Srila Raghunatha dasa's Cida-dadhi-festival
by
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj

Sri Caitanya Caritamrta, Antya -lila, chapter 6, verses 43 - 100

TEXT 43

panihati-grame paila prabhura darasana
kirtaniya sevaka sange ara bahu-jana

In the village of Panihati, Raghunatha dasa obtained an interview with Nityananda Prabhu, who was accompanied by many kirtana performers, servants and others.

TEXT 44

ganga-tire vrksa-mule pindara upare
vasiyachena----yena koti suryodaya kare

Sitting on a rock under a tree on the bank of the Ganges, Lord Nityananda seemed as effulgent as hundreds and thousands of rising suns.

TEXT 45

tale upare bahu-bhakta hanache vestita
dekhi' prabhura prabhava raghunatha----vismita

Many devotees sat on the ground surrounding Him. Seeing the influence of Nityananda Prabhu, Raghunatha dasa was astonished.

TEXT 46

dandavat hana sei padila kata-dure
sevaka kahe,----'raghunatha dandavat kare'

Raghunatha dasa offered his obeisances by falling prostrate at a distant place, and the servant of Nityananda Prabhu pointed out, "There is Raghunatha dasa, offering You obeisances."

TEXT 47

suni' prabhu kahe,----"cora dili darasana
aya, aya, aji tora karimu dandana"
Hearing this, Lord Nityananda Prabhu said,"You are a thief. Now you have come to see Me. Come here, come here. Today I shall punish you!"

TEXT 48

prabhu bolaya, tenho nikate na kare gamana
akarsiya tanra mathe prabhu dharila carana

The Lord called him, but Raghunatha dasa did not go near the Lord. Then the Lord forcibly caught him and placed His lotus feet upon Raghunatha dasa's head.

TEXT 49

kautuki nityananda sahaje dayamaya
raghunathe kahe kichu hana sadaya
Lord Nityananda was by nature very merciful and funny. Being merciful, He spoke to Raghunatha dasa as follows.

TEXT 50

"nikate na aisa, cora, bhaga' dure dure
aji lag panachi, dandimu tomare

"You are just like a thief, for instead of coming near, you stay away at a distant place. Now that I have captured you, I shall punish you.

TEXT 51

dadhi, cida bhaksana karaha mora gane" suni' anandita haila raghunatha mane
"Make a festival and feed all My associates yogurt and chipped rice."
Hearing this, Raghunatha dasa was greatly pleased.

TEXT 52

sei-ksane nija-loka pathaila grame
bhaksya-dravya loka saba grama haite ane

Raghunatha dasa immediately sent his own men to the village to purchase all kinds of eatables and bring them back.

TEXT 53

cida, dadhi, dugdha, sandesa, ara cini, kala
saba dravya anana caudike dharila

Raghunatha dasa brought chipped rice, yogurt, milk, sweetmeats, sugar, bananas and other eatables and placed them all around.

TEXT 54

'mahotsava'-nama suni' brahmana-sajjana
asite lagila loka asankhya-ganana

As soon as they heard that a festival was going to be held, all kinds of brahmanas and other gentlemen began to arrive. Thus there were innumerable people.

TEXT 55

ara gramantara haite samagri anila
sata dui-cari holna tanha anaila

Seeing the crowd increasing, Raghunatha dasa arranged to get more eatables from other villages. He also brought two to four hundred large, round earthen pots.

TEXT 56

bada bada mrt-kundika anaila panca sate
eka vipra prabhu lagi' cida bhijaya tate

He also obtained five or seven especially large earthen pots, and in these pots a brahmana began soaking chipped rice for the satisfaction of Lord Nityananda.

TEXT 57

eka-thani tapta-dugdhe cida bhijana
ardheka chanila dadhi, cini, kala diya

In one place, chipped rice was soaked in hot milk in each of the large pots. Then half the rice was mixed with yogurt, sugar and bananas.

TEXT 58

ara ardheka ghanavrta-dugdhete chanila
canpa-kala, cini, ghrta, karpura tate dila

The other half was mixed with condensed milk and a special type of banana known as canpa-kala. Then sugar, clarified butter and camphor were added.

TEXT 59

dhuti pari' prabhu yadi pindate vasila
sata-kundi vipra tanra agete dharila

After Nityananda Prabhu had changed His cloth for a new one and sat on a raised platform, the brahmana brought before Him the seven huge pots.

TEXT 60 cabutara-upare yata prabhura nija-gane
bada bada loka vasila mandali-racane

On that platform, all the most important associates of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, as well as other important men, sat down in a circle around the Lord.

TEXT 61

ramadasa, sundarananda, dasa-gadadhara
murari, kamalakara, sadasiva, purandara

Among them were Ramadasa, Sundarananda, Gadadhara dasa, Murari, Kamalakara, Sadasiva and Purandara.

TEXT 62 dhananjaya, jagadisa, paramesvara-dasa
mahesa, gauridasa, hoda-krsnadasa

Dhananjaya, Jagadisa, Paramesvara dasa, Mahesa, Gauridasa and Hoda Krsnadasa were also there.

TEXT 63

uddharana datta adi yata nija-gana
upare vasila saba, ke kare ganana?

Similarly, Uddharana Datta Thakura and many other personal associates of the Lord sat on the raised platform with Nityananda Prabhu. No one could count them all.

TEXT 64

suni' pandita bhattacarya yata vipra aila
manya kari' prabhu sabare upare vasaila

Hearing about the festival, all kinds of learned scholars, brahmanas and priests went there. Lord Nityananda Prabhu honored them and made them sit on the raised platform with Him.

TEXT 65

dui dui mrt-kundika sabara age dila
eke dugdha-cida, are dadhi-cida kaila

Everyone was offered two earthen pots. In one was put chipped rice with condensed milk and in the other chipped rice with yogurt.

TEXT 66

ara yata loka saba cotara-talane
mandali-bandhe vasila, tara na haya ganane

All the other people sat in groups around the platform. No one could count how many people there were.

TEXT 67

ekeka janare dui dui holna dila
dadhi-cida dugdha-cida, duite bhijaila

Each and every one of them was supplied two earthen pots--one of chipped rice soaked in yogurt and the other of chipped rice soaked in condensed milk.

TEXT 68

kona kona vipra upare sthana na pana
dui holnaya cida bhijaya ganga-tire giya

Some of the brahmanas, not having gotten a place on the platform, went to the bank of the Ganges with their two earthen pots and soaked their chipped rice there.

TEXT 69

tire sthana na pana ara kata jana
jale nami' dadhi-cida karaye bhaksana

Others, who could not get a place even on the bank of the Ganges, got down into the water and began eating their two kinds of chipped rice.

TEXT 70

keha upare, keha tale, keha ganga-tire
bisa-jana tina-thani parivesana kare

Thus some sat on the platform, some at the base of the platform, and some on the bank of the Ganges, and they were all supplied two pots each by the twenty men who distributed the food.

TEXT 71

hena-kale aila tatha raghava pandita
hasite lagila dekhi' hana vismita

At that time, Raghava Pandita arrived there. Seeing the situation, he began to laugh in great surprise.

TEXT 72

ni-sakdi nana-mata prasada anila
prabhure age diya bhakta-gane banti dila

He brought many other kinds of food cooked in ghee and offered to the Lord. This prasada he first placed before Lord Nityananda and then distributed among the devotees.

TEXT 73

prabhure kahe,----"toma lagi' bhoga lagaila
tumi ihan utsava kara, ghare prasada rahila"

Raghava Pandita said to Lord Nityananda, "For You, sir, I have already offered food to the Deity, but You are engaged in a festival here, and so the food is lying there untouched."

TEXT 74

prabhu kahe,----"e-dravya dine kariye bhojana
ratrye tomara ghare prasada karimu bhaksana

Lord Nityananda replied, "Let Me eat all this food here during the day, and I shall eat at your home at night.

TEXT 75

gopa-jati ami bahu gopa-gana sange
ami sukha pai ei pulina-bhojana-range"

"I belong to a community of cowherd boys, and therefore I generally have many cowherd associates with Me. I am happy when we eat together in a picnic like this by the sandy bank of the river."

TEXT 76

raghave vasana dui kundi deoyaila
raghava dvividha cida tate bhijaila

Lord Nityananda made Raghava Pandita sit down and had two pots delivered to him also. There were two kinds of chipped rice soaked in them.

TEXT 77

sakala-lokera cida purna yabe ha-ila
dhyane tabe prabhu mahaprabhure anila .

When chipped rice had been served to everyone, Lord Nityananda Prabhu, in meditation, brought Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TEXT 78

mahaprabhu aila dekhi' nitai uthila
tanre lana sabara cida dekhite lagila

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu arrived, Lord Nityananda Prabhu stood up. They then saw how the others were enjoying the chipped rice with yogurt and condensed milk.

TEXT 79

sakala kundira, holnara cidara eka eka grasa
mahaprabhura mukhe dena kari' parihasa

From each and every pot, Lord Nityananda Prabhu took one morsel of chipped rice and pushed it into the mouth of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as a joke.

TEXT 80

hasi' mahaprabhu ara eka grasa lana
tanra mukhe diya khaoyaya hasiya hasiya

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, also smiling, took a morsel of food, pushed it into the mouth of Nityananda and laughed as He made Lord Nityananda eat it.

TEXT 81

ei-mata nitai bule sakala mandale
dandana ranga dekhe vaisnava sakale

In this way Lord Nityananda was walking through all the groups of eaters, and all the Vaisnavas standing there were seeing the fun.

TEXT 82

ki kariya bedaya,----iha keha nahi jane
mahaprabhura darsana pa ya kona bhagyavane

No one could understand what Nityananda Prabhu was doing as He walked about. Some, however, who were very fortunate, could see that Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was also present.

TEXT 83

tabe hasi' nityananda vasila asane
cari kundi aroya cida rakhila dahine

Then Nityananda Prabhu smiled and sat down. On His right side He kept four pots of chipped rice that had not been made from boiled paddy.

TEXT 84

asana diya mahaprabhure tahan vasaila
dui bhai tabe cida khaite lagila

Lord Nityananda offered Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu a place and had Him sit down. Then together the two brothers began eating chipped rice.

TEXT 85

dekhi' nityananda-prabhu anandita haila
kata kata bhavavesa prakasa karila

Seeing Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu eating with Him, Lord Nityananda Prabhu became very happy and exhibited varieties of ecstatic love.

TEXT 86

ajna dila,----'hari bali' karaha bhojana'
'hari' 'hari'-dhvani uthi' bharila bhuvana

Lord Nityananda Prabhu ordered,"All of you eat, chanting the holy name of Hari." Immediately the holy names "Hari, Hari" resounded, filling the entire universe.

TEXT 87

'hari' 'hari' bali' vaisnava karaye bhojana
pulina-bhojana sabara ha-ila smarana

When all the Vaisnavas were chanting the holy names"Hari, Hari" and eating, they remembered how Krsna and Balarama ate with Their companions the cowherd boys on the bank of the Yamuna.

TEXT 88

nityananda mahaprabhu----krpalu, udara
raghunathera bhagye eta kaila angikara

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Nityananda Prabhu are extremely merciful and liberal. It was Raghunatha dasa's good fortune that They accepted all these dealings.

TEXT 89

nityananda-prabhava-krpa janibe kon jana?
mahaprabhu ani' kara ya pulina-bhojana

Who can understand the influence and mercy of Lord Nityananda Prabhu? He is so powerful that He induced Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to come eat chipped rice on the bank of the Ganges.

TEXT 90

sri-ramadasadi gopa premavista haila
ganga-tire 'yamuna-pulina' jnana kaila

All the confidential devotees who were cowherd boys, headed by Sri Ramadasa, were absorbed in ecstatic love. They thought the bank of the Ganges to be the bank of the Yamuna.

TEXT 91

mahotsava suni' pasari nana-grama haite
cida, dadhi, sandesa, kala anila vecite

When the shopkeepers of many other villages heard about the festival, they arrived there to sell chipped rice, yogurt, sweetmeats and bananas.

TEXT 92

yata dravya lana aise, saba mulya kari' laya
tara dravya mulya diya tahare khaoyaya

As they came, bringing all kinds of food, Raghunatha dasa purchased it all. He gave them the price for their goods and later fed them the very same food.

TEXT 93

kautuka dekhite aila yata yata jana
sei cida, dadhi, kala karila bhaksana

Anyone who came to see how these funny things were going on was also fed chipped rice, yogurt and bananas.

TEXT 94

bhojana kari' nityananda acamana kaila
cari kundira avasesa raghunathe dila

After Lord Nityananda Prabhu finished eating, He washed His hands and mouth and gave Raghunatha dasa the food remaining in the four pots.

TEXT 95

ara tina kundikaya avasesa chila
grase-grase kari' vipra saba bhakte dila

There was food remaining in the three other big pots of Lord Nityananda, and a brahmana distributed it to all the devotees, giving a morsel to each.

TEXT 96

puspa-mala vipra ani' prabhu-gale dila
candana aniya prabhura sarvange lepila

Then a brahmana brought a flower garland, placed the garland on Nityananda Prabhu's neck and smeared sandalwood pulp all over His body.

TEXT 97

sevaka tambula lana kare samarpana
hasiya hasiya prabhu karaye carvana

When a servant brought betel nuts and offered them to Lord Nityananda, the Lord smiled and chewed them.

TEXT 98

mala-candana-tambula sesa ye achila
sri-haste prabhu taha sabakare banti' dila

With His own hands Lord Nityananda Prabhu distributed to all the devotees whatever flower garlands, sandalwood pulp and betel nuts remained.

TEXT 99

anandita raghunatha prabhura 'sesa, pana
apanara gana-saha khaila bantiya

After receiving the remnants of food left by Lord Nityananda Prabhu, Raghunatha dasa, who was greatly happy, ate some and distributed the rest among his own associates.

TEXT 100

ei ta' kahilun nityanandera vihara
'cida-dadhi-mahotsava'-name khyati yara

Thus I have described the pastimes of Lord Nityananda Prabhu in relation to the celebrated festival of chipped rice and yogurt.