Madhya Lila

prabhu-ajnaya bhakta-gana pratyabda asiya gundica dekhiya ya'na prabhure miliya

TRANSLATION

Following the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all the devotees used to visit Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu every year. They would see the Gundica festival at Jagannatha Puri and then return home after four months.

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vimsati vatsara aiche kaila gatagati anyonye dunhara dunha vina nahi sthiti

TRANSLATION

For twenty consecutive years this meeting took place, and the situation became so intense that the Lord and the devotees could not be happy without meeting one another.

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sesa ara yei rahe dvadasa vatsara krsnera viraha-lila prabhura antara

TRANSLATION

The last twelve years were simply devoted to relishing the pastimes of Krsna in separation within the heart of the Lord.

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nirantara ratri-dina viraha unmade hase, kande, nace, gaya parama visade

TRANSLATION

In the attitude of separation, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared mad both day and night. Sometimes He laughed, and sometimes He cried; sometimes He danced, and sometimes He chanted in great sorrow.

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ye kale karena jagannatha darasana mane bhave, kuruksetre panachi milana

TRANSLATION

At those times, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would visit Lord Jagannatha. Then His feelings exactly corresponded to those of the gopis when they saw Krsna at Kuruksetra after long separation. Krsna had come to Kuruksetra with His brother and sister to visit.

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ratha-yatraya age yabe karena nartana tahan ei pada matra karaye gayana

TRANSLATION

When Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to dance before the cart during the festival, He always sang the following two lines.

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seita parana-natha painu yaha lagi' madana-dahane jhuri genu

TRANSLATION

"I have gotten that Lord of My life for whom I was burning in the fire of lusty desires."

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ei dhuya-gane nacena dvitiya prahara krsna lana vraje yai----e-bhava antara

TRANSLATION

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to sing this song [seita parana-natha] especially during the latter part of the day, and He would think, "Let Me take Krsna and go back to Vrndavana." This ecstasy was always filling His heart.

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ei bhave nrtya-madhye pade eka sloka sei slokera artha keha nahi bujhe loka

TRANSLATION

In that ecstasy, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu recited one verse when dancing in front of Lord Jagannatha. Almost no one could understand the meaning of that verse.

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yah kaumara-harah sa eva hi varas ta eva caitra-ksapas te conmilita-malati-surabhayah praudhah kadambanilah sa caivasmi tathapi tatra surata-vyapara-lila-vidhau reva-rodhasi vetasi-taru-tale cetah samutkanthate

TRANSLATION

"That very personality who stole away my heart during my youth is now again my master. These are the same moonlit nights of the month of Caitra. The same fragrance of malati flowers is there, and the same sweet breezes are blowing from the kadamba forest. In our intimate relationship, I am also the same lover, yet still my mind is not happy here. I am eager to go back to that place on the bank of the Reva under the Vetasi tree. That is my desire."

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ei slokera artha jane ekale svarupa daive se vatsara tahan giyachena rupa

TRANSLATION

This verse appears to be the hankering between some ordinary boy and girl, but its actual deep meaning was known only to Svarupa Damodara. By chance, one year Rupa Gosvami was also present there.

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prabhu-mukhe loka suni' sri-rupa-gosani sei slokera artha-sloka karila tathai

TRANSLATION

Although the meaning of the verse was known only to Svarupa Damodara, Rupa Gosvami, after hearing it from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, immediately composed another verse that described the meaning of the original verse.

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sloka kari' eka tala-patrete likhiya apana vasara cale rakhila gunjiya

TRANSLATION

After composing this verse, Rupa Gosvami wrote it on a palm leaf and put it on the roof of the thatched house in which he was living.

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sloka rakhi' gela samudra-snana karite hena-kale aila prabhu tanhare milite

TRANSLATION

After composing this verse and putting it on the roof of his house, Srila Rupa Gosvami went to bathe in the sea. In the meantime, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to his hut to meet him.

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haridasa thakura ara rupa-sanatana jagannatha-mandire na ya'na tina jana

TRANSLATION

To avoid turmoil, three great personalities--Haridasa Thakura, Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana Gosvami--did not enter the temple of Jagannatha.

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mahaprabhu jagannathera upala-bhoga dekhiya nija-grhe ya'na ei tinere miliya

TRANSLATION

Every day Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to see the upala-bhoga ceremony at the temple of Jagannatha, and after seeing this He used to go visit these three great personalities on His way to His own residence.

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ei tina madhye yabe thake yei jana tanre asi' apane mile,----prabhura niyama

TRANSLATION

If one of these three was not present, He would meet the others. That was His regular practice.

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daive asi' prabhu yabe urdhvete cahila cale gonja tala-patre sei sloka paila

TRANSLATION

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to the residence of Srila Rupa Gosvami, He accidentally saw the palm leaf on the roof, and thus He read the verse composed by him.

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sloka padi' ache prabhu avista ha-iya rupa-gosani asi' pade dandavat hana

TRANSLATION

After reading the verse, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went into a ecstatic mood. While He was in that state, Srila Rupa Gosvami came and immediately fell down on the floor like a rod.

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uthi' mahaprabhu tanre capada mariya kahite lagila kichu kolete kariya

TRANSLATION

When Rupa Gosvami fell down like a rod, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu got up and gave him a slap. Then, taking him on His lap, He began to speak to him.

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mora slokera abhipraya na jane kona jane mora manera katha tumi janile kemane?

TRANSLATION

"No one knows the purport of My verse," Caitanya Mahaprabhu said. "How could you understand My intention?"

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eta bali' tanre bahu prasada kariya svarupa-gosanire sloka dekhaila lana

TRANSLATION

Saying this, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu bestowed various benedictions upon Rupa Gosvami, and taking the verse, He later showed it to Svarupa Gosvami.

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svarupe puchena prabhu ha-iya vismite mora manera katha rupa janila kemate

TRANSLATION

Having shown the verse to Svarupa Damodara with great wonder, Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked him how Rupa Gosvami could understand the intentions of His mind.

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svarupa kahe,----yate janila tomara mana tate jani,----haya tomara krpara bhajana

TRANSLATION

Srila Svarupa Damodara Gosvami replied to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, "If Rupa Gosvami can understand Your mind and intentions, he must have Your Lordship's special benediction."

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prabhu kahe,----tare ami santusta hana alingana kailu sarva-sakti sancariya

TRANSLATION

The Lord said, "I was so much pleased with Rupa Gosvami that I embraced him and bestowed upon him all necessary potencies for preaching the bhakti cult.

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yogya patra haya gudha-rasa-vivecane tumio kahio tare gudha-rasakhyane

TRANSLATION

"I accept Srila Rupa Gosvami as quite fit to understand the confidential mellows of devotional service, and I recommend that you explain devotional service to him further."

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e-saba kahiba age vistara karina sanksepe uddesa kaila prastava paina

TRANSLATION

I shall describe all these incidents elaborately later on. Now I have given only a brief reference.

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priyah so 'yam krsnah saha-cari kuru-ksetra-militas tathaham sa radha tad idam ubhayoh sangama-sukham tathapy antah-khelan-madhura-murali-pancama-juse mano me kalindi-pulina-vipinaya sprhayati

TRANSLATION

[This is a verse spoken by Srimati Radharani.] "My dear friend, now I have met My very old and dear friend Krsna on this field of Kuruksetra. I am the same Radharani, and now We are meeting together. It is very pleasant, but still I would like to go to the bank of the Yamuna beneath the trees of the forest there. I wish to hear the vibration of His sweet flute playing the fifth note within that forest of Vrndavana."

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ei slokera sanksepartha suna, bhakta-gana jagannatha dekhi' yaiche prabhura bhavana

TRANSLATION

Now, O devotees, please hear a brief explanation of this verse. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was thinking in this way after having seen the Jagannatha Deity.

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sri-radhika kuruksetre krsnera darasana yadyapi payena, tabu bhavena aichana

TRANSLATION

The subject of His thoughts was Srimati Radharani, who met Krsna on the field of Kuruksetra. Although She met Krsna there, She was nonetheless thinking of Him in the following way.

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raja-vesa, hati, ghoda, manusya gahana kahan gopa-vesa, kahan nirjana vrndavana

TRANSLATION

She thought of Him in the calm and quiet atmosphere of Vrndavana, dressed as a cowherd boy. But at Kuruksetra He was in a royal dress and was accompanied by elephants, horses and crowds of men. Thus the atmosphere was not congenial for Their meeting.

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sei bhava, sei krsna, sei vrndavana yabe pai, tabe haya vanchita purana

TRANSLATION

Thus meeting with Krsna and thinking of the Vrndavana atmosphere, Radharani longed for Krsna to take Her to Vrndavana again to fulfill Her desire in that calm atmosphere.

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ahus ca te nalina-nabha padaravindam yogesvarair hrdi vicintyam agadha-bodhaih samsara-kupa-patitottaranavalambam geham jusam api manasy udiyat sada nah

TRANSLATION

The gopis spoke thus, "Dear Lord, whose navel is just like a lotus flower, Your lotus feet are the only shelter for those who have fallen into the deep well of material existence. Your feet are worshiped and meditated upon by great mystic yogis and highly learned philosophers. We wish that these lotus feet may also be awakened within our hearts, although we are only ordinary persons engaged in household affairs."

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HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada