TEXT 34
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu regularly led congregational chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra in the house of Srivasa Thakura every night for one full year.
TEXT 35
This ecstatic chanting was performed with the doors closed so that nonbelievers who came to make fun could not gain entrance.
TEXT 36
Thus the nonbelievers almost burned to ashes and died in envy. To retaliate, they planned various ways to give trouble to Srivasa Thakura.
TEXTS 37-38
One night while kirtana was going on inside Srivasa Thakura's house, a brahmana named Gopala Capala, the chief of the nonbelievers, who was talkative and very rough in his speech, placed all the paraphernalia for worshiping the goddess Durga outside Srivasa Thakura's door.
TEXT 39
On the upper portion of a plantain leaf he placed such paraphernalia for worship as oda-phula, turmeric, vermilion, red sandalwood and rice.
TEXT 40
He placed a pot of wine beside all this, and in the morning when Srivasa Thakura opened his door he saw this paraphernalia.
TEXT 41
Srivasa Thakura called for all the respectable gentlemen of the neighborhood and smilingly addressed them as follows.
TEXT 42
"Gentlemen, every night I worship the goddess Bhavani. Since the paraphernalia for the worship is present here, now all you respectable brahmanas and members of the higher castes can understand my position."
TEXT 43
Then all the assembled gentlemen exclaimed, "What is this? What is this? Who has performed such mischievous activities? Who is that sinful man?"
TEXT 44
They called for a sweeper [hadi], who threw all the items of worship far away and cleansed the place by mopping it with a mixture of water and cow dung.
TEXT 45
After three days, leprosy attacked Gopala Capala, and blood oozed from sores all over his body.
TEXT 46
Incessantly covered with germs and insects biting him all over his body, Gopala Capala felt unbearable pain. His entire body burned in distress.
TEXT 47
Since leprosy is an infectious disease, Gopala Capala left the village to sit down on the bank of the Ganges underneath a tree. One day, however, he saw Caitanya Mahaprabhu passing by and spoke to Him as follows.
TEXT 48
"My dear nephew, I am Your maternal uncle in our village relationship. Please see how greatly this attack of leprosy has afflicted me.
TEXT 49
"As an incarnation of God, You are delivering so many fallen souls. I am also a greatly unhappy fallen soul. Kindly deliver me by Your mercy."
TEXT 50
Hearing this, Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared greatly angry, and in that angry mood He spoke some words chastising him.
TEXT 51
"O sinful person, envious of pure devotees, I shall not deliver you! Rather, I shall have you bitten by these germs for many millions of years.
TEXT 52
"You have made Srivasa Thakura appear to have been worshiping the goddess Bhavani. Simply for this offense, you will have to fall down into hellish life for ten million births.
TEXT 53
"I have appeared in this incarnation to kill the demons [pasandis] and, after killing them, to preach the cult of devotional service."
TEXT 54
After saying this, the Lord left to take His bath in the Ganges, and that sinful man did not give up his life but continued to suffer.
TEXTS 55-56
When Sri Caitanya, after accepting the renounced order of life, went to Jagannatha Puri and then came back to the village of Kuliya, upon His return that sinful man took shelter at the Lord's lotus feet. The Lord, being merciful to him, gave him instructions for his benefit.
TEXTS 57-58
"You have committed an offense at the lotus feet of Srivasa Thakura," the Lord said. "First you must go there and beg for his mercy, and then if he gives you his blessings and you do not commit such sins again, you will be freed from these reactions."
TEXT 59
Then the brahmana, Gopala Capala, went to Srivasa Thakura and took shelter of his lotus feet, and by Srivasa Thakura's mercy he was freed from all sinful reactions.
Later he wrote this prayer:
Sri Vaisnava Vandana
vrndavana-basi jate vaisnavera gana
prathame vandana kori sabara carana
First of all, I offer my worship to the lotus feet of the residents of Vrindavan, all of whom are Vaishnavas.
nilacala-basi jataa mahaprabhura gana
bhumite-padiya vandon sabara carana
Next, I fall down on the ground and worship the lotus feet of all of Mahaprabhu's associates who live in Nilacala, Jagannatha Puri-dhama.
navadvipa-basi jata mahaprabhura bhakta
sabara carana vandon hoiya anurakta
I then worship the devotees of Mahaprabhu in Nabadvipa and pray for loving attachment to their lotus feet.
mahaprabhura bhakta jata gauda-dese sthiti
sabara carana vandon koriya pranati
I then worship the lotus feet of all Mahaprabhu's devotees residing in Gaudadesh, Bengal.
ye dese ye dese baise gaurangera gana
urdhva-bahu kori' vandon sabara carana
With upraised arms, I worship the lotus feet of Gauranga Mahaprabhu's dear devotees, in whatever country they may reside.
hoiyachena hoibena prabhura jata dasa
sabara carana vandon dante kori' ghasa
With straw in my teeth, I worship the lotus feet of the servants of Mahaprabhu that were in the past or that will ever be in the future.
brahmanda tarite sakti dhare jane jane
e veda purane guna gaya jeba sune
In the Vedas and Puranas it is said that each of the dear devotees of Sriman Mahaprabhu has the potency to deliver the entire universe.
mahaprabura gana saba patita pavana
tai lobhe mui papi loinu sarana
The devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are deliverers of the most fallen. Being greedy for that deliverance, this sinner surrenders unto them.
vandana korite mui kata sakti dhari
tamo-buddhi-dose mui dambha matra kori
What power or ability do I have to glorify the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu? Being engrossed in ignorance, it is only out of pride that I attempt
to do so.
tathapi mukera bhagya manera ullasa
dosa ksami' mo-adhame koro nija dasa
Even though I have no ability to glorify them, still I am feeling great pleasure in the attempt. Please overlook my faults, O Vaishnavas, and make me your
servant.
sarva-vancha siddhi haya yama-bandha chute
jagate durlabha hioya prema-dhana lute
The Vaishnavas bestow the perfection of all desires, including freedom from death, and even the treasure of prema so rare in this world.
manera vasana purna acirate hoya
devakinandana dasa ei lobhe koya
Being greedy that the desire of his heart be fulfilled very soon, Devakinandana dasa writes this song glorifying and praying to the Vaishnavas.
