Post by Jagannāth Miśra Dās on Apr 11, 2022 8:43:32 GMT -6
Haribol Everyone. Here is a short sample (verses 261-72) from Govinda Dās’s biography on Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Śrī Caitanya Cakaḍā, written in 1534 in Oriya. These passages tell us how the indentations of Śrī Gaurāñga’s limbs at Alālanāth were not imprinted suddenly on a certain single occasion, but were rather impressed into the stone slab as a result of twelve continuous years of Gaurāñga reposing on it whilst sorely distracted by Kṛṣṇa-viroha; further adding that a part of this stone slab was even sent as a gift to king Pratāparudra. One does naturally wonder if this piece of the slab, which was happily dispatched to the king’s palace (either in Puri or Cuttack,) is still extant?
On the occasion of snāna pūrnimā, as Lord Caitanya took daraśan (of Jagannāth,) he was tended by Vaisnavas from the Chatā-Matha, which lies adjacent to the Siṁhadvāra. Then the Lord would habitually repose at the base of a banyana tree (beside the Chatā Matha,) and as he did so, his limbs would burst into horripulation whilst listening to recitals of the asta-kāla-kīrtan. After a servant from the temple had presented the Lord with some of the bathing water collected from the snāna-yātrā, he then swiftly returned back to the Gambhīra in the evening. In the middle of the night the Lord came once again for daraśan of Jagannāth, but not achieving his daraśan, he was now overcome with separation and sadness. (261-264)
The Sankīrtan procession (the day after snāna yātrā) commenced from the Śrī Deula (the Jagannāth temple) and proceeded to Alālanāth according to their now well established custom. For fifteen days the Vaisnavas remained in one place reciting Nāma. During this time it was noted that the Lord did not mark himself with tilak, nor adorn himself with a mālā, but sat silently and alone, his attention merged in Kṛṣṇa viroha. The stone slab, upon which the Lord reclined for twelve years, was now marked with the indentations of his shoulders, hands, waist and feet while he lay like a rod upon it; and it appeared like holes had been created in the stone itself. The stone somehow withstood the bhāva-rasa (and did not melt completely,) yet the hard stone slab was still nonetheless clearly marked. (265-269)
This (the stone slab with the impressions on it) has remained in the world as a testimony indicating the signs of viraha-rasa which could not have possibly been made by a body composed of the five elements. The eyes of the world have never beheld such a līlā; and on the fourteenth night when they all returned (to Puri) they circled the temple, and then entered into the Gambhīra. A segment of the viraha khandai (separation stone) was presented to the king’s palace; and once again the sound of Sankīrtan shook the kśetra. (270-272)
snāna pūrṇimāre prabhu kale daraśan
siṁhadvāra hatā madhye vaisnava sevana (261)
chatā batatale prabhu basanti vidhire
aṣtakāle kīrttan-re pulaka śarīre (262)
snāna jala paricchā se āpi samarpanti
sandhyākāle gambhīrāku sakale gamanti (263)
rātramadhye jagannāth darasan ku āsi
na dekhi viraha gheni visādare vasi (264)
On the occasion of snāna pūrnimā, as Lord Caitanya took daraśan (of Jagannāth,) he was tended by Vaisnavas from the Chatā-Matha, which lies adjacent to the Siṁhadvāra. Then the Lord would habitually repose at the base of a banyana tree (beside the Chatā Matha,) and as he did so, his limbs would burst into horripulation whilst listening to recitals of the asta-kāla-kīrtan. After a servant from the temple had presented the Lord with some of the bathing water collected from the snāna-yātrā, he then swiftly returned back to the Gambhīra in the evening. In the middle of the night the Lord came once again for daraśan of Jagannāth, but not achieving his daraśan, he was now overcome with separation and sadness. (261-264)
śrī deulū saṁkirttan gheni vije kari
alālanāth gamanti-niyama-ācarī (265)
pandara-dina-se-ekāsane-padi-thānti
vaisnava-mandalī-basi-nāma-ācaranti (266)
na-ghenanti-tilaka-se-na-ghenanti-mālā
krsna-viraha-cintane-mauna-se-nirolā (267)
sthala-kara-kaṭi-pāda-danda-prastarare
bāra-barṣe-gartta-prāya-hoilā-se-thāre (268)
bhāva-rase-sāhān-se-tarali-na-galā
kathina-śilā-bhāvare-kśīnatara-helā (269)
The Sankīrtan procession (the day after snāna yātrā) commenced from the Śrī Deula (the Jagannāth temple) and proceeded to Alālanāth according to their now well established custom. For fifteen days the Vaisnavas remained in one place reciting Nāma. During this time it was noted that the Lord did not mark himself with tilak, nor adorn himself with a mālā, but sat silently and alone, his attention merged in Kṛṣṇa viroha. The stone slab, upon which the Lord reclined for twelve years, was now marked with the indentations of his shoulders, hands, waist and feet while he lay like a rod upon it; and it appeared like holes had been created in the stone itself. The stone somehow withstood the bhāva-rasa (and did not melt completely,) yet the hard stone slab was still nonetheless clearly marked. (265-269)
viraha-rasa-cihna-jagate-rakhilā
pancabhūta-śarīrara-e-nuhe-laksana (270)
na-dekhilā-ehi-līlā-jagata-nayana
caturdasī-nisā-kāle-punī-bāhidanti
deula-beḍā-karina-gambhīrā-pasanti (271)
rajaprāsāda-samarpa-viraha-khandai
puna-saṁkīrttan-nāde-kśetra-se-kampai (272)
This (the stone slab with the impressions on it) has remained in the world as a testimony indicating the signs of viraha-rasa which could not have possibly been made by a body composed of the five elements. The eyes of the world have never beheld such a līlā; and on the fourteenth night when they all returned (to Puri) they circled the temple, and then entered into the Gambhīra. A segment of the viraha khandai (separation stone) was presented to the king’s palace; and once again the sound of Sankīrtan shook the kśetra. (270-272)
THE END.