Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Sri Caitanya Caritamrta

CC Adi 16 Summary

CC Adi 16.1: I worship Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, whose nectarean mercy flows like a great river, inundating the entire universe. Just as a river flows downstream, Lord Caitanya especially extends Himself to the fallen.

CC Adi 16.2: All glories to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityananda! All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to all the devotees of the Lord!

CC Adi 16.3: Long live Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His kaisora age! Both the goddess of fortune and the goddess of learning worshiped Him. The goddess of learning, Sarasvati, worshiped Him in His victory over the scholar who had conquered all the world, and the goddess of fortune, Laksmidevi, worshiped Him at home. Since He is therefore the husband or Lord of both goddesses, I offer my obeisances unto Him.

CC Adi 16.4: At the age of eleven Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began to teach students. This marks the beginning of His kaisora age.

CC Adi 16.5: As soon as the Lord became a teacher, many, many students came to Him, every one of them astonished to hear His mode of explanation.

CC Adi 16.6: The Lord defeated all kinds of scholars in discourses about all the scriptures, yet because of His gentle behavior, none of them were unhappy.

CC Adi 16.7: The Lord, as a teacher, performed various kinds of pranks in His sporting pastimes in the water of the Ganges.

CC Adi 16.8: After some days the Lord went to East Bengal, and wherever He went He introduced the sankirtana movement.

CC Adi 16.9: Struck with wonder by the influence of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's intellectual prowess, many hundreds of students came to the Lord and began studying under His direction.

CC Adi 16.10: In East Bengal there was a brahmana named Tapana Misra, who could not ascertain the objective of life or how to attain it.

CC Adi 16.11: If one becomes a bookworm, reading many books and scriptures and hearing many commentaries and the instructions of many men, this will produce doubt within his heart. One cannot in this way ascertain the real goal of life.

CC Adi 16.12: Tapana Misra, being thus bewildered, was directed by a brahmana in a dream to go to Nimai Pandita [Caitanya Mahaprabhu].

CC Adi 16.13: "Because He is the Lord [isvara]," the brahmana told him, "undoubtedly He can give you proper direction."

CC Adi 16.14: After seeing the dream, Tapana Misra came to the shelter of Lord Caitanya's lotus feet, and he described all the details of the dream to the Lord.

CC Adi 16.15: The Lord, being satisfied, instructed him about the object of life and the process for attaining it. He instructed him that the basic principle of success is to chant the holy name of the Lord [the Hare Krsna maha-mantra].

CC Adi 16.16: Tapana Misra desired to live with the Lord in Navadvipa, but the Lord asked him to go to Varanasi [Benares].

CC Adi 16.17: The Lord assured Tapana Misra that they would meet again in Varanasi. Receiving this order, Tapana Misra went there.

CC Adi 16.18: I cannot understand the inconceivable pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, for although Tapana Misra wanted to live with Him in Navadvipa, the Lord advised him to go to Varanasi.

CC Adi 16.19: In this way Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu contributed the greatest benefit to the people of East Bengal by initiating them into hari-nama, the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, and making them learned scholars by educating them.

CC Adi 16.20: Because the Lord was engaged in various ways in preaching work in East Bengal, His wife, Laksmidevi, was very unhappy at home in separation from her husband.

CC Adi 16.21: The snake of separation bit Laksmidevi, and its poison caused her death. Thus she passed to the next world. She went back home, back to Godhead.

CC Adi 16.22: Lord Caitanya knew about the disappearance of Laksmidevi because He is the Supersoul Himself. Thus He returned home to solace His mother, Sacidevi, who was greatly unhappy about the death of her daughter-in-law.

CC Adi 16.23: When the Lord returned home, bringing with Him great wealth and many followers, He spoke to Sacidevi about transcendental knowledge to relieve her of the grief she was suffering.

CC Adi 16.24: After coming back from East Bengal, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu again began educating others. By the strength of His education He conquered everyone, and thus He was greatly proud.

CC Adi 16.25: Then Lord Caitanya married Visnupriya, the goddess of fortune, and thereafter He conquered a champion of learning named Kesava Kasmiri.

CC Adi 16.26: Vrndavana dasa Thakura has previously elaborately described this. That which is clear need not be scrutinized for good qualities and faults.

CC Adi 16.27: Offering my obeisances to Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura, I shall try to describe that portion of the Lord's analysis which, when he heard it, made the Digvijayi feel himself condemned.

CC Adi 16.28: Once on a full moon night the Lord was sitting on the bank of the Ganges with His many disciples and discussing literary topics.

CC Adi 16.29: Coincidentally, Kesava Kasmiri Pandita came there. While offering his prayers to mother Ganges, he met Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

CC Adi 16.30: The Lord received him with adoration, but because Kesava Kasmiri was very proud, he talked to the Lord very inconsiderately.

CC Adi 16.31: "I understand that You are a teacher of grammar," he said, "and that Your name is Nimai Pandita. People speak very highly of Your teaching of beginners' grammar.

CC Adi 16.32: "I understand that You teach Kalapa-vyakarana. I have heard that Your students are very expert in the word jugglery of this grammar."

CC Adi 16.33: The Lord said, "Yes, I am known as a teacher of grammar, but factually I cannot impress My students with grammatical knowledge, nor can they understand Me very well.

CC Adi 16.34: "My dear sir, whereas you are a very learned scholar in all sorts of scriptures and are very much experienced in composing poetry, I am only a boy -- a new student and nothing more.

CC Adi 16.35: "Therefore I desire to hear your skill in composing poetry. We could hear this if you would mercifully describe the glory of mother Ganges."

CC Adi 16.36: When the brahmana, Kesava Kasmiri, heard this, he became still more puffed up, and within one hour he composed one hundred verses describing mother Ganges.

CC Adi 16.37: The Lord praised him, saying, "Sir, there is no greater poet than you in the entire world.

CC Adi 16.38: "Your poetry is so difficult that no one can understand it but you and mother Sarasvati, the goddess of learning.

CC Adi 16.39: "But if you explain the meaning of one verse, we can all hear it from your own mouth and thus be very happy."

CC Adi 16.40: The Digvijayi, Kesava Kasmiri, inquired which verse He wanted explained. The Lord then recited one of the one hundred verses Kesava Kasmiri had composed.

CC Adi 16.41: "'The greatness of mother Ganges always brilliantly exists. She is the most fortunate because she emanated from the lotus feet of Sri Visnu, the Personality of Godhead. She is a second goddess of fortune, and therefore she is always worshiped both by demigods and by humanity. Endowed with all wonderful qualities, she flourishes on the head of Lord Siva.'"

CC Adi 16.42: When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked him to explain the meaning of this verse, the champion, very much astonished, inquired from Him as follows.

CC Adi 16.43: "I recited all the verses like the blowing wind. How could You completely learn by heart even one among those verses?"

CC Adi 16.44: The Lord replied, "By the grace of the Lord someone may become a great poet, and similarly by His grace someone else may become a great sruti-dhara who can memorize anything immediately."

CC Adi 16.45: Satisfied by the statement of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the brahmana [Kesava Kasmiri] explained the quoted verse. Then the Lord said, "Now kindly explain the special qualities and faults in the verse."

CC Adi 16.46: The brahmana replied, "There is not a tinge of fault in that verse. Rather, it has the good qualities of similes and alliteration."

CC Adi 16.47: The Lord said, "My dear sir, I may say something to you if you will not become angry. Can you explain the faults in this verse?

CC Adi 16.48: "There is no doubt that your poetry is full of ingenuity, and certainly it has satisfied the Supreme Lord. Yet if we scrutinizingly consider it we can find both good qualities and faults."

CC Adi 16.49: The Lord concluded, "Now, therefore, let us carefully scrutinize this verse."The poet replied, "Yes, the verse You have recited is perfectly correct.

CC Adi 16.50: "You are an ordinary student of grammar. What do You know about literary embellishments? You cannot review this poetry because You do not know anything about it."

CC Adi 16.51: Taking a humble position, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "Because I am not on your level, I have asked you to teach Me by explaining the faults and good qualities in your poetry.

CC Adi 16.52: "Certainly I have not studied the art of literary embellishments. But I have heard about it from higher circles, and thus I can review this verse and find in it many faults and many good qualities."

CC Adi 16.53: The poet said, "All right, let me see what good qualities and faults You have found."The Lord replied, "Let Me speak, and please hear Me without becoming angry.

CC Adi 16.54: "My dear sir, in this verse there are five faults and five literary ornaments. I shall state them one after another. Kindly hear Me and then give your judgment.

CC Adi 16.55: "In this verse the fault of avimrsta-vidheyamsa occurs twice, and the faults of viruddha-mati, bhagna-krama and punar-atta occur once each.

CC Adi 16.56: "The glorification of the Ganges [mahattvam gangayah] is the principal unknown subject matter in this verse, and the known subject matter is indicated by the word 'idam,' which has been placed after the unknown.

CC Adi 16.57: "Because you have placed the known subject at the end and that which is unknown at the beginning, the composition is faulty, and the meaning of the words has become doubtful.

CC Adi 16.58: "'Without first mentioning what is known, one should not introduce the unknown, for that which has no solid basis can never be established anywhere.'

CC Adi 16.59: "In the word 'dvitiya-sri-laksmi' ['a second all-opulent goddess of fortune'], the quality of being a second Laksmi is the unknown. In making this compound word, the meaning became secondary and the originally intended meaning was lost.

CC Adi 16.60: "Because the word 'dvitiya' ['second'] is the unknown, in its combination in this compound word the intended meaning of equality with Laksmi is lost.

CC Adi 16.61: "Not only is there the fault avimrsta-vidheyamsa, but there is also another fault, which I shall point out to you. Kindly hear Me with great attention.

CC Adi 16.62: "Here is another great fault. You have arranged the word 'bhavani-bhartr' to your great satisfaction, but this betrays the fault of contradiction.

CC Adi 16.63: "The word 'bhavani' means 'the wife of Lord Siva.' But when we mention her husband, one might conclude that she has another husband.

CC Adi 16.64: "It is contradictory to hear that Lord Siva's wife has another husband. The use of such words in literature creates the fault called viruddha-mati-krt.

CC Adi 16.65: "If someone says, 'Place this charity in the hand of the husband of the wife of the brahmana,' when we hear these contradictory words we immediately understand that the brahmana's wife has another husband.

CC Adi 16.66: "The statement by the word 'vibhavati' ['flourishes'] is complete. Qualifying it with the adjective 'adbhuta-guna' ['wonderful qualities'] creates the fault of redundancy.

CC Adi 16.67: "There is extraordinary alliteration in three lines of the verse, but in one line there is no such alliteration. This is the fault of deviation.

CC Adi 16.68: "Although there are five literary ornaments decorating this verse, the entire verse has been spoiled by these five most faulty presentations.

CC Adi 16.69: "If there are ten literary ornaments in a verse but even one faulty expression, the entire verse is nullified.

CC Adi 16.70: "One's beautiful body may be decorated with jewels, but one spot of white leprosy makes the entire body abominable.

CC Adi 16.71: "'As one's body, although well-decorated with ornaments, is made unfortunate by even one spot of white leprosy, so an entire poem is made useless by a fault, despite alliteration, similes and metaphors.'

CC Adi 16.72: "Now hear the description of the five literary embellishments. There are two ornaments of sound and three ornaments of meaning.

CC Adi 16.73: "There is a sound ornament of alliteration in three lines. And in the combination of the words 'sri' and 'laksmi' there is the ornament of a tinge of redundancy.

CC Adi 16.74: "In the arrangement of the first line the letter 'ta' occurs five times, and the arrangement of the third line repeats the letter 'ra' five times.

CC Adi 16.75: "In the fourth line the letter 'bha' occurs four times. This arrangement of alliteration is a pleasing ornamental use of sounds.

CC Adi 16.76: "Although the words 'sri' and 'laksmi' convey the same meaning and are therefore almost redundant, they are nevertheless not redundant.

CC Adi 16.77: "Describing Laksmi as possessed of sri [opulence] offers a difference in meaning with a tinge of repetition. This is the second ornamental use of words.

CC Adi 16.78: "The use of the words 'laksmir iva' ['like Laksmi'] manifests the ornament of meaning called upama [analogy]. There is also the further ornament of meaning called virodhabhasa, or a contradictory indication.

CC Adi 16.79: "Everyone knows that lotus flowers grow in the water of the Ganges. But to say that the Ganges takes birth from a lotus flower seems extremely contradictory.

CC Adi 16.80: "The existence of mother Ganges begins from the lotus feet of the Lord. Although this statement that water comes from a lotus flower is a contradiction, in connection with Lord Visnu it is a great wonder.

CC Adi 16.81: "In this birth of the Ganges by the inconceivable potency of the Lord, there is no contradiction although it appears contradictory.

CC Adi 16.82: "'Everyone knows that lotus flowers grow in the water but water never grows from a lotus. All such contradictions, however, are wonderfully possible in Krsna: the great river Ganges has grown from His lotus feet.'

CC Adi 16.83: "The real glory of mother Ganges is that she has grown from the lotus feet of Lord Visnu. Such a hypothesis is another ornament, called anumana.

CC Adi 16.84: "I have simply discussed the five gross faults and five literary embellishments of this verse, but if we consider it in fine detail we will find unlimited faults.

CC Adi 16.85: "You have achieved poetic imagination and ingenuity by the grace of your worshipable demigod. But poetry not well reviewed is certainly subject to criticism.

CC Adi 16.86: "Poetic skill used with due consideration is very pure, and with metaphors and analogies it is dazzling."

CC Adi 16.87: After hearing the explanation of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the champion poet was struck with wonder. His cleverness stunned, he could not say anything.

CC Adi 16.88: He wanted to say something, but no reply would come from his mouth. He then began to consider this puzzle within his mind.

CC Adi 16.89: "This mere boy has blocked my intelligence. I can therefore understand that mother Sarasvati has become angry with me.

CC Adi 16.90: "The wonderful explanation the boy has given could not have been possible for a human being. Therefore mother Sarasvati must have spoken personally through His mouth."

CC Adi 16.91: Thinking thus, the pandita said, "My dear Nimai Pandita, please hear me. Hearing Your explanation, I am simply struck with wonder.

CC Adi 16.92: "I am surprised. You are not a literary student and do not have long experience in studying the sastras. How have You been able to explain all these critical points?"

CC Adi 16.93: Hearing this and understanding the pandita's heart, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied in a humorous way.

CC Adi 16.94: "My dear sir, I do not know what is good composition and what is bad. But whatever I have spoken must be understood to have been spoken by mother Sarasvati."

CC Adi 16.95: When he heard this judgment from Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the pandita sorrowfully wondered why mother Sarasvati wanted to defeat him through a small boy.

CC Adi 16.96: "I shall offer prayers and meditation to the goddess of learning," the champion concluded, "and ask her why she has insulted me so greatly through this boy."

CC Adi 16.97: Sarasvati had in fact induced the champion to compose his verse in an impure way. Furthermore, when it was discussed she covered his intelligence, and thus the Lord's intelligence was triumphant.

CC Adi 16.98: When the poetic champion was thus defeated, all the Lord's disciples sitting there began to laugh loudly. But Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked them not to do so, and He addressed the poet as follows.

CC Adi 16.99: "You are the most learned scholar and the topmost of all great poets, for otherwise how could such fine poetry come from your mouth?

CC Adi 16.100: "Your poetic skill is like the constant flow of the waters of the Ganges. I find no one in the world who can compete with you.

CC Adi 16.101: "Even in the poetic compositions of such great poets as Bhavabhuti, Jayadeva and Kalidasa there are many examples of faults.

CC Adi 16.102: "Such mistakes should be considered negligible. One should see only how such poets have displayed their poetic power.

CC Adi 16.103: "I am not even fit to be your disciple. Therefore kindly do not take seriously whatever childish impudence I have shown.

CC Adi 16.104: "Please go back home, and tomorrow we may meet again so that I may hear discourses on the sastras from your mouth."

CC Adi 16.105: In this way both the poet and Caitanya Mahaprabhu went back to their homes, and at night the poet worshiped mother Sarasvati.

CC Adi 16.106: In a dream the goddess informed him of the Lord's position, and the poetic champion could understand that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.

CC Adi 16.107: The next morning the poet came to Lord Caitanya and surrendered unto His lotus feet. The Lord bestowed His mercy upon him and cut off all his bondage to material attachment.

CC Adi 16.108: The poetic champion was certainly most fortunate. His life was successful by dint of his vast learning and erudite scholarship, and thus he attained the shelter of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

CC Adi 16.109: Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has described all these incidents elaborately. I have only presented the specific incidents he has not described.

CC Adi 16.110: The nectarean drops of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes can satisfy the senses of everyone who hears them.

CC Adi 16.111: Praying at the lotus feet of Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunatha, always desiring their mercy, I, Krsnadasa, narrate Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, following in their footsteps.

Copyright (c) The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness