Srila Locana Dasa Thakura appeared in this world in 1520 A.D.,
thirty-four years after the appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Locana Dasa wrote a biography on Lord Caitanya, entitled Sri
Caitanya Mangala, and he wrote many devotional songs.
Sri Locana dasa Thakura took birth in a family of Rarhiya
physicians who resided in the village of Kogram, within the
Mahakumar (Katna) district of Barddhaman. His guru was Sri Narahari
Sarkar Thakura.
"I am the servant of Thakura Sri Narahari, who is the master of my
life. The desire of all my desires, I place at his lotus feet;
which is that this vile creature (myself) might describe some-thing
about the wonderful qualities of Sri Gaurasundara. In this
expectation, he is my only refuge. [Caitanya-mangala,
Satvakhanda].
His father's name was Sri Kamalakara dasa and his mother's name,
Sri Sadananda. He was the only son of his parents. He was raised in
his maternal grandfather's home and his education was completed
there. When he was only a little boy, he enjoyed the good fortune
of meeting the devotees of Sri Gauranga.
He was married at a very young age. From his youth he was very
attached to Sri Gaursundara and consequently very disinterested in
material life, though he was surrounded by family, friends and
society. In his youth he spent the major part of his time at his
guru's Sripat, Srikhanda, where he learned how to do kirtana.
The book that he composed Caitanya-mangala was from the diary of
Sri Murari Gupta. "Murari Gupta, who resides at Nadia, composed
many beautiful verses about the life of Sri Gauranga. These include
the youthful pastimes of Nimai, which Murari Gupta personally took
part in, and His later pastime in Nilacala, after He accepted
sannyasa, which were narrated by Sri Damodara Pandita. Having heard
these verses of Murari Gupta, composed in sanskrit, I have become
very attracted and so I have composed them in the village folk
poetry meter of Bengali."
In his Caitanya Mangala, Srila Locana Dasa Thakura has written: "My
hope of hopes is to be near the lotus feet of Sri Narahari Thakura,
to serve and worship him with my very life. The cherished desire of
the fallen Locana Dasa is to be allowed by the grace of Narahari to
sing the glories of Sri Gauranga. My Lord is Sri Narahari Thakura
and I am his servant. Bowing and praying before him I beg him to
allow me his service. This is my only aspiration."
Previously in Bengal (especially East Bengal, now Bangladesha) the
poets used to compose sacred songs and verses in different forms of
classic rhymes and rythmic meters called Panchali (such as Laxmir
Panchali, Sanir Panchali and Manasa Bhasan). The Panchali style of
composition was especially used for glorifying the Lord. Srila
Locana Dasa Thakura used the Panchali form of verse-meter in
composing his famous work, Sri Caitanya Mangala. The Panchali form
employs five different kinds of song-styles or meters.
The principle source material that was drawn upon by Sri Locana
Dasa Thakura in composing his Caitanya Mangala was a Sanskrit book
by Murari Gupta called Sri Caitanya Caritamritam.(see more books on
Mahaprabhu here)
Locana Dasa Thakura explains this in his Caitanya Mangala as
follows: "That very Murari Gupta who lived in Nadiya composed many
Sanskrit verses about the life of Sri Gauranga, which he later
arranged in the form of a book. Having heard these verses from
Murari Gupta, Damodara Pandit taught them to me, and I memorized
them with great delight. As these Sanskrit verses, and the
conception of Caitanya Mahaprabhu imparted to me through Damodara
Pandita, developed within my mind, it flowed forth from me in the
form of these Panchali verses in Bengali, which I write in
glorification of the life and pastimes of Sri Caitanya." (C.M.
Sutra-Khanda)
In his preface to the Caitanya Mangala, Srila Locana Dasa Thakura
offers his prayers to Vrindavan dasa Thakura before proceeding with
the narrative. He says, "I offer my prayers of submission to
Vrindavana Dasa Thakura with all my heart. The sweet song of his
Caitanya Bhagavata has enchanted the whole world." (C.M.
Sutra-Khanda)
Vrindavan Dasa Thakura's Caitanya Bhagavata was originally called
Caitanya Mangala. It is said that Srila Locana Dasa Thakura and
Srila Krishna Dasa Kaviraja Goswami gave it the name Caitanya
Bhagavata. Krishnadasa Kavriaja Goswami writes:
krishna lila bhagavate kahe vedadvyasa,
chaitanya lilara vyasa-vrindavana dasa.
"Vedavyasa has described the pastimes of Krishna in his Bhagavata.
The Vyasa of Caitanya Lila is Vrindavan Dasa."
From this comparison between Vedavyasa and Vrindavana Dasa, it has
been concluded that Kaviraja Goswami is probably responsible for
Vrindavan Dasa Thakur's work becoming known as the Bhagavata of
Caitanya Lila or Chaitanya-Bhagavata.
There are many pastimes of Sri Caitanya that have only been touched
on briefly by Vrindvana Dasa Thakura. These are described in detail
in the Caitanya Mangala of Locana Dasa Thakura.
The Caitanya Mangala is divided into four parts: Sutra Khanda, Adi
Khanda, Madhyama Khanda and Shesha Khanda. The Sutra Khanda has two
chapters, Adi Khanda has seven chapters, the Madhyama Khanda
twelve, and the Shesha Khanda three. The contents of the Adi Khanda
are as follows.
The first chapter in the Sutra Khanda is called Mangalaracharanam,
or auspicious invocation. It begins with a song of the glories of
Sri Caitanya and then praises the Vaishnavas who were personal
associates of Sri Caitanya. After this, Locana Dasa Thakura offers
respects to his gurudeva, Narahari Sarakara Thakura, and prays for
his guru's mercy. He offers his obeisances at the lotus feet of the
countless devotees and personal associates of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, known and unknown. Having prayed for the blessings of
guru and vaishnavas, Locana Dasa explains that Murari Gupta had
written a book in Sanskrit called the Caitanya Caritamritam, and
that since that book is no longer available, he is giving its
essence in the form of Bengali verse called Panchali. He then
briefly describes the subjects found in the Adi, Madhya, and Shesha
Khandas.
The second chapter of the Sutra Khanda is called Grantharambha, for
here the book actually begins. In this chapter Locana Dasa relates
how he heard from Damodara Pandita the story of Jaimini's
Mahabharata recital, wherein he describes a conversation between
Narada and Uddhava. In that conversation Narada explained the cause
of Krishna's appearance in the golden form of Sri Gauranga.
One time Narada saw that with the coming of the age of Kali the
living beings had fallen into great suffering. He began to worry
about how they could be delivered and the principles of dharma
restored. Thinking in this way, he decided that only Krishna's
descent into this world would deliver the fallen souls and restore
the principles of religion. Wanting to appeal to Krishna to descend
as an avatara, he set out for Dwaraka dham. At that time, Krishna
was staying in the palace of Sri Rukmini devi.
Just then, upon learning that Sri Krishna would soon appear on
earth in a golden form, with the golden luster and devotional mood
of Radharani, Rukminidevi became deeply troubled. Feeling
separation from the Lord, she fell at the lotus feet of Krishna and
began praising the qualities of Sri Radha - whose devotion was so
glorious that Krishna wanted to honor her by assuming her luster
and mood. At that time Narada entered the room. He explained to
Krishna the reason for his trip - that he wanted Krishna to descend
to the earth planet in order to deliver the fallen souls. At that
time, Krishna revealed to him how in the future he would appear as
the son of Sacidevi and Jagannatha Mishra in Nabadwipa dham: in a
golden form with all his transcendental associates.
Having seen that golden form revealed, Narada was overwhelmed with
ecstasy. Constantly thinking of this golden form and the Lord's
plans to appear in Navadwipa dhama as Sri Gauranga, Narada the best
of munis went to visit Naimisharanya, all the while singing the
glories of the Lord. There, in answer to Uddhava's inquiries about
the welfare of the living beings, he explained how in Kali-yuga -
the best of all ages because of Sri Gauranga's advent - Krishna
would appear in a golden form as Sri Gauranga and perform the
kirtan of the holy name of Hari. Narada told Uddhava how the Lord
would come to establish the Sankirtana of the holy name of Krishna
as the yuga-dharma, the religious principle for the age of Kali.
Narada explained the glories of kirtana.
Thereafter, Narada Muni related to Uddhava the discussion that had
previously taken place when he had gone to Kailasa and visited Lord
Shiva, the best of Vaishnavas. There, Narada and Parvati discussed
the glories of Mahaprasada, having heard of the glories of
Mahaprasada from Narada, Parvati had performed 12 years of
Lakshmi-seva. By her mercy, Parvati got some of Laksmidevi's own
mahaprasada and also gave shiva a small bit of that prasada. Not
able to tolerate the dancing of Lord Shiva upon obtaining this
Mahaprasada, the earth came before Parvati, begging her to give the
Mahaprasada of the Vaishanvas to all the jivas. With this proposal,
Parvati explained how the Gaura-avatara would come in kaliyuga and
distribute Mahaprasada to all the fallen souls.
After this, Narada went to Brahma and discussed the Gaura-avatara
with him. Brahma, the creator, at that time explained to him the
essential subject of the Shrimad Bhagavatam, and showed him how the
version of the Bhagavatam supported the gaura-avatara. After this,
Narada began wandering here and there. As he went from place to
place he became concerned about he sufferings of the jivas. As he
was worrying about the living entities in this way, he came near
Jagannatha Puri. There he heard a divine voice discussing the
avatara of Jagannatha. On the order of the divine voice he went to
Puri. From there, the Lord ordered him to go to Goloka. First he
came to Vaikuntha. After this, he arrived in Goloka, where he saw
many pastimes of the Lord. There he saw the Lord in his golden form
as Sri Gaura, and fainted in ecstasy. After this, he went all over
the universe, informing all the gods of the news.
In Shwetadwipa he saw the supernatural pastimes of Balarama, the
very figure of service. After this, all the demigods began taking
birth on earth. As previously mentioned by Krishna in his
conversation with Rukmini, the Lord, along with Satyabhama,
Rukmini, and all his eternal associates from the spiritual world
came with the luster and mood of Radharani in a golden form as Sri
Gauranga. He came to spread the sankirtan of the holy name of
Krishna.
Balarama came as Nityananda, Shiva came as Advaita Prabhu, and
other great souls descended as his other eternal associates like
Murari, Mukunda, Shrivasa, Raya Ramananda, Ishvara Puri, and
Madhavendra Puri. Locana Dasa Thakur concludes the chapter by
praising the glories of his guru, Sri Narahari Sarakara Thakura,
and his nephew Raghunandana Thakura.
The first chapter of the Adi lila of Caitanya Mangala describes the
Janma-lila, or birth pastimes, of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The
chapter first describes the advent of the Lord's eternal
associates, who appeared in this world before Mahaprabhu
Himself.
Locana Thakura describes the Lord as the remote and immediate cause
of creation, the Parabrahman, Sri Narayana Himself. That Supreme
Personality of Godhead descended within the womb of Sacidevi and
advented Himself upon this earth. In this way, gradually Saci's
womb grew day by day, and her body assumed a supernatural
effulgence. Seeing her wonderful bodily effulgence, everyone was
astonished, and thought, "Surely a great personality is about to
take birth from the womb of Sri Sacidevi."
When her "pregnancy" was in its sixth month, one day Advaita
Acharya Prabhu went to the house of Sacidevi and Jagannatha Mishra.
Arriving there, he offered his obeisances to the child in the womb
of Mother Saci and then circumambulated her. Sacidevi and
Jagannatha Mishra could not understand the cause of Advaita's
unusal behavior. In this way, Brahma, Shiva, and the other gods
came to offer their respects to that Supreme Personality of Godhead
who had hidden himself within the womb of Sacidevi, knowing well
that he would soon advent Himself in this world to deliver the
lowest of men with the highest nectar of Krishna prema. Detecting
their presence, Sacidevi felt great joy. When the heart of Sacidevi
was full of mercy for the whole world, that is to say, when the
most merciful Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had completely filled her
heart, gradually the tenth month came. After this, taking advantage
of an auspicious moment on the full moon day in the month of
Phalguna, in the midst of Hari-sankirtana, Sri Guarachandra
appeared like a golden moon from the ocean of the womb of Mother
Saci. In this way, the Lord appeared on earth, and the ten
directions were jubilant. The gods and godesses, men and women,
eager to see the moonlike face of the son of Saci, hurried to the
house of Jagannatha Mishra and Sacidevi. In this way, their home
was transformed into Vaikuntha.
Jagannatha Mishra and all the residents of Nadiya who had turned
out to see that divine child were all struck with wonder to see his
beauty. He had a neck like a lion, arms like the trunks of
elephants, and a broad chest. His lotus feet were marked with the
auspicious symbols of Lord Vishnu: a flag, a thunderbolt, a rod for
driving elephants.
Seeing all these wonderful and superhuman manifestations of
divinity in the child, the people there were all astonished.
Everyone speculated about his supernatural origin, saying, "He is
definitely not an ordinary human." For eight days, the newborn
child and its mother were quarantined, as is traditional for
childbirth in Bengal, and on the ninth day a great festival was
held. At that time, all the neighbors were filled with great joy to
see the boy, and their attraction for him increased.
The second chapter of the Adi Khanda describes the Lord's bala-lila
childhood pastimes. Here, Locana dasa Thakura describes how after
six months, the grain-eating ceremony of Sri Gaurasundara was held,
and after this the name-giving ceremony was performed. At the
appearance of the Lord, the whole world was delighted. Since the
Lord gave pleasure to the whole world, the brahmanas said his name
should be Vishvambhara. Soon, Vishvambara began to walk, by holding
onto Jagannatha Mishra's finger with his tiny hand. The different
women in the village used to decorate him with different ornaments,
and they would wonder at the beautiful effulgence that emanated
from the child, which was as bright as millions of moons.The moon
outside can brighten the darkness of night only slightly, but the
moon of Sri Gaurachandra can eliminate all darkness, both within
and without.
Sacidevi would sing to her son while threshing wheat, and at that
time, all the demigods are offer prayers to her son. Seeing this,
Sacidevi was quite amazed. Sometimes she would see Gaurahari
chanting the glories of Radha-Krishna with the gods and would
become astonished and faint. When she heard ankle-bells ringing on
the bare feet of her child, again she was bewildered. Sometimes she
was afraid that ghosts were causing a disturbance, and sometimes
she would look in the mouth of her child, and, beholding the
universal form, become completely astonished.
In this way, gradually Gaurahari grew old enough to play outside,
where he astounded his newfound childhood friends with his divine
antics. His playmates were quite attached to him. Sacidevi would
carry the baby Gaurahari in her arms and watch after him carefully
as he ran about, to keep him from smashing everything as he played.
Once, he explained to Mother Saci the nature of things pure and
impure, instructing her on the aprakrita nature of Krishna, who is
master of everything.
While sitting on a heap of broken clay pots soiled with leftovers,
he instructed his mother on jnana. Seeing his mother bewildered, he
brought her some coconut fruit. In this way, he performed many
childhood pranks. He used to play with puppydogs. When Sacidevi
chastised him for playing with a dog, and Gaurahari had to give up
his pet, he cried tears of anger before Sacidevi. At that time, he
bestowed a divine spiritual body upon that dog while performing
Harikirtana. The dog went to Vaikuntha, and as Brahma, Shiva, and
the other demigods saw the good fortune of the dog they were all
amazed. Sacidevi was astonished at the activities of her son, who
made her understand his Supreme Position as the Absolute Lord.
The fourth chapter of the Adi Lila of Caitanya Mangala describes
the Lord's pauganda, or boyhood lila. Having heard Murari Gupta
reciting the yogashastras, the Lord mimicked his gestures and
speech, making fun of him and then began to laugh uproariously.
Thus Murari Gupta was enraged and chastised the Lord with words of
anger. In return, the boy, intending to express his contempt for
the conclusions of yogis went to Murari's afternoon lunch and
urinated on Murari Gupta's plate. After this, he instructed Murari
Gupta on the superiority of Krishna-bhakti.
Finally, the author discusses Mahaprabhu's boyhood performance of
sankirtana, and relates what he heard from Damodara Pandit of
Murari Gupta's notes on the sannyasa of Vishvarupa, the Lord's
older brother. He also relates the lamentation of Sacidevi and
Jagannatha upon their son's taking sannyasa. He also recounts many
other pastimes performed by the Lord as a boy.
At that time the Lord's hair-cutting ceremony took place. And soon
thereafter, the day of Hate-khare, or the first holding of chalk,
came. On that day, to signify the beginning of a child's formal
education begins, he is given a piece of chalk and a chalkboard,
upon which he is to draw the letters of the alphabet. Upon
beginning his studies, the Lord was overjoyed to meet many new
classmates. On the day that his son's education began, Jagannatha
Mishra was very pleased. That night, however, he had a dream in
which a brahmana appeared to him and told him that his son
Vishvambhara was Bhagavan Himself. Who can educate the Supreme
Lord, or discipline him as a small boy? From this, Jagannatha
Mishra could understand the supreme position of his child. When his
dream broke, he was again overwhelmed with the sentiments of
parental love and soonforgot the dream.
At a particular time, the sacred thread ceremony of the boy was
performed. After this, there is a discussion of the four ages and
the yuga-avatara. In Dvapara-yuga, the Supreme Lord Himself, Sri
Krishna the son of Nanda in Vrindavana, makes his appearance on
earth. In Kaliyuga, Sri Krishna, appearing with the luster and mood
of Sri Radha, advents himself as Sri Gauranga. By performing
Sankirtana, he establishes the religious principle for the age of
Kali: hari-nama-sankirtana. In order to establish the yuga-dharma,
he comes as a preacher. Maddened with Krishna-prema, he delivers
all souls with the ecstasy of love of God, by moving here and there
and distributing divine love. While in his grihastha-lila, he
ordered his mother to refrain from eating grains on Ekadashi, in
this way instructed everyone to follow this injunction.
Gradually, Jagannatha Mishra fell ill, and passed away, entering
into the Lord's unmanifest pastimes. At that time, the Lord
instructed Sacidevi on the fleeting nature of a man's short life
within the material world. He also explained many other important
principles of divine reality to her. With the passing of her
husband, Sacidevi greatly lamented. Gaurahari Himself also lamented
the passing of his father. After this time, he began paying close
attention to his studies.
Chapter four describes the Lord's pastimes of youth and marriage.
One day, after school, the Lord was walking home from his teacher's
house and at that time he met Vanamali Acarya. As they talked, the
Acharya made the Lord understand that he had just been to see his
mother Sacidevi, where he had been making arrangements for the
Lord's wedding. Sacidevi had rebuffed him, and unable to secure her
permission for the match, Vanamali was a little unhappy. In this
way, he was returning to his home, downcast. Sri Gaurahari returned
home. Without intimating anything of his conversation with the
matchmaker, the Lord informed her of his intentions to wed, saying
that she should seek out Vanamali and make the necessary
arrangements for the wedding of her son.
She did so, and on the orders of Sacimata, Vanamali Acharya went to
Vallabhacharya's house. There he informed Vallabhacarya of the
Lord's intent to wed Vallabhacarya's daughter Lakshmidevi.
Having made all the arrangements for the wedding, Sacidevi informed
all her friends and relatives of the auspicious event and invited
them to the occasion. Everyone floated in the waves of the joyful
ocean. In this way, Sacidevi made preparations for her son's
wedding.
All the residents of Nadia turned out to see the wedding. The
relatives saw to it that all the old traditional Bengali wedding
customs were followed. The Hindu ceremony of besmearing the
bridegroom and bride with a paste of turmeric and then bathing them
on the eve of the wedding was performed, as were many other
rituals. The place where the wedding was to be performed was
cleansed with sanctified water, and all the Vedic purificatory
rites were observed. All this took place at the house of
Vallabhacharya. At last, with great pomp and grandeur, in the midst
of a great assembly of devotees, relatives and friends, the wedding
of Sri Gaurahari and Lakshmidevi was performed in the house of
Vallabhacarya.
The Acharya himself performed the Vedic wedding ceremony. He
offered his new son-in-law sanctified water and arghya to sweeten
his lotus mouth. After this, he brought Lakshmidevi up on the
wedding stage and presented her to Gaurahari. Finally, the
scriptural sacrifice that is performed at weddings took place.
After this, the brahmanas were fed sumptuous prasadam at the
conclusion of the wedding, and Sri Lakshmidevi was escorted to her
new home as the bride of Sri Gaurahari.
The Fifth Chapter of the Adi Khanda of Caitanya Mangala describes
more of the Lord's pastimes of youth, including his tour of Bengal.
After some time the Lord journeyed down the banks of the Ganges,
sanctifying that holy river even further by the touch of his lotus
footsteps. In order to provide for his new family, the Lord set out
for East Bengal, where he took up the occupation of teaching. In
this way he gave his mercy to the residents of East Bengal who
lived on the banks of the Padmavati river. When he returned to
Bengal, he found that Lakshmidevi had been unable to tolerate the
pain of his absence. She was bitten by the snake of separation and
passed away into the unmanifest pastimes of the Lord. Sacidevi was
heartbroken and was consoled in her lamentation by Gaurahari who
glorified the sublime qualities of Lakshmidevi.
The Sixth Chapter of the Adi Khanda of Caitanya Mangala describes
the arrangements made by Sacidevi for the Lord's second wedding.
Through Dvija-Kashishvara it was arranged that he was to be wed to
the daughter of Sanatana Pandita, Vishnupriya devi. Here, the
wedding of Vishnupriya and Gaurahari is elaborately described.
The seventh chapter of the Adi Khanda describes the Lord's journey
to Gaya. Some time after the wedding of Gaurahari and
Vishnupriyadevi, the Lord, having completed his education busied
himself in his teaching work. One day, he left for Gaya to offer
respects to his departed father. As he walked down the road,
everywhere, the birds and animals who saw him were stunned with
ecstasy upon beholding his lotus feet. After instructing a brahmana
in Krishna-bhakti, the Lord allowed a brahmana to drink the water
of his lotus feet. That brahmana immediately became free from all
his bodily distress.
At that time, the Lord also instructed how the mysteries of
Krishna-bhajana cannot be understood simply on the basis of one's
birth in a brahmana family. At last arriving in Gaya, the Lord
performed worship of the devas and pitris, in order to do his duty
regarding his departed father. While so engaged, he went to see the
lotus feet of the Vishnu Deity. At that time, the Lord met that
best of Vaishnavas, Sri Ishvara Puri. He prayed for the mercy of
Ishvara Puri Prabhu, who, soon thereafter, initiated him in the
Krishnamantra.
With this, the Lord's transcendental ecstasy became manifest. After
this, he went to take darshan of the lotus feet of Vishnu. Upon
seeing the Lord's holy feet, Sri Gaurahari was overwhelmed with
prema and exhibited his ecstasy by laughing, singing and dancing.
Only a few days later, he returned home.
From this point the first chapter of the Madhya Khanda begins.
In the first chapter of the Madhya Khanda the author describes the
Lord's pastimes as a teacher, and explains how he showed mercy to
his students. Praising her good fortune, the Lord showed his grace
to Sachimata. Soon after this he revealed symptoms of mahaprema at
the home of Suklambara Brahmacari. This was the first time that he
publicly revealed his absorption in Krishna-prema, by showing the
symptoms of great ecstasy, such as swooning, tears shooting from
the eyes, hairs of the body standing on end, choking up of the
voice, laughing madly, and so on. Performing sublime kirtan, Sri
Gaurahari drowned everyone in the waves of bliss. In this way the
Supreme Lord appeared as his own devotee in order to glorify the
position of Bhakti. After this, the Lord began his pastimes of
preaching the glories of Sri Krishna prema, engaging many devotees
in preaching. He began organizing all the devotees, beginning with
Gadadhara, as well as many devotees from within and wihtout Bengal.
One day the Lord went to the house of Shrivasa and his brothers. At
that time, the devotees could hear the flute of Krishna. At that
time the Lord became overwhelmed by the mood of Shrimati Radhika.
In the madness of separation, he began laughing and crying.
Sometimes he would fall completely silent and his mood became
grave. In this way he manifest differing divine moods. At that
time, a divine voice siad, "O Vishvambhara! You are the Lord
Himself. For the purpose of preaching Krishna-prema, you have
descended within this world."
Later, at the house of Murari Gupta, the Lord would reveal his form
as the Varaha avatara. At that time, Murari offered prayers before
the Lord in great ecstasy, and the Lord told him to serve Krishna
the son of Nanda, following in the footsteps of the residents of
Vrindvana. Murari Gupta wanted to see the form of Sri
Ramachandra.
At that time the Lord instructed him on the glories of the holy
name of Krishna. At last, the devatas headed by Lord Brahma
appeared before the Lord, praying for Krishna-prema and attained
Krishna-prema by the mercy of Sri Gauranga. After this, the
kirtan-performer Suklambhara Brahmachari began chanting "Jai Radhe!
Jai Govinda!" and attained the mercy of Sri Caitanya. After this,
Locana dasa Thakura describes the glories of Sri Sri
Gaura-Gadadhara.
In the second chapter of the Madhya Khanda, the author describes
the beauty of Sri Gauranga's divine form. The Lord performed a
miracle by planting a mango seed that immediately became a mango
tree with fully ripened fruit for the satisfaction of the devotees.
Whoever ate the fruit of that tree was delivered from the tree of
material existence. The Lord instructed Mukunda Datta on the
supremacy of Krishna bhakti, and how one should give up thinking of
the body and mind and think only of the worshipable service of
Krishna. The Lord gave his blessings to Murari Gupta. The Lord's
pastimes of kirtana at the house of Shrivasa Thakura are described.
When a foolish brahman remarked that the murti of Sri Krishna is a
product of Maya, the Lord jumped in the Ganges with his clothes on,
to purify himself from the offender.
The third chapter of the Madhya-Khanda describes the glories of Sri
Advaita. Here, the author describes the Lord's pastimes with
Advaita, how he performed kirtan in the house of Advaita, and how
they embraced in ecstasy. A brahman who tried to stop the kirtan of
Mahaprabhu by attempting to frighten Shrivasa Pandita was
bewildered by the Lord's mayic potency. Also described is how the
Lord, in the house of Shrivasa, performed the worship known as
Gada-puja, wherein the club of Vishnu is worshiped in order to
invoke the Lord's power in smashing the atheists.
This chapter also explains the visit paid by Advaita to Nabadwipa,
how Advaita bowed before Sri Gauranga, and danced in ecstasy before
him, realizing that his prayers for Krishna's descent had been
fulfilled. When Shrivasa Thakura inquired into the glories of
Advaita, Mahaprabhu described Advaita-tattva, and advised everyone
to worship Sri Hari.
In the fourth chapter of the Madhyama Khanda, Sri Gaurahari
explains the esoteric meaning of "Shrivasa." Murari Gupta's book,
3Raghubhirashtaka2 is discussed. The Lord writes 3Ramdasa2 on
Murari's forehead. He reveals himself as Rama and orders Rama
Pandita, the brother of Shrivasa Pandita to serve Shrivasa. The
devotees are sent to search for Nityananda. The Lord meets
Nityananda at the house of Nandana Acharya. The Lord explains the
glories of Sri Nityananda and how it is that by Nityananda's mercy
one may attain Krishna-prema. At that time, the Lord reveals his
six-armed, four-armed, and two-armed forms to Nityananda.
The fifth chapter of the Madhya-Khanda reveals how, late at night,
the Lord was weeping tears of ecstatic love for Krishna. He
discussed his dream with Sacidevi. The story of how Nityananda
Prabhu spent two days at the house of Advaita Acharya is recounted.
Nityananda Prabhu's prema is described. The worship by Advaita of
Mahaprabhu in the house of Shrivasa Pandita is described. The
meeting of the Lord and Haridasa Thakura. The author also tells how
Nityananda's kaupin was saved by Mahaprabhu, who later had the
devotees wear it as a kavacha. Mahaprabhu's trance and the
devotees' separation from the Lord is also described. The ecstasy
of the devotees upon the Lord's reawakening is also described.
The sixth chapter of the Madhya-Khanda discusses the following
subjects: How Gaurahari enjoyed pastimes of prema in the midst of
the devotees; his meeting with Haridasa Thakura; His visit at the
house of Advaita; his order to Advaita to preach Krishna-prema
without any consideration of fitness and unfitness; His order to
all the devotees to preach nama-prema and thus deliver everyone;
the effects of nama-bhasa; How the Lord would wander through the
streets of Nadiya performing Nama-kirtana; the story of the
deliverance of Jagai and Madhai.
After this, the author glorifies the mercy of Sri Nityananda and
Sri Gauranga.
The seventh chapter of the Madhyama-Khanda describes the following
subjects: How the Lord cast his merciful glance upon the son of an
East Bengal brahmana named Vanamali; the brahmana seeing the
Shyamansundara form of the Lord offered many prayers to Sri
Gauranga. After this, the Lord revealed his Nrishimha manifestation
at the house of Shrivasa. He bestowed mercy upon a follower of
Shiva. After a brahman lady touched his feet, he jumped into the
Ganges. The Lord gave instructions regarding the worship of Sri
Hari. His mercy towards Shrivasa is described as are Mukunda's
prayers, the Lord's manifestation of His Godhead, and Shrivas
Pandit's abhishek of Mahaprabhu. The author's glorification of the
qualities of Sri Gauranga and his instructions on the worship of
Sri Gauranga conclude the chapter.
The eighth chapter of the Madhyama Khanda describes the following
subjects: How the envious brahmana who was stricken with leprosy
prayed for forgiveness in order to become freed from the sin of
Vaishnava aparadha and was delivered by the mercy of Shrivasa
Thakura; how a brahmana was forbidden to enter the Lord's nocturnal
kirtan and how the Lord danced in ecstasy when that brahmana then
cursed the Lord never to enjoy the pleasures of samsara. How the
Lord in the mood of Balarama demanded honey is described. The
assembly of devotees at the house of Advaita is described. The
visit of the devotees headed by Acharyaratna is recorded. How all
of them saw the Lord's manifestation of Balarama and bathed in the
Ganges is also described.
The ninth chapter of the Madhyama Khanda of Sri Caitanya Mangala
records the following subjects: the Lord's manifestation of Varaha;
How the devotees headed by Advaita were ordered to preach and
perform sankirtana; how the mood and qualities of the gopis was
glorified in kirtan; how Shrivasa in the dress of Narada glorified
Gadadhara Pandita; a discussion of the divine correlation between
Sri Gadadhara and Sri Radhika; Thakur Haridas' visit; the ecstasy
of Sankirtana; the Lord's mad manifestation of the mood of
Vaikuntha opulence; How the Lord, in the dress of Lakshmidevi
rendered service to the Lord in great ecstasy; How the Lord
expressed the inner moods of the personality of Godhead.
The tenth chapter of the Madhyama-Khanda of Caitanya Mangala
describes the following: The Lord tells Shrivasa of the different
religious principles for the different ages and how Sankirtan is
the best religious principle in the age of Kali. In the mood of Sri
Radha the Lord began asking "Where is Vrindavan? Where is Lalita?"
in great anxiety. Murari Gupta consoled him, and they all performed
kirtana. In a dream Sacidevi sees Gaurahari receive the sannyasa
mantra from Keshava Bharati. The Lord's powerful separation from
Krishna is described. Worried that the Lord will take sannyasa, the
devotees are heartbroken. Mahaprabhu consoles the devotees.
The eleventh chapter of Madhyama Khanda describes the following:
Upon hearing of the Lord's sannyasa, Sacidevi's lamentation; Her
entreaty to Gaurahari to remain a grihastha; The Lord's advice to
everyone to worship Krishna; His different attempts to console his
mother and his revelation of the divine form of Krishna to her.
The twelfth chapter of the Madhyama Khanda discusses the following
subjects: The lamentation of Vishnupriyadevi; the Lord's sweet
words of pacification to her and his instructions regarding divine
reality, as well as his revelation of of his four-handed Narayana
form; the visit by Shrivasa and Murari, the Lord's attempt to
pacify them.
The thirteenth chapter describes the following: The Lord's attemtp
to console the devotees, and his instructions on different truths;
with the aim to take sannyasa, he swims across the Ganges and meets
Keshava Bharati at Katwa; Sacimata and Vishnupriya faint;
Nityananda Prabhu tries to pacify them; Headed by Chandrashekhara
Acharya and Damodara Pandit, all the devotees follow Nityananda
Prabhu to Katwa where the sannyasa is taking place. The Lord asks
for the sannyasa mantra from Keshava Bharati; The Lord first gives
the sannyasa mantra to Bharati and then hears it from him; the
lamentation of all the devotees at the sannyasa of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu; The Lord's attempt to pacify them; the Lord's eagerness
for Krishna-bhakti; the giving of the name Sri Krishna Caitanya; At
the conclusion of sannyasa the Lord's wandering half-mad in the
Radadesha.
The fourteenth chapter describes how Chandrashekara returns from
Katwa to Nadia bearing news to Sacimata and Vishnupriya; their
lamentation; Nityananda Prabhu causes Mahaprabhu to detour to
Shantipura; the Lord's vist there; Nityananda's conversation with
Sacidevi; the devotees of Nadiya go to the house of Advaita in
Shantipur to see the Lord; the Lord's reciprocation of affection
with the residents of Nadiya, and their separation.
The fifteenth chapter describes the Lord's deliverance of all souls
through the performance of nam-sankirtan, and how he bestowed upon
all the jivas the supreme goal of life. After this his journey to
Jagannatha Puri is described as well as the humility of Haridasa
Thakura, the exodus of devotees who went to Puri to be with the
Lord, His sweet words of consolation, how the Lord used to chant
the shloka, "rama-raghava raksha mam," on his way to Puri, how
Nityananda Prabhu broke his sannyasa danda, and how the Lord
manifest his pastimes of anger with Nityananda after the breaking
of his danda.
The sixteenth chapter of the Madhyama Khanda describes how on the
way to Jagannatha Puri, the devotees bathed in a place called
Brahma-kunda; how they went to Remuna and had darshan of the Lord
there; how the Lord danced before the Gopal deity; how after
bathing in the Vaitarani river they had darshan of Varaha-deva; how
the Lord went to Yajapura; How the Lord took darshan of a
Shiva-linga there; Then, from Brahma-kunda, he visited Nabhigaya
and Shivanagara; how he received the darshan of Kshirodakshayi
Vishnu; how in a grove of mangos he took up the question of Shiva
Prasada and prayers to Shiva; after this, how he went from
Kapoteshwara and bathed in the Bhargavi river; How the Lord fainted
before the Jagannatha deities while having darshan there; his visit
to the house of Sarvabhauma; How the Lord would go from the house
of Sarvabhauma, take a position west of the Garuda Stambha, and see
the deity of Lord Jagannatha; how Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya and the
Lord discussed Vedanta; How Sarvabhauma was converted; How the Lord
revealed his six-armed form to Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya.
From here, the Shesha Khanda begins.
The first chapter of the Shesha Khanda describes: the Lord's kirtan
pastimes in which Sarvabhauma took part; the Lord's tour of South
India and his journey to Setubandha; his mercy on Vasudeva Vipra,
the brahmana who had leprosy; the Lord's visit to Jiyada-Nrishimha
and its ancient history; the Lord's meeting with Ramananda Raya on
the banks of the Godavari; Ramananda's vision of Mahaprabhu's dual
feature as Rasaraja and Mahabhava; the Lord's visit to Panchavati
and Sri Rangam; How he bestowed mercy on Trimalla Bhatta; His four
month stay in Sri Rangam during the period of Chatur Masya; his
meeting with Paramananda Puri; the prayers by Paramananda Puri to
Gaura Bhagavan.
The second chapter of the Shesha Khanda describes the following:
How the Lord continued on his South Indian tour and delivered the
seven trees that had been standing since the time of Lord Ram; How
at Setubandha in great ecstasy, the Lord chanted the names of Rama,
Lakshman, Sita, and Hanuman; how the Lord returned to Alalanatha by
way of the Godavari; his return to Jagannatha Puri; His visit to
Mathura; His meeting with Rupa and Sanatana; How with Balabhadra
Bhattacharya, he wandered down the banks of the Yamuna and through
the twelve forests of Vrindavana.
The third and final chapter of the Shesha Khanda of Caitanya
Mangala records: How the Lord returned to Jagannatha Puri; the
Lord's trip to Gauda-desha; how he passed through in the
Rada-desha; how he stopped in Kuliya; How everyone in Navadwip
turned out to see the Lord; How they prayed for His mercy and he
bestowed amnesty on all; How, to satisfy his mother's desire, he
went to Nabadwipa and instructed her on of Krishna-bhajan; How the
Lord went to Shantipura where he visited Sri Advaita; His kirtan
there; How the Lord left Shantipura; His return to Jagannatha Puri;
How he visited the deity of Jagannatha; How he performed kirtana
day and night; How King Prataparudra attained the Lord's mercy; His
revelation of the six-armed form to Prataparudra Raja; The
Dravidian brahmana who came to visit the Lord, how he was fasting
for seven days, and how he was delivered by the Lord's mercy.
In the Caitanya Mangala, Locana Dasa Thakura mentions the details
of certain pastimes not revealed by Vrindavana Dasa Thakura. For
example, Vrindavana Dasa Thakura does not record the conversation
that took place between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Vishnupriya
Devi just before the Lord left to take sannyasa. But Locana Dasa
Thakura describes this as follows:
«Seeing Mahaprabhu's eagerness to take sannyasa, the moon-faced
Vishnupirya-devi said, with her voice choked in emotion, "Tell me,
O Prananatha, Lord of my life, and I shall take your order upon my
head. Will you take sannyasa? I have heard this rumor being
circulated among the people in general. Hearing this, my heart is
broken. If it is true, I shall enter into fire. You are the
treasure of my life. Your beautiful form is always everfresh and
newly youthful. Will you give up everything and go away? If am
deprived of your association, I might as well give up my life by
drinking poison."
Hearing the pitiful words of lamentation spoken by Vishnupriya
devi, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu smiled a little, and spoke as
follows: "Listen, O you who are dear as life itself: Please don't
be in any anxiety. There is no need to worry at all. What I am
about to say is for your own benefit. Please hear me attentively,
with your whole mind. Whatever you see in this world is all false;
the only truth is Bhagavan and theVaishnavas, without that whatever
you see is all illusion. Know this for a fact. Sons, wives,
husbands, ladies, fathers, mothers, and everything else?all these
relationships are illusory. They are temporary and transitional. In
one lifetime we have one set of sons, wives, husbands, mothers and
fathers, and in our next life this changes. Other than the lotus
feet of Krishna, we have no real family. Everything else that we
see as our family is an illusion of maya. What we see as man and
woman is unreal.
Beneath the surface all souls are spiritual energy; the
relationship between men and women is an illusory connection of
maya. Sri Krishna is the real husband of everyone; he is the
master. Everything else is material, but unfortunately this is not
understood by the people in general. The souls is embedded in a
mixture of semen and blood from which it is born into a body
composed of stool and urine. In this way the soul moves upon this
earth in ignorance. From boyhood to youth to old age, we suffer
different miseries, all the while mistaking the housing of this
body as our real self. Absorbed in false ego, we make friends,
maintain attachments, suffering abuse, and are gradually cheated by
old age. Even hearing the truth, however, still our eyes are blind,
and while our suffering in the material world brings us to tears,
we never worship Govinda.
Forsaking Krishna's service, we maintain these bodies in the
material world of birth and death, trapped in the bondage of maya.
Mad with false ego we have forgotten our Lord, and so we insure our
passage to hell. Your name is Vishnupriya, however. Fulfill the
real purport of Vishnupriya, and do not lament for what is false.
Remembering what I have said here, cast your worries at a distance,
and always think of Krishna within your heart, day and night."
Having conveyed all these divine instructions to Vishnupriya devi,
the Supreme Lord, Sri Gaurasundara revealed to her His four-armed
form, thus making her understand his absolute position. At that
time, he told Vishnupriya devi, "You see before you the Supreme
Lord, cast your mayik lamentaion away." At this, Vishnupriya devi
became joyful within. Her grief and pain vanished, and her heart
became blissful upon suddenly seeing the Lord's four-armed
form.
After hearing the instructions of the Lord and seeing his absolute
form, Vishnupriya cast off her bewilderment, but her mentality of
taking the Lord as her husband was intact. At that point, she fell
at the feet of the Lord and said: "O Lord, please listen to my
entreaty. Falling at your feet again and again, I implore you to
accept my humble submission. I am certainly the lowest, having
taken birth in this world of samsara; but you are my most dear Lord
of life. This is my only wealth; without you I have nothing.
Without your service, I will certainly go down."
Saying this, Vishnupriya devi began loudly weeping, sobbing and
sobbing again and again in ever-increasing frenzy of sorrow. Seeing
the affliction of someone so dear, the Lord bestowed his merciful
glance upon Vishnupriya devi, embracing her with his eyes and so
giving her his mercy.
At that time, the Lord said, "Listen O Vishnupriya devi, and give
close attention to my answer to your words. I shall go there and
there, but wherever I go, I shall still remain at your place: This
truth I have spoken with great determination."
Upon hearing the order of the Lord, Vishnupriya devi could
understand that the Lord is supremely independent. At that time she
said, "You must do what makes you happy. Let no one be an obstacle
to your divine mission."
Addressing the Lord in this way, Vishnupriya tearfully averted her
eyes from the Lord's glance and fell silent. Thus went the
conversation between the Lord and Vishnupriya, which is painful to
hear.»
This is reported by Locana Dasa.
Locana Dasa Thakura also sings the glories of Sri Gauranga and
Nityananda in the following beautiful song:
parama karuna pahun dui jana
nitai gaurachandra
saba avatara, sara shiromani
kevala ananda kanda
bhaja bhaja bhai, chaitanya nitai
sudhrida visvasa kori
vishaya chariya se rase majiya
mukha bolo hari hari
dekho ore bhai, tribhuvane nai
emona doyala data
pashu-pakhi jhure, pashana vidore
shuni yar guna gantha
samsare majiya, rahile pariya
se pade nahilo asha
apana koroma, bhunjaye shamana,
kohoye locana dasa
This song was especially dear to His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who translates it as follows:
""This is a song by Locana dasa Thakura. Locana dasa declares that
the two Lords, Nitai-Gauracandra?Lord Nitai and Lord Caitanya?are
very merciful. They are the essence of all incarnations. The
specific significance of these incarnations is that prosecuting
their way of self-realization is simply joyful, for they introduced
chanting and dancing. There are many incarnations, like Lord Rama
and even Krishna, who taught Bhagavad-gita, which requires
knowledge and understanding. But Lord Caitanya introduced a process
which is simply joyful? simply chant and dance.
Therefore Locana Das requests everyone: "My dear brother, I request
that you just worship Lord Caitanya and Nityananda with firm
conviction and faith." Don't think that this chanting and dancing
will not lead to the desired goal. It will. It is the assurance of
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu that one will get all perfection by this
process. Therefore one must chant with firm faith and
conviction.
But what is the process? If one wants to be Krishna conscious by
this process, one has to give up his engagement in sense
gratification. That is the only restriction. If one gives up sense
gratification, it is sure that he will reach the desired goal. One
simply has to chant "Hari Hari!" without any motive of sense
gratification.
Locana das says, "My dear brother, you just try and examine this.
Within the three worlds there is no one like Lord Caitanya or Lord
Nityananda, because Their merciful qualities are so great that They
make even birds and beasts cry, what to speak of human beings."
Actually, when Lord Caitanya passed through the forest known as
Jharikhanda, the tigers, elephants, snakes, deer, and all other
animals joined Him in chanting Hare Krishna. It is so nice that
anyone can join. Even the animals can join, what to speak of human
beings. Of course, it is not possible for ordinary men to induce
animals to chant, but if Caitanya Mahaprabhu could inspire animals
to chant, at least we can encourage human beings to adopt this path
of Hare Krishna mantra chanting. It is so nice that even the most
stonehearted man will be melted. It is so nice that even stone will
melt.
But Locana dasa Thakura regrets that he is entrapped by sense
gratification. He addresses himself, "My dear mind, you are
entrapped in this sense gratification process, and you have no
attraction for chanting Hare Krishna. Since you have no attraction
for the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, what can I
say? I can simply think of my misfortune. Yamaraja, the
superintendent of death, is punishing me by not allowing me to be
attracted by this movement.""
Sri Locana Dasa Thakura was born in Shakabda 1445 and disappeared
in 1540.
