Caitanya Tree

Ādi 10.1: Let me repeatedly offer my respectful obeisances unto the beelike devotees who always taste the honey of the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. If even a doggish nondevotee somehow takes shelter of such devotees, he enjoys the aroma of the lotus flower.

Ādi 10.2: All glories to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Nityānanda! All glories to Advaita Prabhu, and all glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya, headed by Śrīvāsa!

Ādi 10.3: The description of Lord Caitanya as the gardener and the tree is inconceivable. Now hear with attention about the branches of this tree.

Ādi 10.4: The associates of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu were many, but none of them should be considered lower or higher. This cannot be ascertained.

Ādi 10.5: All the great personalities in the line of Lord Caitanya enumerated these devotees, but they could not distinguish between the greater and the lesser.

Ādi 10.6: I offer my obeisances unto them as a token of respect. I request them not to consider my offenses.

Ādi 10.7: I offer my obeisances to all the dear devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the eternal tree of love of Godhead. I offer my respects to all the branches of the tree, the devotees of the Lord who distribute the fruit of love of Kṛṣṇa.

Ādi 10.8: The two brothers Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita and Śrī Rāma Paṇḍita started two branches that are well known in the world.

Ādi 10.9: Their two brothers were named Śrīpati and Śrīnidhi. These four brothers and their servants and maidservants are considered one big branch.

Ādi 10.10: There is no counting the subbranches of these two branches. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu held congregational chanting daily at the house of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita.

Ādi 10.11: These four brothers and their family members fully engaged in the service of Lord Caitanya. They knew no other god or goddess.

Ādi 10.12: Another big branch was Acāryaratna, and his associates were subbranches.

Ādi 10.13: Acāryaratna was also named Śrī Candraśekhara Acārya. In a drama in his house, Lord Caitanya played the goddess of fortune.

Ādi 10.14: Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, the third big branch, was so dear to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu that in his absence Lord Caitanya Himself would sometimes cry.

Ādi 10.15: Gadādhara Paṇḍita, the fourth branch, is described as an incarnation of the pleasure potency of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. No one, therefore, can equal him.

Ādi 10.16: His disciples and granddisciples are his subbranches. To describe them all would be difficult.

Ādi 10.17: Vakreśvara Paṇḍita, the fifth branch of the tree, was a very dear servant of Lord Caitanya’s. He could dance with constant ecstasy for seventy-two hours.

Ādi 10.18: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally sang while Vakreśvara Paṇḍita danced, and thus Vakreśvara Paṇḍita fell at the lotus feet of the Lord and spoke as follows.

Ādi 10.19: “O Candramukha! Please give me ten thousand Gandharvas. Let them sing as I dance, and then I will be greatly happy.”

Ādi 10.20: Lord Caitanya replied, “I have only one wing like you, but if I had another, certainly I would fly in the sky!”

Ādi 10.21: Paṇḍita Jagadānanda, the sixth branch of the Caitanya tree, was celebrated as the life and soul of the Lord. He is known to have been an incarnation of Satyabhāmā [one of the chief queens of Lord Kṛṣṇa].

Ādi 10.22: Jagadānanda Paṇḍita [as an incarnation of Satyabhāmā] always wanted to see to the comfort of Lord Caitanya, but since the Lord was a sannyāsī He did not accept the luxuries that Jagadānanda Paṇḍita offered.

Ādi 10.23: They sometimes appeared to fight over trifles, but these quarrels were based on their affection, of which I shall speak later.

Ādi 10.24: 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.

Ādi 10.25: Rāghava Paṇḍita’s sister Damayantī was the dear maidservant of the Lord. She always collected various ingredients with which to cook for Lord Caitanya.

Ādi 10.26: 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.

Ādi 10.27: The Lord accepted these foods throughout the entire year. Those bags are still celebrated as rāghavera jhāli [“the bags of Rāghava Paṇḍita”].

Ādi 10.28: 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.

Ādi 10.29: Paṇḍita Gańgādāsa was the eighth dear branch of the tree of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. One who remembers his activities attains freedom from all bondage.

Ādi 10.30: Śrī Acārya Purandara, the ninth branch, was a constant associate of Lord Caitanya’s. The Lord accepted him as His father.

Ādi 10.31: Dāmodara Paṇḍita, the tenth branch of the Caitanya tree, was so elevated in love of Lord Caitanya that he once unhesitatingly chastised the Lord with strong words.

Ādi 10.32: Later in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta I shall describe this incident of chastisement in detail. The Lord, being very much satisfied by this chastisement, sent Dāmodara Paṇḍita to Navadvīpa.

Ādi 10.33: The eleventh branch, the younger brother of Dāmodara Paṇḍita, was known as Śańkara Paṇḍita. He was celebrated as the shoes of the Lord.

Ādi 10.34: Sadāśiva Paṇḍita, the twelfth branch, was always eager to serve the lotus feet of the Lord. It was his good fortune that when Lord Nityānanda came to Navadvīpa He resided at his house.

Ādi 10.35: The thirteenth branch was Pradyumna Brahmacārī. Since he was a worshiper of Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu changed his name to Nṛsiḿhānanda Brahmacārī.

Ādi 10.36: Nārāyaṇa Paṇḍita, the fourteenth branch, a great and liberal devotee, did not know any shelter but Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet.

Ādi 10.37: The fifteenth branch was Śrīmān Paṇḍita, who was a constant servitor of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He used to carry a torch while the Lord danced.

Ādi 10.38: The sixteenth branch, Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī, was very fortunate because Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu jokingly or seriously begged food from him or sometimes snatched it from him forcibly and ate it.

Ādi 10.39: Nandana Acārya, the seventeenth branch of the Caitanya tree, is celebrated within the world because the two Prabhus [Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda] sometimes hid in his house.

Ādi 10.40: Mukunda Datta, a class friend of Lord Caitanya’s, was another branch of the Caitanya tree. Lord Caitanya danced while he sang.

Ādi 10.41: Vāsudeva Datta, the nineteenth branch of the Śrī Caitanya tree, was a great personality and a most confidential devotee of the Lord. One could not describe his qualities even with thousands of mouths.

Ādi 10.42: Śrīla Vāsudeva Datta Ṭhākura wanted to suffer for the sinful activities of all the people of the world so that Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu might deliver them.

Ādi 10.43: The twentieth branch of the Caitanya tree was Haridāsa Ṭhākura. His character was wonderful. He used to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa 300,000 times a day without fail.

Ādi 10.44: There was no end to the transcendental qualities of Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Here I mention but a fraction of his qualities. He was so exalted that Advaita Gosvāmī, when performing the śrāddha ceremony of his father, offered him the first plate.

Ādi 10.45: The waves of his good qualities were like those of Prahlāda Mahārāja. He did not even slightly raise an eyebrow when persecuted by the Muslim ruler.

Ādi 10.46: After the passing away of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, the Lord Himself took his body on His lap and danced with it in great ecstasy.

Ādi 10.47: Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura has vividly described the pastimes of Haridāsa Ṭhākura in his Caitanya-bhāgavata. Whatever has remained undescribed I shall try to explain later in this book.

Ādi 10.48: One subbranch of Haridāsa Ṭhākura consisted of the residents of Kulīna-grāma. The most important among them was Satyarāja Khān, or Satyarāja Vasu, who was a recipient of all the mercy of Haridāsa Ṭhākura.

Ādi 10.49: Murāri Gupta, the twenty-first branch of the tree of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, was a storehouse of love of Godhead. His great humility and meekness melted the heart of Lord Caitanya.

Ādi 10.50: Śrīla Murāri Gupta never accepted charity from friends, nor did he accept money from anyone. He practiced as a physician and maintained his family with his earnings.

Ādi 10.51: As Murāri Gupta treated his patients, by his mercy both their bodily and spiritual diseases subsided.

Ādi 10.52: Śrīmān Sena, the twenty-second branch of the Caitanya tree, was a very faithful servant of Lord Caitanya. He knew nothing else but the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Ādi 10.53: Śrī Gadādhara dāsa, the twenty-third branch, was understood to be the topmost, for he induced all the Muslim Kazis to chant the holy name of Lord Hari.

Ādi 10.54: Śivānanda Sena, the twenty-fourth branch of the tree, was an extremely confidential servant of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Everyone who went to Jagannātha Purī to visit Lord Caitanya took shelter and guidance from Śrī Śivānanda Sena.

Ādi 10.55: Every year he took a party of devotees from Bengal to Jagannātha Purī to visit Lord Caitanya. He maintained the entire party as they journeyed on the road.

Ādi 10.56: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu bestows His causeless mercy upon His devotees in three features: His own direct appearance [sākṣāt], His prowess within someone He empowers [āveśa], and His manifestation [āvirbhāva].

Ādi 10.57: The appearance of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in every devotee’s presence is called sākṣāt. His appearance in Nakula Brahmacārī as a symptom of special prowess is an example of āveśa.

Ādi 10.58: The former Pradyumna Brahmacārī was given the name Nṛsiḿhānanda Brahmacārī by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Ādi 10.59: In his body there were symptoms of āvirbhāva. Such appearances are uncommon, but Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu displayed many such pastimes through His different features.

Ādi 10.60: Śrīla Śivānanda Sena experienced the three features of sākṣāt, āveśa and āvirbhāva. Later I shall vividly describe this transcendentally blissful subject.

Ādi 10.61: The sons, servants and family members of Śivānanda Sena constituted a subbranch. They were all sincere servants of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Ādi 10.62: The three sons of Śivānanda Sena, named Caitanya dāsa, Rāmadāsa and Karṇapūra, were all heroic devotees of Lord Caitanya.

Ādi 10.63: Śrīvallabha Sena and Śrīkānta Sena were also subbranches of Śivānanda Sena, for they were not only his nephews but also unalloyed devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Ādi 10.64: Govindānanda and Govinda Datta, the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth branches of the tree, were performers of kīrtana in the company of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Govinda Datta was the principal singer in Lord Caitanya’s kīrtana party.

Ādi 10.65: Śrī Vijaya dāsa, the twenty-seventh branch, another of the Lord’s chief singers, gave the Lord many books written by hand.

Ādi 10.66: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave Vijaya dāsa the name Ratnabāhu [“jewel-handed”] because he copied many manuscripts for Him. The twenty-eighth branch was Kṛṣṇadāsa, who was very dear to the Lord. He was known as Akiñcana Kṛṣṇadāsa.

Ādi 10.67: The twenty-ninth branch was Śrīdhara, a trader in banana-tree bark. He was a very dear servant of the Lord. On many occasions, the Lord played jokes on him.

Ādi 10.68: Every day Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu jokingly snatched fruits, flowers and pulp from Śrīdhara and drank from his broken iron pot.

Ādi 10.69: The thirtieth branch was Bhagavān Paṇḍita. He was an extremely dear servant of the Lord, but even previously he was a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa who always kept the Lord within his heart.

Ādi 10.70: The thirty-first branch was Jagadīśa Paṇḍita, and the thirty-second was Hiraṇya Mahāśaya, unto whom Lord Caitanya in His childhood showed His causeless mercy.

Ādi 10.71: In their two houses Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu begged food on the Ekādaśī day and personally ate it.

Ādi 10.72: The thirty-third and thirty-fourth branches were the two students of Caitanya Mahāprabhu named Puruṣottama and Sañjaya, who were stalwart students in grammar. They were very great personalities.

Ādi 10.73: Vanamālī Paṇḍita, the thirty-fifth branch of the tree, was very much celebrated in this world. He saw a golden club and plow in the hands of the Lord.

Ādi 10.74: The thirty-sixth branch, Buddhimanta Khān, was extremely dear to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He was always prepared to carry out the Lord’s orders, and therefore he was considered to be a chief servant of the Lord.

Ādi 10.75: Garuḍa Paṇḍita, the thirty-seventh branch of the tree, always engaged in chanting the auspicious name of the Lord. Because of the strength of this chanting, even the effects of poison could not touch him.

Ādi 10.76: Gopīnātha Siḿha, the thirty-eighth branch of the tree, was a faithful servant of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The Lord jokingly addressed him as Akrūra.

Ādi 10.77: Devānanda Paṇḍita was a professional reciter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but by the mercy of Vakreśvara Paṇḍita and the grace of the Lord he understood the devotional interpretation of the Bhāgavatam.

Ādi 10.78-79: Śrī Khaṇḍavāsī Mukunda and his son Raghunandana were the thirty-ninth branch of the tree, Narahari was the fortieth, Cirañjīva the forty-first and Sulocana the forty-second. They were all big branches of the all-merciful tree of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They distributed the fruits and flowers of love of Godhead anywhere and everywhere.

Ādi 10.80: Satyarāja, Rāmānanda, Yadunātha, Puruṣottama, Śańkara and Vidyānanda all belonged to the twentieth branch. They were inhabitants of the village known as Kulīna-grāma.

Ādi 10.81: All the inhabitants of Kulīna-grāma village, headed by Vāṇīnātha Vasu, were servants of Lord Caitanya, who was their only life and wealth.

Ādi 10.82: The Lord said, “What to speak of others, even a dog in the village of Kulīna-grāma is My dear friend.

Ādi 10.83: “No one can describe the fortunate position of Kulīna-grāma. It is so sublime that even sweepers who tend their hogs there also chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.”

Ādi 10.84: On the western side were the forty-third, forty-fourth and forty-fifth branches — Śrī Sanātana, Śrī Rūpa and Anupama. They were the best of all.

Ādi 10.85: Among these branches, Rūpa and Sanātana were principal. Anupama, Jīva Gosvāmī and others, headed by Rājendra, were their subbranches.

Ādi 10.86: By the will of the supreme gardener, the branches of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī grew many times over, expanding throughout the western countries and covering the entire region.

Ādi 10.87: Extending to the borders of the river Sindhu and the Himalayan Mountain valleys, these two branches expanded throughout India, including all the places of pilgrimage, such as Vṛndāvana, Mathurā and Haridvāra.

Ādi 10.88: The fruits of love of Godhead which fructified on these two branches were distributed in abundance. Tasting these fruits, everyone became mad after them.

Ādi 10.89: The people in general on the western side of India were neither intelligent nor well behaved, but by the influence of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī they were trained in devotional service and good behavior.

Ādi 10.90: In accordance with the directions of the revealed scriptures, both Gosvāmīs excavated the lost places of pilgrimage and inaugurated the worship of Deities in Vṛndāvana.

Ādi 10.91: Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, the forty-sixth branch of the tree, was one of the most dear servants of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He left all his material possessions to surrender completely unto the Lord and live at His lotus feet.

Ādi 10.92: When Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī approached Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Jagannātha Purī, the Lord entrusted him to the care of Svarūpa Dāmodara, His secretary. Thus they both engaged in the confidential service of the Lord.

Ādi 10.93: He rendered confidential service to the Lord for sixteen years at Jagannātha Purī, and after the disappearance of both the Lord and Svarūpa Dāmodara, he left Jagannātha Purī and went to Vṛndāvana.

Ādi 10.94: Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī intended to go to Vṛndāvana to see the lotus feet of Rūpa and Sanātana and then give up his life by jumping from Govardhana Hill.

Ādi 10.95: Thus Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī came to Vṛndāvana, visited Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī and offered them his obeisances.

Ādi 10.96: These two brothers, however, did not allow him to die. They accepted him as their third brother and kept him in their company.

Ādi 10.97: Because Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was an assistant to Svarūpa Dāmodara, he knew much about the external and internal features of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya. Thus the two brothers Rūpa and Sanātana always used to hear of this from him.

Ādi 10.98: Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī gradually gave up all food and drink but a few drops of buttermilk.

Ādi 10.99: As a daily duty, he regularly offered one thousand obeisances to the Lord, chanted at least one hundred thousand holy names and offered obeisances to two thousand Vaiṣṇavas.

Ādi 10.100: Day and night he rendered service within his mind to Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, and for three hours a day he discoursed about the character of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Ādi 10.101: Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī took three baths daily in the Rādhā-kuṇḍa lake. As soon as he found a Vaiṣṇava residing in Vṛndāvana, he would embrace him and give him all respect.

Ādi 10.102: He engaged himself in devotional service for more than twenty-two and a half hours a day, and for less than two hours he slept, although on some days that also was not possible.

Ādi 10.103: I am struck with wonder when I hear about the devotional service he executed. I accept Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī as my guides.

Ādi 10.104: I shall later explain very elaborately how all these devotees met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Ādi 10.105: Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, the forty-seventh branch, was one of the great and exalted branches of the tree. He always engaged in discourses about love of Godhead in the company of Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī.

Ādi 10.106: The ācārya Śańkarāraṇya was considered the forty-eighth branch of the original tree. From him proceeded the subbranches known as Mukunda, Kāśīnātha and Rudra.

Ādi 10.107: Śrīnātha Paṇḍita, the forty-ninth branch, was the beloved recipient of all the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Everyone in the three worlds was astonished to see how he worshiped Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Ādi 10.108: Jagannātha Acārya, the fiftieth branch of the Caitanya tree, was an extremely dear servant of the Lord, by whose order he decided to live on the bank of the Ganges.

Ādi 10.109: The fifty-first branch of the Caitanya tree was Kṛṣṇadāsa Vaidya, the fifty-second was Paṇḍita Śekhara, the fifty-third was Kavicandra, and the fifty-fourth was Ṣaṣṭhīvara, who was a great sańkīrtana performer.

Ādi 10.110: The fifty-fifth branch was Śrīnātha Miśra, the fifty-sixth was Śubhānanda, the fifty-seventh was Śrīrāma, the fifty-eighth was Īśāna, the fifty-ninth was Śrīnidhi, the sixtieth was Śrī Gopīkānta, and the sixty-first was Miśra Bhagavān.

Ādi 10.111: The sixty-second branch of the tree was Subuddhi Miśra, the sixty-third was Hṛdayānanda, the sixty-fourth was Kamala-nayana, the sixty-fifth was Maheśa Paṇḍita, the sixty-sixth was Śrīkara, and the sixty-seventh was Śrī Madhusūdana.

Ādi 10.112: The sixty-eighth branch of the original tree was Puruṣottama, the sixty-ninth was Śrī Gālīma, the seventieth was Jagannātha dāsa, the seventy-first was Śrī Candraśekhara Vaidya, and the seventy-second was Dvija Haridāsa.

Ādi 10.113: The seventy-third branch of the original tree was Rāmadāsa, the seventy-fourth was Kavicandra, the seventy-fifth was Śrī Gopāla dāsa, the seventy-sixth was Bhāgavata Acārya, and the seventy-seventh was Ṭhākura Sārańga dāsa.

Ādi 10.114: The seventy-eighth branch of the original tree was Jagannātha Tīrtha, the seventy-ninth was the brāhmaṇa Śrī Jānakīnātha, the eightieth was Gopāla Acārya, and the eighty-first was the brāhmaṇa Vāṇīnātha.

Ādi 10.115: The three brothers Govinda, Mādhava and Vāsudeva were the eighty-second, eighty-third and eighty-fourth branches of the tree. Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda used to dance in their kīrtana performances.

Ādi 10.116: Rāmadāsa Abhirāma was fully absorbed in the mellow of friendship. He made a flute of a bamboo stick with sixteen knots.

Ādi 10.117: By the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, three devotees accompanied Lord Nityānanda Prabhu when He returned to Bengal to preach.

Ādi 10.118: These three were Rāmadāsa, Mādhava Ghoṣa and Vāsudeva Ghoṣa. Govinda Ghoṣa, however, remained with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Jagannātha Purī and thus felt great satisfaction.

Ādi 10.119: Bhāgavata Acārya, Cirañjīva, Śrī Raghunandana, Mādhavācārya, Kamalākānta and Śrī Yadunandana were all among the branches of the Caitanya tree.

Ādi 10.120: Jagāi and Mādhāi, the eighty-ninth and ninetieth branches of the tree, were the greatest recipients of Lord Caitanya’s mercy. These two brothers were the witnesses who proved that Lord Caitanya was rightly named Patita-pāvana, “the deliverer of the fallen souls.”