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BY: SUN STAFF
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya
Mar 03, CANADA (SUN) — A serial exploration of the holy sites visited by Lord Caitanya. Vidyanagara, Part Two
In yesterday's segment, we began a discussion of Vidyanagara, one of the holy sites Lord Caitanya visited twice during His travels. After visiting the temple of Jiyada-nrsimha, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to the banks of the River Godavari, to a place known as Vidyanagara. There he met Sri Ramananda Raya, who requested Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to remain in the village for some days. In the evening, Ramananda Raya used to come to see Mahaprabhu.
Lord Caitanya questioned Ramananda Raya on the object and process of worship and asked him to recite verses from Vedic literature. Gradually Ramananda Raya could understand the position of Sri Caitanya, and when Mahaprabhu exhibited His real form, Ramananda Raya fell unconscious. After some days, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked Ramananda Raya to retire from government service and come to Jagannatha Puri. Vidyanagara is a small village on the east coast of the Andhra Pradesh, about 40 miles south of Nellore, and just 9 miles inland from the coast. There are a few ancient temples still existing in Vidyanagara, including the temples of Laksmi Devi, Hanuman, and Amman (Parvati Devi). One of these temples, Hanuman's abode, was visited by Lord Caitanya at the conclusion of His Vidyanagara pastimes with Ramananda Raya. Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya Lila 8: 8.299: "Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then embraced Sri Ramananda Raya, and after sending him back to his home, the Lord took rest. 8.300: After rising from bed the next morning, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited the local temple, where there was a deity of Hanuman. After offering him obeisances, the Lord departed for South India. 8.301: All the residents of Vidyanagara were of different faiths, but after seeing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they abandoned their own faiths and became Vaisnavas."
Sri Hanuman The most detailed information provided in Madhya 8 about Sri Caitanya's pastimes at the Hanuman temple are found in Srila Prabhupada's purport to Madhya 8.300: Madhya 8.300
"After rising from bed the next morning, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited the local temple, where there was a deity of Hanuman. After offering him obeisances, the Lord departed for South India. PURPORT Unfortunately, very little information is found on this temple, although we have located it on the map, shown below along with a close-up view. The red dot marks the temple:
Anjaneya Temple, Vidyanagara In closing this segment on Vidyanagara, we would like to point out just a few more verses from Madhya Lila 8 which refer to the time Lord Caitanya spent with Ramananda Raya, either making reference to their physical surroundings along the River Godavari, or to comings and goings from their meeting places in Vidyanagara, and to the intimate topics the two discussed: Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya Lila 8: Madhya 8.51-52: "Ramananda Raya replied, "My Lord, although You have come to correct me, a fallen soul, my mind is not yet purified simply by seeing You. Please stay for five or seven days and kindly cleanse my polluted mind. After that much time, my mind will certainly be pure." Madhya 8.53: Although neither could tolerate separation from the other, Ramananda Raya nonetheless offered his obeisances to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and departed. Madhya 8.54: Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then went to the house of the brahmana who had invited Him and took His lunch there. When the evening of that day arrived, both Ramananda Raya and the Lord were eager to meet each other again. Madhya 8.55: After finishing His evening bath, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu sat down and waited for Ramananda Raya to come. Then Ramananda Raya, accompanied by one servant, came to meet Him. PURPORT [ ] Madhya 8.232: "'When Lord Sri Krsna was dancing with the gopis in the rasa-lila, the gopis were embraced around the neck by the Lord's arms. This transcendental favor was never bestowed upon the goddess of fortune or the other consorts in the spiritual world. Nor was such a thing ever imagined by the most beautiful girls in the heavenly planets, girls whose bodily luster and aroma resemble the beauty and fragrance of lotus flowers. And what to speak of worldly women, who may be very, very beautiful according to material estimation?'" Madhya 8.233: After hearing this, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced Ramananda Raya, and both of them, embracing shoulder to shoulder, began to cry. Madhya 8.234: The entire night was passed in this way, in ecstatic love of Godhead. In the morning they both departed to tend to their respective duties. Madhya 8.235: Before departing from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Ramananda Raya fell to the ground and caught hold of the Lord's lotus feet. He then spoke submissively as follows. Madhya 8.236: Sri Ramananda Raya said, "You have come here just to show me Your causeless mercy. Therefore stay here for at least ten days and purify my polluted mind. Madhya 8.237: "But for You, there is no one who can deliver all the living entities, for You alone can deliver love of Krsna." Madhya 8.238: The Lord replied, "Having heard about your good qualities, I have come here. I have come to hear about Krsna from you and thus purify My mind. Madhya 8.239: "Now that I have actually seen your glories, what I heard about you is confirmed. As far as the pastimes of Radha and Krsna in a loving mood are concerned, you are the limit of knowledge." Madhya 8.240: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued, "To say nothing of ten days, as long as I live I shall find it impossible to give up your company. Madhya 8.241: "You and I shall remain together at Jagannatha Puri. We shall pass our time together in joy, talking about Krsna and His pastimes." Madhya 8.242: In this way they both departed to perform their respective duties. Then, in the evening, Ramananda Raya returned to see Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Madhya 8.243: Thus they met time and time again, sitting in a secluded place and jubilantly discussing devotional service by the question-and-answer process. Madhya 8.244: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked the questions, and Sri Ramananda Raya gave the answers. In this way they were engaged in discussion throughout the night. [ ] Madhya 8.260: In this way Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya passed the whole night relishing the mellows of krsna-katha, topics about Krsna. While they were chanting, dancing and crying, the night ended. Madhya 8.261: The next morning they both departed to perform their respective duties, but in the evening Ramananda Raya returned to meet the Lord again. [ ] Madhya 8.292: For ten nights Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya spent a happy time discussing the pastimes of Krsna. Madhya 8.293: The conversations between Ramananda Raya and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu contain the most confidential subject matters, touching the conjugal love between Radha and Krsna in Vrndavana [Vrajabhumi]. Although they talked at great length about these pastimes, they could not reach the limit of discussion. Madhya 8.294: Actually, these conversations are like a great mine where, from a single place, one can extract all kinds of metals -- copper, bell metal, silver and gold -- and also touchstone, the basis of all metals. Madhya 8.295: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya worked like miners, excavating all kinds of valuable metals, each one better than the other. Their questions and answers are exactly like that. Madhya 8.296: The next day Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu begged Ramananda Raya to give Him permission to leave, and at the time of farewell the Lord gave him the following orders. Madhya 8.297: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told him, "Give up all material engagements and come to Jagannatha Puri. I will return there very soon after finishing My tour and pilgrimage. Madhya 8.298: "The two of us shall remain together at Jagannatha Puri and happily pass our time discussing Krsna." Madhya 8.299: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then embraced Sri Ramananda Raya, and after sending him back to his home, the Lord took rest. Madhya 8.300: After rising from bed the next morning, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited the local temple, where there was a deity of Hanuman. After offering him obeisances, the Lord departed for South India. Madhya 8.301: All the residents of Vidyanagara were of different faiths, but after seeing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they abandoned their own faiths and became Vaisnavas. Madhya 8.302: When Ramananda Raya began to feel separation from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he was overwhelmed. Meditating on the Lord, he gave up all his material business. Madhya 8.303: I have briefly described the meeting between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya. No one can actually describe this meeting exhaustively. It is even impossible for Lord Sesa Naga, who has thousands of hoods. Madhya 8.304: The activities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are like condensed milk, and the activities of Ramananda Raya are like large quantities of sugar candy. Madhya 8.305: Their meeting is exactly like a mixture of condensed milk and sugar candy. When they talk of the pastimes of Radha and Krsna, camphor is added. One who tastes this combined preparation is most fortunate. Madhya 8.306: This wonderful preparation has to be taken aurally. If one takes it, he becomes greedy to relish it even further. Madhya 8.307: By hearing the talks between Ramananda Raya and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, one becomes enlightened with the transcendental knowledge of the mellows of Radha and Krsna's pastimes. Thus one can develop unalloyed love for the lotus feet of Radha and Krsna."
The road to Vidyanagara
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Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.