Pānihāṭi
rāghava-paṇḍita—prabhura ādya-anucara
tāṅra eka śākhā mukhya—makaradhvaja kara
tāṅhāra bhaginī damayantī prabhura priya dāsī
prabhura bhoga-sāmagrī ye kare vāra-māsi
se saba sāmagrī yata jhālite bhariyā
rāghava la-iyā yā’na gupata kariyā
vāra-māsa tāhā prabhu karena aṅgīkāra
‘rāghavera jhāli’ bali’ prasiddhi yāhāra
se-saba sāmagrī āge kariba vistāra
yāhāra śravaṇe bhaktera vahe aśrudhāra
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. Rāghava Paṇḍita’s sister Damayantī was the dear maidservant of the Lord. She always collected various ingredients with which to cook for Lord Caitanya. 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.
(CC Adi 10.24 – 10.28) / (Caitanya tree – branch 7)
Rāghava Paṇḍita’s sister Damayantī was the dear maidservant of the Lord. She always collected various ingredients with which to cook for Lord Caitanya.
PURPORT
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.”
(CC Adi 10.25)
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.
(CC Antya 2.69)
At this time, Raghunātha dāsa approached Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and, according to His order, prepared a feast and distributed prasādam composed of chipped rice and curd.
PURPORT
There is a special preparation in Bengal wherein chipped rice is mixed with curd and sometimes with sandeśa and mango. It is a very palatable food offered to the Deity and then distributed to the public. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, who was a householder at this time, met Nityānanda Prabhu. According to His advice, he executed this festival of dadhi-ciḍā-prasāda.
(CC Madhya 1.283)
Antya 6.41: “Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has fully bestowed His mercy on him. Who can keep home such a madman of Caitanyacandra?”
Antya 6.42: Then Raghunātha dāsa considered something in his mind, and the next day he went to Nityānanda Gosāñi.
Antya 6.43: In the village of Pānihāṭi, Raghunātha dāsa obtained an interview with Nityānanda Prabhu, who was accompanied by many kīrtana performers, servants and others.
Antya 6.44: Sitting on a rock under a tree on the bank of the Ganges, Lord Nityānanda seemed as effulgent as hundreds of thousands of rising suns.
Antya 6.45: Many devotees sat on the ground surrounding Him. Seeing the influence of Nityānanda Prabhu, Raghunātha dāsa was astonished.
Antya 6.46: Raghunātha dāsa offered his obeisances by falling prostrate at a distant place, and the servant of Nityānanda Prabhu pointed out, “There is Raghunātha dāsa, offering You obeisances.”
Antya 6.47: Hearing this, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu said, “You are a thief. Now you have come to see Me. Come here, come here. Today I shall punish you!”
Antya 6.48: The Lord called him, but Raghunātha dāsa did not go near the Lord. Then the Lord forcibly caught him and placed His lotus feet upon Raghunātha dāsa’s head.
Antya 6.49: Lord Nityānanda was by nature very merciful and funny. Being merciful, He spoke to Raghunātha dāsa as follows.
Antya 6.50: “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.
Antya 6.51: “Make a festival and feed all My associates yogurt and chipped rice.” Hearing this, Raghunātha dāsa was greatly pleased.
Antya 6.52: Raghunātha dāsa immediately sent his own men to the village to purchase all kinds of eatables and bring them back.
Antya 6.53: Raghunātha dāsa brought chipped rice, yogurt, milk, sweetmeats, sugar, bananas and other eatables and placed them all around.
Antya 6.54: As soon as they heard that a festival was going to be held, all kinds of brāhmaṇas and other gentlemen began to arrive. Thus there were innumerable people.
Antya 6.55: Seeing the crowd increasing, Raghunātha dāsa arranged to get more eatables from other villages. He also brought two to four hundred large, round earthen pots.
Antya 6.56: He also obtained five or seven especially large earthen pots, and in these pots a brāhmaṇa began soaking chipped rice for the satisfaction of Lord Nityānanda.
Antya 6.57: 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.
Antya 6.58: The other half was mixed with condensed milk and a special type of banana known as cāńpā-kalā. Then sugar, clarified butter and camphor were added.
Antya 6.59: After Nityānanda Prabhu had changed His cloth for a new one and sat on a raised platform, the brāhmaṇa brought before Him the seven huge pots.
Antya 6.60: On that platform, all the most important associates of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, as well as other important men, sat down in a circle around the Lord.
Antya 6.61: Among them were Rāmadāsa, Sundarānanda, Gadādhara dāsa, Murāri, Kamalākara, Sadāśiva and Purandara.
Antya 6.62: Dhanañjaya, Jagadīśa, Parameśvara dāsa, Maheśa, Gaurīdāsa and Hoḍa Kṛṣṇadāsa were also there.
Antya 6.63: Similarly, Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura and many other personal associates of the Lord sat on the raised platform with Nityānanda Prabhu. No one could count them all.
Antya 6.64: Hearing about the festival, all kinds of learned scholars, brāhmaṇas and priests went there. Lord Nityānanda Prabhu honored them and made them sit on the raised platform with Him.
Antya 6.65: Everyone was offered two earthen pots. In one was put chipped rice with condensed milk, and in the other chipped rice with yogurt.
Antya 6.66: All the other people sat in groups around the platform. No one could count how many people there were.
Antya 6.67: 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.
Antya 6.68: Some of the brāhmaṇas, 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.
Antya 6.69: 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.
Antya 6.70: 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.
Antya 6.71: At that time, Rāghava Paṇḍita arrived there. Seeing the situation, he began to laugh in great surprise.
Antya 6.72: He brought many kinds of food cooked in ghee and offered to the Lord. This prasādam he first placed before Lord Nityānanda and then distributed among the devotees.
Antya 6.73: 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.”
Antya 6.74: Lord Nityānanda replied, “Let Me eat all this food here during the day, and I shall eat at your home at night.
Antya 6.75: “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.”
Antya 6.76: 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.
Antya 6.77: When chipped rice had been served to everyone, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, in meditation, brought Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Antya 6.78: When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu arrived, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu stood up. They then saw how the others were enjoying the chipped rice with yogurt and condensed milk.
Antya 6.79: From each and every pot, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu took one morsel of chipped rice and pushed it into the mouth of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as a joke.
Antya 6.80: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, also smiling, took a morsel of food, pushed it into the mouth of Nityānanda and laughed as He made Lord Nityānanda eat it.
Antya 6.81: In this way Lord Nityānanda was walking through all the groups of eaters, and all the Vaiṣṇavas standing there were seeing the fun.
Antya 6.82: No one could understand what Nityānanda Prabhu was doing as He walked about. Some, however, who were very fortunate, could see that Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was also present.
Antya 6.83: Then Nityānanda Prabhu smiled and sat down. On His right side He kept four pots of chipped rice that had not been made from boiled paddy.
Antya 6.84: Lord Nityānanda offered Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu a place and had Him sit down. Then together the two brothers began eating chipped rice.
Antya 6.85: Seeing Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu eating with Him, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu became very happy and exhibited varieties of ecstatic love.
Antya 6.86: Lord Nityānanda Prabhu ordered, “All of you eat, chanting the holy name of Hari.” Immediately the holy names “Hari, Hari” resounded, filling the entire universe.
Antya 6.87: When all the Vaiṣṇavas were chanting the holy names “Hari, Hari” and eating, they remembered how Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma ate with Their companions the cowherd boys on the bank of the Yamunā.
Antya 6.88: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Nityānanda Prabhu are extremely merciful and liberal. It was Raghunātha dāsa’s good fortune that They accepted all these dealings.
Antya 6.89: Who can understand the influence and mercy of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu? He is so powerful that He induced Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to come eat chipped rice on the bank of the Ganges.
Antya 6.90: All the confidential devotees who were cowherd boys, headed by Śrī Rāmadāsa, were absorbed in ecstatic love. They thought the bank of the Ganges to be the bank of the Yamunā.
Antya 6.91: When the shopkeepers of many other villages heard about the festival, they arrived there to sell chipped rice, yogurt, sweetmeats and bananas.
Antya 6.92: As they came, bringing all kinds of food, Raghunātha dāsa purchased it all. He gave them the price for their goods and later fed them the very same food.
Antya 6.93: Anyone who came to see how these funny things were going on was also fed chipped rice, yogurt and bananas.
Antya 6.94: After Lord Nityānanda Prabhu finished eating, He washed His hands and mouth and gave Raghunātha dāsa the food remaining in the four pots.
Antya 6.95: There was food remaining in the three other big pots of Lord Nityānanda, and a brāhmaṇa distributed it to all the devotees, giving a morsel to each.
Antya 6.96: Then a brāhmaṇa brought a flower garland, placed the garland on Nityānanda Prabhu’s neck and smeared sandalwood pulp all over His body.
Antya 6.97: When a servant brought betel nuts and offered them to Lord Nityānanda, the Lord smiled and chewed them.
Antya 6.98: With His own hands Lord Nityānanda Prabhu distributed to all the devotees whatever flower garlands, sandalwood pulp and betel nuts remained.
Antya 6.99: After receiving the remnants of food left by Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, Raghunātha dāsa, who was greatly happy, ate some and distributed the rest among his own associates.
Antya 6.100: Thus I have described the pastimes of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu in relation to the celebrated festival of chipped rice and yogurt.
Antya 6.101: 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.
The Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, Chapter Five, states that Raghunātha Vaidya came to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu when the Lord was staying at Pānihāṭi. He was a great devotee and had all good qualities. According to the Caitanya-bhāgavata, he was formerly Revatī, the wife of Balarāma. Anyone he glanced upon would immediately attain Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He lived on the seashore at Jagannātha Purī and compiled a book of the name Sthāna-nirūpaṇa.
(CC Adi 10.124-126 purport)
The Lord finally reached Pānihāṭi, and as an act of mercy He gave the captain of the boat one of His personal garments. The place called Pānihāṭi was located on the bank of the Ganges. After hearing that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had arrived, all kinds of men assembled both on land and on the water. 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 Madhya 16.202 – 205)
Describing this incident, the great poet Śrī Kavi-karṇapūra has written extensively about the glorious activities of Raghunātha dāsa in his Śrī Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka. Raghunātha dāsa is a disciple of Yadunandana Ācārya, who is very gentle and is extremely dear to Vāsudeva Datta, a resident of Kāñcanapallī. Because of Raghunātha dāsa’s transcendental qualities, he is always more dear than life for all of us devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Since he has been favored by the abundant mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he is always pleasing. Vividly providing a superior example for the renounced order, this very dear follower of Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī is the ocean of renunciation. Who among the residents of Nīlācala [Jagannātha Purī] does not know him very well? “Because he is very pleasing to all the devotees, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī easily became like the fertile earth of good fortune in which it was suitable for the seed of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to be sown. At the same time that the seed was sown, it grew into a matchless tree of the love of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and produced fruit.”
(CC Antya 6.262 – 6.264)
In his poem known as the Gaurāńga-stava-kalpavṛkṣa, Raghunātha dāsa has described his personal deliverance. “Although I am a fallen soul, the lowest of men, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu delivered me from the blazing forest fire of great material opulence by His mercy. He handed me over in great pleasure to Svarūpa Dāmodara, His personal associate. The Lord also gave me the garland of small conchshells that He wore on His chest and a stone from Govardhana Hill, although they were very dear to Him. That same Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu awakens within my heart and makes me mad after Him.” Thus I have described the meeting of Raghunātha dāsa with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Anyone who hears about this incident attains the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
(CC Antya 6.326 – 328)
In the village of Pānihāṭi, Raghunātha dāsa obtained an interview with Nityānanda Prabhu, who was accompanied by many kīrtana performers, servants and others.
(CC Antya 6.43)
Prabhupāda: That will be very nice center, Pānihāṭi. Then we shall control the whole Ganges, from Calcutta to Māyāpur. We’ll have so many steamers. (laughs)
Hari-śauri: Steamers and ferries.
Prabhupāda: Yes. At least four streamer always plying from Calcutta to Māyāpur. Therefore I am after that center. It will be middle station. And you can go in this way, Rijay, by electricity. Go this side, that side, this side, that side.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Everyone will take those steamers.
Prabhupāda: It will be very nice recreation also, to go by the steamer here, there.
Hari-śauri: Have kīrtana on board . . .
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.