tranquil, while those who covet
enjoyment, salvation or _siddhi_ are perturbed. Witness the
_Bhagabat_, VI. xiv 4.
"In roving through the universe, lucky is the man who gets the seed of
the creeper of faith (_bhakti_) through the grace of his _guru_ and
Krishna. He sows the seed like a gardener, waters it with hearing and
chanting [the holy name]. As the creeper grows it pierces through the
universe, passes beyond the _Biraja Brahma_ world to the _Para-byom_,
and above that to the heavenly Brindaban, where it creeps up the
wishing-tree of Krishna's feet, spreads and bears fruit in the form of
love (_prem_). If any sin against Vaishnavism is done, it uproots or
tears the creeper like a wild elephant, its leaves wither. Then the
gardener on earth carefully covers it, to save it from the elephant of
sin. But if parasites, like love of enjoyment or salvation and countless
other things,--or forbidden practices like rubbish,--slaughter of living
beings,--thirst of gain or fame, adhere to the creeper, then these
parasites flourish from the watering, while the main creeper's growth is
arrested. Cut off the parasites first; then will the main branch reach
the heavenly Brindaban. When the mature fruit of love drops down, the
gardener tastes it, and proceeding up the creeper he reaches the
wishing-tree. There (in Vishnu's heaven) he tends the wishing-tree, and
blissfully tastes the juice of the fruit of love. That is the highest
fruit, the supreme human bliss, in comparison with which the four human
attainments are as straw. From pure faith is born love. Therefore I tell
you of the signs of pure faith: Leaving desire for others, worship of
others, knowledge and work, devote all your senses to the cultivation of
Krishna. This is pure faith, the source of love. Its signs are described
in the _Narada-pancha-ratra_ and the _Bhagabat_, III. xxix. 10--12 &c.
"If one desires enjoyment, salvation, &c., he cannot kindle love, even
by means of devotion (_sadhan_). From the culture of _bhakti_ ardour
is born; when ardour deepens it is called love (_prem_). As love grows
it is successively called _sneha_, _man_, _pranaya_, _rag_,
_anurag_, _bhab_, _maha-bhab_, just as we have successively
cane-seed, sugarcane juice, molasses, sugar, and fine sugarcandy. All
these are the enduring forms of _bhakti_ in Krishna, if they are joined
by provocation and addiction of mind. When the spiritual (_satwik_) and
extensive (_byabhichari_) emotions mingle together, _bhakti_ in
Krishna becomes a veritable nectar in taste, just as curd, when mixed
with sugar, ghee, pepper, and camphor, becomes deliciously sweet. In
different _bhaktas_ the inclination (_rati_) assumes different forms,
_viz._, the _shanta_, the _dasya_, the _sakhya_, the _batsalya_,
and the _madhur_. From these differences in the nature of the passion,
the mood (_ras_) of Krishna's love assumes five forms of the same name,
which are called the chief _rasas_, while there are seven minor
_rasas_, _viz._, the comic, the grotesque, the heroic, the pathetic,
the rude, the horrible, and the timid. The five former moods permanently
occupy the minds of _bhaktas_; while the seven minor moods rise
fitfully when they get a favourable occasion. The nine sages [who
instructed king Nimi] and Sanak and others are examples of _bhaktas_ of
the _shanta_ mood. Countless are the _bhaktas_ everywhere who
illustrate the _dasya_ mood. The _sakhya_ mood is typified in Shridam
and other [cow-boys] and in Bhim and Arjun of Hastinapur. The _bhaktas_
of the _batsalya_ mood are father, mother and other elders. Of the
_madhur_ mood of _bhakti_, the examples are chiefly the milkmaids of
Brindaban, Krishna's queens, Lakshmi and countless others.
"Again, ardour (_rati_) for Krishna is of two kinds: (1) accompanied by
a sense of his Godhead, and (2) pure and simple. At Gokul the latter was
displayed, free from any consciousness of his Godhead, while at Mathura,
Dwaraka, Vaikuntha and other places the former prevailed. Where the
sense of his Godhead is predominant, love [for him] is contracted;
whereas the way of pure ardour is to disregard his Godhead even when it
is openly shown. In the _shanta_ and _dasya_ emotions this
consciousness of His Godhead is a little kindled, but in the
_batsalya_, _sakhya_ and _madhur_ it is shrunk up. When Krishna bowed
at the feet of Vasudev and Devaki, they were frightened by the sense of
his Godhead. Witness the _Bhagabat_, X. xliv. 35.
"Arjun was awe-struck at beholding the vision of Krishna as God, and
begged his pardon for having treated him familiarly under the notion of
a friend. Vide the _Gita_, xi. 41. When Krishna jested with Rukmini,
she became mortally afraid lest he should quit her. _Vide_ the
_Bhagabat_, X. Ix. 23.
"The pure love called _kebala_ (unmixed) ignores his divinity, and in
case it does recognize him as God, it disavows its loving connection
with him. _Vide_ the _Bhagabat_, X. viii. 35, ix. 12, xviii. 14, xxx.
32, xxxi. 16.
"The _shanta ras_ consists in recognizing the true nature of Krishna
and fixing the mind on him only. Krishna has himself said, 'Devoting the
mind exclusively to me is the virtue of _shama_'. _Vide_ the
_Bhagabat_, XI. xix. 33:
_'Shama consists in fixing the mind on me; dama is control of the organs
of the senses; titiksha is endurance of sorrow; and dhriti is checking
what rises on the tongue.'_
"It is the duty of a _shanta_ votary to give up thirst for everything
except Krishna; hence a _shanta_ and a _bhakta_ of Krishna are
identical terms. Krishna's devotee regards heaven and even salvation as
no better than hell. _Vide_ the _Bhagabat_, VI. xvii. 23.
"Devotion to Krishna and conquest of desire are the two marks of a
_shanta bhakta_. All the five kinds of _bhaktas_ are necessarily
marked by these qualities, just as sound, the attribute of the sky, is
possessed by the other four elements also. A _shanta_ votary's
attachment to Krishna is like an odourless flower; he has _only_
acquired a true sense of God's nature, as the supreme spirit and
divinity. The _dasya_ mood better develops the cognition of Krishna as
the Lord of full powers. A _das bhakta_ constantly gratifies Krishna by
serving him with a sense of his divinity, honour, and great
glorification; _dasya ras_ has the merit of the _shanta ras_ plus
service, _i.e._, it has two merits. The _sakhya ras_ possesses these
two merits [plus absolute trust in Krishna]. In _dasya_ Krishna's
service is marked by honour and glorification; in _sakhya_ by reliance.
"A _sakha bhakta_ sits on Krishna's back, or carries him on his shoulders,
or has a mock fight with him; he serves Krishna and at times makes
Krishna serve him! The chief characteristic of the _sakhya ras_ is free
comradery, without any feeling of respect or awe. So this _ras_ has _three_
qualities; in it Krishna is loved more ardently, as he is held equal to
the _bhakta's_ self; hence this _ras_ captivates the good. In the _batsalya
ras_ there are the above three qualities, plus tenderness, which in its
excess leads to chiding and chastisement. Such a devotee regards himself
as the patron and Krishna as the _protege_; his service takes the form of
paternal care. This _ras_, therefore has _four_ qualities, and is like
nectar.
"In the _madhur ras_ all the above four qualities are present in a
heightened form, and in addition to them the votary serves Krishna as a
lover offering him his or her own person. Here _five_ qualities are
present. All the [four] emotions find their synthesis in the _madhur_,
just as in the case of the five elements (sky, air, light, water and
earth) the attributes of the first four are all united in the fifth.
Hence is the _madhur ras_ of wondrous deliciousness. This emotion has
been fully described. Reflect how to spread it. While meditating,
Krishna will illuminate your heart. Through Krishna's grace, even an
ignorant man reaches the farthest shore of the emotions."
So saying the Master embraced Rup and started for Benares next morning.
Rup begged leave to accompany Him as he could not bear the pang of
parting. But the Master objected, "Let me lay down your duty. You are
now within easy reach of Brindaban; go there. Thence return to Bengal
and join me at Puri." After giving him a (parting) embrace the Master
embarked. Rup fell down there in a swoon. The Deccani Brahman took him
to his house.
Then Rup and his brother went to Brindaban. When the Master reached
Benares, Chandra Sekhar met Him outside the village, as he had dreamt
the previous night that the Master had come to his house and so he had
come out of the village to wait for Him. Delighted to see the Master, he
bowed at His feet and took Him home with him. At the news, Tapan Mishra
came to the Master; forming a select assembly he invited Him and made
Him dine at his house. Chundra Shekhar invited Bhattacharya. After the
feast Tapan Mishra begged Him, "Grant me kindly one favour that I beg of
thee. So long as thou stayest at Kashi do not dine anywhere except in my
house." The Master accepted his invitation as He knew that He would stay
for a week only and would not dine with hermits. He lodged with Chandra
Shekhar. The Maratha Brahman and many good men of the Brahman and
Kshatriya castes visited the Master. [Text, canto 19.]
[1] The celebrated Vallabh-acharya (born in 1479), the founder of the
Pushtimarga school of Vaishnavism. _Ambuli_ is evidently _Arail_, a
village on the Jamuna opposite Allahabad, which contains a temple of the
Vallabh-acharya sect.