Chaitanya's Life And Teachings: From his contemporary Begali biography the Chaitanya-charit-amritaKṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmi
Religion
Chaitanya's Life And Teachings: From his contemporary Begali biography the Chaitanya-charit-amrita
Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmi
Chaitanya, 1486-1534; Hinduism
Nine hundred pots of
water were brought; many musical instruments were played; the women
sang. It was a great festival with dancing and singing. All the curd
milk and _ghee_ in the village were brought there with sweets, and all
other articles of offering. The image was bathed by Madhav Puri himself,
worshipped and installed there. All the food available in the village
was brought to the hill, offered to the god and an _anna-kut_ (pyramid
of consecrated food) was formed. In one day's preparation this grand
feast was accomplished. The image was laid on a bedstead, a straw thatch
built over it, with walls of straw.
The Goswámi Puri ordered the Brahmans to feast all the villagers, old
and young. They dined, the Brahmans and Brahmanis first, then the others
in due order. The people who came from other villages looked at Gopal
and got his _prasád_. Men wondered at the power of the Puri who had
produced the pyramid of rice. He brought all the Brahmans to Vaishnavism
and employed them in the various services (of the god). Again, at close
of day he roused the god, offered some light refreshments as _bhog_. It
was noised abroad that Gopal had appeared there, and people flocked from
neighbouring villages to see the god. The villagers joyfully gave feasts
in honour of him on different days, each building up a pyramid of rice.
At night the image was laid to rest; the Puri drank a little milk.
Next morning the same kind of service began. The people of a village
came with all their milk, curd, _ghee_ and rice, and offered them to
Gopal. The Brahmans cooked as before and Gopal tasted of the heap of
rice. The people of Brindaban love Gopal of themselves, and he too loves
them. They all came, partook of the holy _prasád_ and forgot their
sorrow and loss at the sight of him. From other provinces men arrived
with presents when they heard that Gopal had appeared there. The rich
men of Mathura sent costly offerings out of devotion. Gold, silver,
cloth, incense and food stuffs were daily presented in vast quantities
and swelled the store (of the temple). One very rich Kshatriya built the
temple (at his own cost), some one else the kitchen, another the walls.
The citizen of Brindában presented a cow each, and thus Gopal got a
thousand cows. Two Brahman hermits came from Bengal, and the Puri
received them with attention, made them his disciples, and entrusted to
them the service of the god. So he waited on the god for some two years,
glad to see him served right royally.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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