Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then asked all the devotees to return to Bengal. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sent Nityānanda Prabhu to Bengal for preaching and also sent Rāmadāsa, Gadādhara dāsa and several other devotees with Him. Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, with great humility, sent some Jagannātha prasādam and a cloth from Lord Jagannātha to His mother through Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. When the Lord bade farewell to Rāghava Paṇḍita, Vāsudeva Datta, the residents of Kulīna-grāma and other devotees, He praised them for their transcendental qualities. Rāmānanda Vasu and Satyarāja Khān asked some questions, and Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructed them that all householder devotees must engage themselves in the service of Vaiṣṇavas exclusively devoted to chanting the holy name of the Lord.
Raghava Pandita
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Adi-lila
Rāghava Paṇḍita, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's original follower, is understood to have been the seventh branch. From him proceeded another subbranch, headed by Makaradhvaja Kara.
Kara was the surname of Makaradhvaja. At present this surname is generally found in the Kāyastha community. The Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (166) states:
- dhaniṣṭhā bhakṣya-sāmagrīṁ kṛṣṇāyādād vraje ’mitām
- saiva samprati gaurāṅga-priyo rāghava-paṇḍitaḥ
Rāghava Paṇḍita was formerly a confidential gopī in Vraja during the time of Lord Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, and his former name was Dhaniṣṭhā. This gopī, Dhaniṣṭhā, always engaged in preparing foods for Kṛṣṇa.
Rāghava Paṇḍita's sister Damayantī was the dear maidservant of the Lord. She always collected various ingredients with which to cook for Lord Caitanya.
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāṣya, "In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (167) it is mentioned, guṇamālā vraje yāsīd damayantī tu tat-svasā: The gopī named Guṇamālā appeared as Rāghava Paṇḍita's sister Damayantī. On the East Bengal railway line beginning from the Sealdah station in Calcutta, there is a station named Sodapura, which is not very far from Calcutta. Within one mile of this station, toward the western side of the Ganges, is a village known as Pānihāṭi, in which the residential quarters of Rāghava Paṇḍita still exist. On Rāghava Paṇḍita's tomb is a creeper on a concrete platform. There is also a Madana-mohana Deity in a broken-down temple nearby. This temple is managed by a local zamindar of the name Śrī Śivacandra Rāya Caudhurī. Makaradhvaja Kara was also an inhabitant of Pānihāṭi."
The foods Damayantī cooked for Lord Caitanya when He was at Purī were carried in bags by her brother Rāghava without the knowledge of others.
The Lord accepted these foods throughout the entire year. Those bags are still celebrated as rāghavera jhāli ("the bags of Rāghava Paṇḍita").
I shall describe the contents of the bags of Rāghava Paṇḍita later in this book. Hearing this narration, devotees generally cry, and tears glide down from their eyes.
A vivid description of these rāghavera jhāli is to be found in Chapter Ten of the Antya-līlā portion of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (CC Antya 10).
Śrī Ācārya Purandara, the ninth branch, was a constant associate of Lord Caitanya's. The Lord accepted him as His father.
It is described in the Caitanya-bhāgavata that whenever Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited the house of Rāghava Paṇḍita, He also visited Purandara Ācārya immediately upon receiving an invitation. Purandara Ācārya is to be considered most fortunate because the Lord used to greet him by addressing him as His father and embracing him in great love.
Pradyumna Brahmacārī is described in the Antya-līlā, Second Chapter, of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (CC Antya 2). He was a great devotee of Lord Caitanya, who changed his name to Nṛsiṁhānanda. While coming from the house of Rāghava Paṇḍita at Pānihāṭi to the house of Śivānanda, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in the heart of Nṛsiṁhānanda Brahmacārī.
When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in the house of Rāghava Paṇḍita while going to Vṛndāvana, Gadādhara dāsa went to see Him, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so glad that He put His foot on his head.
CC Madhya-lila
Rāghava Paṇḍita, Nandana Ācārya and all the devotees became very satisfied. How many can I describe?
"Here is Rāghava Paṇḍita, here is Nandana Ācārya, there is Śrīmān Paṇḍita, and here are Śrīkānta and Nārāyaṇa."
Ācāryaratna, Ācāryanidhi, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Śaṅkara, Nandanācārya, Rāghava Paṇḍita and Vakreśvara were also present.
The five who responded to the singing of Svarūpa Dāmodara were Dāmodara Paṇḍita, Nārāyaṇa, Govinda Datta, Rāghava Paṇḍita and Śrī Govindānanda.
Advaita Ācārya Prabhu was ordered to dance in the first group. The Lord then formed another group with Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura as the chief man.
In the first group, Dāmodara Svarūpa was appointed chief singer, and the responding singers were Dāmodara Paṇḍita, Nārāyaṇa, Govinda Datta, Rāghava Paṇḍita and Govindānanda. Śrī Advaita Ācārya was appointed as a dancer. The next group was formed, and the chief singer was Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura.
The Lord formed another group, appointing Govinda Ghoṣa as leader. In this group the younger Haridāsa, Viṣṇudāsa and Rāghava were the responding singers.
Another duel took place between Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and Gadādhara Paṇḍita, and yet another between Rāghava Paṇḍita and Vakreśvara Paṇḍita. Thus they all engaged in throwing water.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu next spoke some relishable words to Rāghava Paṇḍita. He said, "I am obliged to you due to your pure love for Me."
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then informed everyone, “Just hear about the pure devotional service rendered to Kṛṣṇa by Rāghava Paṇḍita. Indeed, Rāghava Paṇḍita's service is supremely pure and highly accomplished.
“When Rāghava Paṇḍita sees that the juice has been drunk from the coconuts, he is very pleased. He then breaks the coconuts, takes out the pulp and puts it on another plate.
“Sometimes, after eating the pulp, Kṛṣṇa fills the plate again with new pulp. In this way, the faith of Rāghava Paṇḍita increases, and he floats in an ocean of love.
“Rāghava Paṇḍita then saw that the servant touched the ceiling above the door and then touched the coconuts with the same hand.
“Rāghava Paṇḍita then said, ‘People are always coming and going through that door. The dust from their feet blows up and touches the ceiling.
“"After touching the ceiling above the door, you have touched the coconuts. Now they are no longer fit to be offered to Kṛṣṇa because they are contaminated."
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura states that Rāghava Paṇḍita was not simply a crazy fellow suffering from some cleansing phobia. He did not belong to the mundane world. In lower consciousness, accepting something to be spiritual when it is actually material is called bhauma ijya-dhīḥ. Rāghava Paṇḍita was an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, and everything he saw was related to the service of the Lord. He was always absorbed in the transcendental thought of how he could always serve Kṛṣṇa with everything. Sometimes neophytes, devotees on the lower platform, try to imitate Rāghava Paṇḍita on the platform of material purity and impurity. Such imitation will not help anyone. As explained in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (CC Antya 4.174), bhadrābhadra-vastu-jñāna nāhika "prākṛte." On the transcendental platform there is no higher or lower, pure or impure. On the material platform, distinction is made between good and bad, but on the spiritual platform everything is of the same quality.
- 'dvaite' bhadrābhadra-jñāna, saba - 'manodharma'
- 'ei bhāla, ei manda', - ei saba 'bhrama'
"In the material world, conceptions of good and bad are all mental speculations. Therefore, saying "This is good and that is bad" is all a mistake." (CC Antya 4.176)
“Such is the service of Rāghava Paṇḍita. He did not accept the coconuts but threw them over the wall. His service is purely based on unalloyed love, and it conquers the whole world.
“Thereafter, Rāghava Paṇḍita had other coconuts gathered, cleansed and clipped, and with great attention he offered them to the Deity to eat.
“All these fruits are collected from distant places and bought at a high price. After trimming them with great care and purity, Rāghava Paṇḍita offers them to the Deity.
“Thus with great care and attention Rāghava Paṇḍita prepares spinach, other vegetables, radishes, fruits, chipped rice, powdered rice and sweetmeats.
“Rāghava Paṇḍita also offers all kinds of pickles, such as kāśamdi. He offers various scents, garments, ornaments and the best of everything.
"Thus Rāghava Paṇḍita serves the Lord in an incomparable way. Everyone is very much satisfied just to see him."
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then mercifully embraced Rāghava Paṇḍita. The Lord also offered all the other devotees a farewell with similar respect.
Mahārāja Pratāparudra made various arrangements for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's trip to Vṛndāvana. When He crossed the river Citrotpalā, Rāmānanda Rāya, Mardarāja and Haricandana went with Him. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu requested Gadādhara Paṇḍita to return to Nīlācala, Jagannātha Purī, but he did not abide by this order. From Kaṭaka, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu again requested Gadādhara Paṇḍita to return to Nīlācala, and He bade farewell to Rāmānanda Rāya from Bhadraka. After this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu crossed the border of Orissa state, and He arrived at Pānihāṭi by boat. Thereafter He visited the house of Rāghava Paṇḍita, and from there He went to Kumārahaṭṭa and eventually to Kuliyā, where He excused many offenders. From there He went to Rāmakeli, where He saw Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana and accepted them as His chief disciples. Returning from Rāmakeli, He met Raghunātha dāsa and after giving him instructions sent him back home. Thereafter the Lord returned to Nīlācala and began to make plans to go to Vṛndāvana without a companion.
All the devotees of Navadvīpa departed, including Ācāryaratna, Vidyānidhi, Śrīvāsa, Rāmāi, Vāsudeva, Murāri, Govinda and his two brothers and Rāghava Paṇḍita, who took bags of assorted foods. The inhabitants of Kulīna-grāma, carrying silken ropes, also departed.
At length Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was taken away by Rāghava Paṇḍita. There was a great crowd assembled along the way, and the Lord reached Rāghava Paṇḍita's residence with great difficulty.
The Lord stayed at Rāghava Paṇḍita's place for only one day. The next morning, He went to Kumārahaṭṭa, where Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura lived.
CC Antya-lila
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu delivered almost all the fallen souls by directly meeting them. He delivered others by entering the bodies of great devotees, such as Nakula Brahmacārī. And He delivered still others by appearing before them, as in the case of Nṛsiṁhānanda Brahmacārī. "I shall deliver the fallen souls." This statement characterizes the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The Lord always manifested His āvirbhāva appearance in the following four places: (1) the house of Śrīmatī Śacīmātā, (2) wherever Nityānanda Prabhu danced in ecstasy, (3) the house of Śrīvāsa (when kīrtana was performed), and (4) the house of Rāghava Paṇḍita. Lord Caitanya Himself appeared in these four places. (In this connection, one may consult text 34.)
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu always appeared in four places—in the household temple of mother Śacī, in the places where Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu danced, in the house of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita during congregational chanting, and in the house of Rāghava Paṇḍita. He appeared because of His attraction to the love of His devotees. That is His natural characteristic.
After eating all the offerings, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu started for Pāṇihāṭi. There, He was greatly satisfied to see the different varieties of vegetables prepared in the house of Rāghava.
Similarly, He was always present when Nityānanda Prabhu danced, and He regularly appeared at the house of Rāghava
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu introduced Sanātana Gosvāmī to these and other selected devotees: Advaita Ācārya, Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, Vakreśvara Paṇḍita, Vāsudeva Datta, Murāri Gupta, Rāghava Paṇḍita, Dāmodara Paṇḍita, Paramānanda Purī, Brahmānanda Bhāratī, Svarūpa Dāmodara, Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Rāmānanda Rāya, Jagadānanda Paṇḍita, Śaṅkara Paṇḍita, Kāśīśvara and Govinda.
At that time, Rāghava Paṇḍita arrived there. Seeing the situation, he began to laugh in great surprise.
Rāghava Paṇḍita said to Lord Nityānanda, "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."
Lord Nityānanda made Rāghava Paṇḍita sit down and had two pots delivered to him also. There were two kinds of chipped rice soaked in them.
Nityānanda Prabhu rested for the day, and when the day ended He went to the temple of Rāghava Paṇḍita and began congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
After the dancing and after Lord Nityānanda had rested, Rāghava Paṇḍita submitted his request that the Lord take supper.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came there and sat down at His place. Seeing this, Rāghava Paṇḍita felt increasing happiness.
Rāghava Paṇḍita brought the prasādam before the two brothers and thereafter distributed prasādam to all the other Vaiṣṇavas.
The food prepared and offered to the Deity by Rāghava Paṇḍita was like the essence of nectar. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came there again and again to eat such prasādam.
When Rāghava Paṇḍita offered the food to the Deity after cooking, he would make a separate offering for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Every day, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would eat at the house of Rāghava Paṇḍita. Sometimes He would give Rāghava Paṇḍita the opportunity to see Him.
Rāghava Paṇḍita would bring and distribute prasādam to the two brothers, feeding Them with great attention. They ate everything, and therefore there were no remnants left.
He brought so many presentations that no one could know them perfectly. Indeed, it was a fact that the supreme mother, Rādhārāṇī, personally cooked in the house of Rāghava Paṇḍita.
All the devotees present requested Raghunātha dāsa to sit down and take prasādam, but Rāghava Paṇḍita told them, "He will take prasādam later."
After eating, the two brothers washed Their hands and mouths. Then Rāghava Paṇḍita brought flower garlands and sandalwood pulp and decorated Them.
Rāghava Paṇḍita offered Them betel nuts and worshiped Their lotus feet. He also distributed betel nuts, flower garlands and sandalwood pulp to the devotees.
Rāghava Paṇḍita, being very merciful toward Raghunātha dāsa, offered him the dishes with the remnants of food left by the two brothers.
Raghunātha dāsa went there and worshiped Lord Nityānanda's lotus feet. Through Rāghava Paṇḍita, he submitted his desire.
After taking leave of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu and then all the other Vaiṣṇavas, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa consulted secretly with Rāghava Paṇḍita.
After consulting with Rāghava Paṇḍita, he secretly delivered one hundred gold coins and about seven tolās of gold into the hand of Nityānanda Prabhu's treasurer.
Thereupon, Rāghava Paṇḍita took Raghunātha dāsa to his home. After inducing him to see the Deity, he gave Raghunātha dāsa a garland and sandalwood pulp.
He gave Raghunātha dāsa a large quantity of prasādam to eat on his way home. Then Raghunātha dāsa again spoke to Rāghava Paṇḍita.
Raghunātha dāsa drew up an account of the amount to be given and submitted it to Rāghava Paṇḍita, who then made up a list showing how much money was to be paid to each and every devotee
With great humility, Raghunātha dāsa placed one hundred gold coins and about two tolās of gold before Rāghava Paṇḍita for all the other devotees.
After taking dust from the feet of Rāghava Paṇḍita, Raghunātha dāsa returned to his home, feeling greatly obligated to Lord Nityānanda Prabhu because of having received His merciful benediction.
Svarūpa Dāmodara, Jagadānanda, Kāśīśvara and Śaṅkara, along with Rāghava and Dāmodara Paṇḍita, took charge of distributing the prasādam.
Seven devotees—Advaita, Nityānanda, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, Vakreśvara, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, Rāghava Paṇḍita and Gadādhara Paṇḍita—formed seven groups and began dancing. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, chanting "Haribol!" wandered from one group to another.
The following summary of Chapter Ten is given by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya. Before the Ratha-yātrā ceremony, all the devotees from Bengal started for Jagannātha Purī as usual. Rāghava Paṇḍita brought with him various kinds of food for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The food had been cooked by his sister, Damayantī, who then packed it in bags (jhāli). Thus the stock of food was generally known as rāghavera jhāli, "the bags of Rāghava." Makaradhvaja Kara, an inhabitant of Pānihāṭi who accompanied Rāghava Paṇḍita, was the secretary in charge of accounting for the rāghavera jhāli.
Rāghava Paṇḍita came with bags full of food prepared very nicely by his sister, Damayantī.
These are the names of some of the pickles and condiments in the bags of Rāghava Paṇḍita: āmra-kāśandi, ādā-kāśandi, jhāla-kāśandi, nembu-ādā, āmra-koli, āmsi, āma-khaṇḍa, tailāmra and āma-sattā. With great attention, Damayantī also made dried bitter vegetables into a powder.
Because of her natural love for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Damayantī considered the Lord an ordinary human being. Therefore she thought that He would become sick by overeating and there would be mucus within His abdomen.
Because of pure love, the devotees of Kṛṣṇa in Goloka Vṛndāvana, Vrajabhūmi, loved Kṛṣṇa as an ordinary human being like them. Yet although they considered Kṛṣṇa one of them, their love for Kṛṣṇa knew no bounds. Similarly, because of extreme love, devotees like Rāghava Paṇḍita and his sister, Damayantī, thought of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as a human being, but their love for Him was boundless. By overeating, an ordinary human being becomes prone to a disease called amla-pitta, which is a product of indigestion characterized by acidity of the stomach. Damayantī thought that such a condition would afflict Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Damayantī made all these preparations following the order of her brother, Rāghava Paṇḍita. Both of them had unlimited affection for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and were advanced in devotional service.
Rāghava Paṇḍita delivered the bags of eatables to Govinda, who kept them in a corner of the dining room.
Govinda replied, "Now there are only the bags of Rāghava."
The Lord said, "Let them remain today. I shall see them later."
The next day, while taking His lunch in a secluded place, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu opened the bags of Rāghava and inspected their contents one after another.
Devotees like Ācāryaratna, Ācāryanidhi, Nandana Ācārya, Rāghava Paṇḍita and Śrīvāsa were all of the brāhmaṇa caste.
In the midst of that narration are descriptions of Rāghava Paṇḍita's bags of food and the dancing in the temple of Jagannātha.
The wife of Śivānanda Sena also came, along with their three sons. Rāghava Paṇḍita joined them, carrying his famous bags of food.
In the Tenth Chapter I have described how Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu tasted the food given by His devotees, and I have also described the assortment of prasādam in the bags of Rāghava Paṇḍita.
| Page Title: | Raghava Pandita |
| Compiler: | Sahadeva |
| Created: | 12 of Oct, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=77, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 77 |