PLEASE NOTE, *THIS DOCUMENT IS AT DRAFT (NOT PERFECT) STAGE. IT IS RECOMMENDED TO READ WITH GM’S VIDEO IN BACKGROUND. *
Mukham karoti vacalam pangum langayate girim
Yat kripa tam aham vande sri gurum dina tarinam
Paramananda Madhavam Sri Caitanya Isvaram
Audi started abruptly
But when he (Raghunatha das) went to Lord Caitanya personally, Lord Caitanya told him to stay in his ashram. And that he shouldn’t suddenly want to change. Rather he should keep his heart always on Krsna, but do his material duties. So I was told that I only have a short time, so I cannot give the whole history. But basically, Raghunath das, he thought one day, let me go and see Lord Nityananda. That was about a year after he saw Lord Caitanya. But many things had transpired. So then Lord Nityananda was in Panihati, sitting under a banyan tree. And He was surrounded by His associates and distinguished brahmanas. And His secretary said that, there is Raghunatha das, paying his obeisances! “Where, where, where is he? He is like a thief, like a thief! He doesn’t come before Me! Today I got the thief and I will punish him. Ami danda debo! Come here!” So Raghunatha das naturally, he paid his obeisances and stayed there. How many of you will run forward if Nityananda prabhu says, come forward I will punish you!? Ha! A few volunteers! Raghunatha das, he was afraid. But Lord Nityananda is very funny. He came to Raghunatha das and put His foot on his head. He gave him blessings! He said, “your punishment is you have to feed all My associates a sumptuous feast of cida and dahi and fruits.” Is that very complicated? So someone like Raghunatha das, it was not a difficult thing! I heard here that the pots are auctioned. Interesting! Raghunatha das, he told his assistants to get some cida, dahi, condensed milk and various fruits. So the word spread that there is a Mahotsva a big feast and about one or two hundred thousand people ran to that place to have the feast of Lord Nityananda! Haribol! Haribol! Haribol! So seven pots were given to Lord Nityananda. He had a seat for Lord Caitanya. At that time Lord Caitanya was in South India. So then by His mystic power, through His meditation, Lord Nityananda brought Lord Caitanya there! All the people who came, hundreds and thousands of people, they filled the fields. Each one was given two pots, one of yogurt and one of condensed milk. And they sat down to eat their cida dahi feast. When there was no more room, some people stood in the Ganges, up to their knees. Then there was still no room, so some stood up to their waist, they were all eager to participate in the great festival. Some people came with dahi and fruits in their bullock carts and they sold their goods to Raghunatha das. He gave them cida dahi pots and told them to sit down. So they sold the goods and got the cida dahi free! There is a saying in Bengali ratha dekhi kola beca. See the ratha and sell my bananas. The point is that the banana salesman, the moment he sees a cart in any street, he moves his cart to that street. Why not go where the ratha is passing and sell the bananas he thinks! See the ratha and sell bananas. There is another saying in English, but we don’t say that. It is violent. Doing two things with one stone! So Lord Caitanya appeared there but He was not visible to anyone, but Lord Nityananda and a few very advanced associates. Then Lord Nityananda, He brought Lord Caitanya amongst the people. And then Lord Nityananda took from the pots of the people eating and then put it in the mouth of Lord Caitanya! Then it disappeared. Then Lord Caitanya took some cida dahi and put it in the mouth of Lord Nityananda. Because this was the mood that Krsna and Balarama had in Vraja when They would eat with Their friends! Haribol Haribol! So there was a very ecstatic cida dahi festival. This is also called the danda Mahotsava festival. The festival of punishment! Raghunatha das he was being punished to provide a feast, that was the punishment! And then you see how Lord Nityananda’s punishment was actually a blessing! Raghava Pandit, he came and told Lord Nityananda that His lunch was ready. But Nityananda Prabhu said, “I am a cowherd boy, I am taking cida dahi today. I will take My lunch later, at dinner time. Sit down and take some cida dahi with us.!” So He missed His lunch to have this yogurt and fruits and flat rice. So like this Lord Nityananda, He was enjoying this festival with so many people! And we hope that you all enjoy this festival as well! I find it very blissful to tell and to participate in this festival! Since while going on the boat Srila Prabhupada installed these Nitai Gaura deities, I went to Panihati and there we had what you call, multiple clay pots of cida dahi. And when we came some of the devotees there began to sing a Bengali ballad, Nitai Gaur esheche! Nitai Gaura esehche! Nitai Gaur have come! Haribol! Everybody there were very happy and started dancing and chanting to see the deities of Nitai Gaur! Except the brahmanas under the tree, they had a nice business. They thought that Nitai Gaur was a kind of disturbance. Since then I think they have a separate queuing system, but at that time we did not know what to expect. And they feed 50 thousand or more people! So at that time, we came down from Mayapur with a truck and the police stopped and said, you cannot go, there are so many people. So then somehow the clouds came over and it started raining. So all the people went off the road to stay under some tree or some protection from rain. So the devotees carried cida and various ingredients on their backs. Then they ran down the road. At that time, it was empty. When they got to the tree, it stopped raining. Then the people boom! Came back again! Then the devotees went back to get more items, and then the rain came again. All the people again went off the road. Then the devotees ran down the road with the things on their backs. We did not really know how to distribute 108 pots. One devotee went with a pot to distribute, and he got submerged under the people. He disappeared! We had to pull him out from between their legs! So that didn’t work! So then somebody climbed up a tree and was giving prasad from there to people on the ground. So now we have an organized system and I thank His Holiness Bhakti Caru maharaj, to send his disciples and they do a nice program! I am glad that here you involve all the students in this Panihati festival of Nitai Gaur! Haribol!
Thank you very much!
Transcribed by Jayaraseshwari devi dasi
31 May 2019