The ocean of ecstatic love for Krisna is very difficult to understand, even for such demigods as Lord Brahma. By enacting His pastimes, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu submerged Himself in that ocean, and His heart was absorbed in that love. Thus He exhibited in various ways the exalted position of transcendental love for Krisna.
All glories to Sri Krisna Caitanya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead! All glories to Lord Nityananda, whose body is always filled with transcendental bliss!
All glories to Sri Advaita Acarya, who is very dear to Lord Caitanya! And all glories to all the devotees of the Lord, headed by Srivasa Thakura!
Thus Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu forgot Himself throughout the entire day and night, being merged in an ocean of ecstatic love for Krisna.
The Lord would maintain Himself in three states of consciousness: sometimes He merged totally in ecstatic emotion, sometimes He was in partial external consciousness, and sometimes He was in full external consciousness.
Actually, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was always merged in ecstatic emotion, but just as a potter’s wheel turns without the potter’s touching it, the Lord’s bodily activities, like bathing, going to the temple to see Lord Jagannatha, and taking lunch, went on automatically.
One day, while Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was looking at Lord Jagannatha in the temple, Lord Jagannatha appeared to be personally Sri Krisna, the son of Nanda Maharaja.
When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu realized Lord Jagannatha to be Krisna Himself, Lord Caitanya’s five senses immediately became absorbed in attraction for the five attributes of Lord Krisna.
Just as in a tug-of-war, the single mind of Lord Caitanya was attracted in five directions by the five transcendental attributes of Lord Krisna. Thus the Lord became unconscious.
Just then, the upala-bhoga ceremony of Lord Jagannatha concluded, and the devotees who had accompanied Lord Caitanya to the temple took Him back home.
That night, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was attended by Svarupa Damodara Gosvami and Ramananda Raya. Keeping His hands around their necks, the Lord began to lament.
When Srimati Radharani was very much agitated due to feeling great separation from Krisna, She spoke a verse to Visakha explaining the cause of Her great anxiety and restlessness.
Reciting that verse, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu expressed His burning emotions. Then, with great lamentation, He explained the verse to Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “‘Though the hearts of the gopis are like high-standing hills, they are inundated by the waves of the nectarean ocean of Krisna’s beauty. His sweet voice enters their ears and gives them transcendental bliss, the touch of His body is cooler than millions and millions of moons together, and the nectar of His bodily fragrance overfloods the entire world. O My dear friend, that Krisna, who is the son of Nanda Maharaja and whose lips are exactly like nectar, is attracting My five senses by force.’
“Lord Sri Krisna’s beauty, the sound of His words and the vibration of His flute, His touch, His fragrance and the taste of His lips are full of an indescribable sweetness. When all these features attract My five senses at once, My senses all ride together on the single horse of My mind but want to go in five different directions.
“O My dear friend, please hear the cause of My misery. My five senses are actually extravagant rogues. They know very well that Krisna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but they still want to plunder Krisna’s property.
“My mind is just like a single horse being ridden by the five senses of perception, headed by sight. Each of My senses wants to ride that horse, and thus they pull My mind in five directions simultaneously. In what direction will it go? If they all pull at one time, certainly the horse will lose its life. How can I tolerate this atrocity?
“My dear friend, if you say, ‘Just try to control Your senses,’ what shall I say? I cannot become angry at My senses. Is it their fault? Krisna’s beauty, sound, touch, fragrance and taste are by nature extremely attractive. These five features are attracting My senses, and each wants to drag My mind in a different direction. In this way the life of My mind is in great danger, just like a horse ridden in five directions at once. Thus I am also in danger of dying.
“The consciousness of each woman within the three worlds is certainly like a high hill, but the sweetness of Krisna’s beauty is like an ocean. Even a drop of water from that ocean can flood the entire world and submerge all the high hills of consciousness.
“The sweetness of Krisna’s joking words plays indescribable havoc with the hearts of all women. His words bind a woman’s ear to the qualities of their sweetness. Thus there is a tug-of-war, and the life of the ear departs.
“Krisna’s transcendental body is so cool that it cannot be compared even to sandalwood pulp or to millions upon millions of moons. It expertly attracts the breasts of all women, which resemble high hills. Indeed, the transcendental body of Krisna attracts the minds of all women within the three worlds.
“The fragrance of Krisna’s body is more maddening than the aroma of musk, and it surpasses the fragrance of the bluish lotus flower. It enters the nostrils of all the women of the world and, making a nest there, thus attracts them.
“Krisna’s lips are so sweet when combined with the camphor of His gentle smile that they attract the minds of all women, forcing them to give up all other attractions. If the sweetness of Krisna’s smile is unobtainable, great mental difficulties and lamentation result. That sweetness is the only wealth of the gopis of Vrindavana.”
After speaking in this way, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu caught hold of the necks of Ramananda Raya and Svarupa Damodara. Then the Lord said, “My dear friends, please listen to Me. What shall I do? Where shall I go? Where can I go to get Krisna? Please, both of you, tell Me how I can find Him.”
Thus absorbed in transcendental pain, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu lamented day after day in the company of Svarupa Damodara Gosvami and Ramananda Raya.
To enhance the ecstatic mood of the Lord, Svarupa Damodara Gosvami would sing appropriate songs and Ramananda Raya would recite suitable verses. In this way they were able to pacify Him.
The Lord especially liked to hear Bilvamangala Thakura’s Krisna-karnamrita, the poetry of Vidyapati, and Sri Gita-govinda, by Jayadeva Gosvami. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu felt great pleasure in His heart when His associates chanted verses and sang songs from these books.
One day, while going to the beach by the sea, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu suddenly saw a flower garden.
Lord Caitanya mistook that garden for Vrindavana and very quickly entered it. Absorbed in ecstatic love of Krisna, He wandered throughout the garden, searching for Him.
After Krisna disappeared with Radharani during the rasa dance, the gopis wandered in the forest looking for Him. In the same way, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wandered in that garden by the sea.
Absorbed in the ecstatic mood of the gopis, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wandered here and there. He began to inquire after Krisna by quoting verses to all the trees and creepers.
“[The gopis said:] ‘O cuta tree, priyala tree, panasa, asana and kovidara! O jambu tree, O arka tree, O bel, bakula and mango! O kadamba tree, O nipa tree and all other trees living on the bank of the Yamuna for the welfare of others, please let us know where Krisna has gone. We have lost our minds and are almost dead.
“‘O all-auspicious tulasi plant, you are very dear to Govinda’s lotus feet, and He is very dear to you. Have you seen Krisna walking here wearing a garland of your leaves, surrounded by a swarm of bumblebees?
“‘O plants of malati flowers, mallika flowers, jati and yuthika flowers, have you seen Krisna passing this way, touching you with His hand to give you pleasure?’”
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued, “‘O mango tree, O jackfruit tree, O piyala, jambu and kovidara trees, you are all inhabitants of a holy place. Therefore kindly act for the welfare of others.
“‘Have you seen Krisna coming this way? Kindly tell us which way He has gone and save our lives.’”
When the trees did not reply, the gopis guessed, “‘Since all of these trees belong to the male class, all of them must be friends of Krisna.
“‘Why should the trees tell us where Krisna has gone? Let us rather inquire from the creepers; they are female and are therefore like friends to us.
“‘They will certainly tell us where Krisna has gone, since they have seen Him personally.’” Guessing in this way, the gopis inquired from the plants and creepers, headed by tulasi.
“‘O tulasi! O malati! O yuthi, madhavi and mallika! Krisna is very dear to you; therefore He must have come near you.
“‘You are all just like dear friends to us. Kindly tell us which way Krisna has gone and save our lives.’”
When they still received no reply, the gopis thought, “‘These plants are all Krisna’s maidservants, and out of fear they will not speak to us.’”
The gopis then came upon a group of she-deer. Smelling the aroma of Krisna’s body and seeing the faces of the deer, the gopis inquired from them to ascertain if Krisna was nearby.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “‘O wife of the deer, Lord Krisna has been embracing His beloved, and thus the kunkuma powder on Her raised breasts has covered His garland of kunda flowers. The fragrance of this garland is flowing here. O my dear friend, have you seen Krisna passing this way with His dearmost companion, increasing the pleasure of the eyes of all of you?’
“‘O dear doe, Sri Krisna is always very pleased to give you pleasure. Kindly inform us whether He passed this way in the company of Srimati Radharani. We think They must certainly have come this way.
“‘We are not outsiders. Being very dear friends of Srimati Radharani, we can perceive the bodily fragrance of Krisna from a distance.
“‘Krisna has been embracing Srimati Radharani, and the kunkuma powder on Her breasts has mixed with the garland of kunda flowers decorating His body. The fragrance of the garland has scented the entire atmosphere.
“‘Lord Krisna has left this place, and therefore the deer are feeling separation. They do not hear our words; therefore how can they reply?’”
The gopis then came upon many trees so laden with fruits and flowers that their branches were bent down to the ground.
The gopis thought that because all the trees must have seen Krisna pass by they were offering respectful obeisances to Him. To be certain, the gopis inquired from the trees.
Lord Caitanya continued, “‘O trees, kindly tell us whether Balarama’s younger brother, Krisna, welcomed your obeisances with loving glances as He passed this way, resting one hand on the shoulder of Srimati Radharani, holding a lotus flower in the other, and being followed by a swarm of bumblebees maddened by the fragrance of tulasi flowers.
“‘To stop the bumblebees from landing on the face of His beloved, He whisked them away with the lotus flower in His hand, and thus His mind was slightly diverted.
“‘Did He or did He not pay attention while you offered Him obeisances? Kindly give evidence supporting your words.
“‘Separation from Krisna has made these servants very unhappy. Having lost consciousness, how can they answer us?’”
Saying this, the gopis stepped onto the beach by the Yamuna River. There they saw Lord Krisna beneath a kadamba tree.
Standing there with His flute to His lips, Krisna, who enchants millions upon millions of Cupids, attracted the eyes and minds of all the world with His unlimited beauty.
When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw the transcendental beauty of Krisna, He fell down on the ground unconscious. At that time, all the devotees, headed by Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, joined Him in the garden.
Just as before, they saw all the symptoms of transcendental ecstatic love manifested in the body of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Although externally He appeared bewildered, He was tasting transcendental bliss within.
Once again all the devotees brought Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu back to consciousness by a concerted effort. Then the Lord got up and began wandering here and there, looking all around.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “Where has My Krisna gone? I saw Him just now, and His beauty has captivated My eyes and mind.
“Why can’t I again see Krisna holding His flute to His lips? My eyes are wandering in hopes of seeing Him once more.”
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then recited the following verse, which was spoken by Srimati Radharani to Her dear friend Visakha.
“‘My dear friend, the luster of Krisna’s body is more brilliant than that of a newly formed cloud, and His yellow dress is more attractive than newly arrived lightning. A peacock feather decorates His head, and on His neck hangs a lovely necklace of brilliant pearls. As He holds His charming flute to His lips, His face looks as beautiful as the full autumn moon. By such beauty, Madana-mohana, the enchanter of Cupid, is increasing the desire of My eyes to see Him.’”
Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued, “Sri Krisna’s complexion is as polished as powdered eye ointment. It surpasses the beauty of a newly formed cloud and is softer than a blue lotus flower. Indeed, His complexion is so pleasing that it attracts the eyes and minds of everyone, and it is so powerful that it defies all comparison.
“My dear friend, please tell Me what I should do. Krisna is as attractive as a wonderful cloud, and My eyes are just like cataka birds, which are dying of thirst because they do not see such a cloud.
“Krisna’s yellow garments look exactly like restless lightning in the sky, and the pearl necklace on His neck appears like a line of ducks flying below a cloud. Both the peacock feather on His head and His vaijayanti garland [containing flowers of five colors] resemble rainbows.
“The luster of Krisna’s body is as beautiful as the glow of a spotless full moon that has just risen, and the vibration of His flute sounds exactly like the sweet thundering of a newly formed cloud. When the peacocks in Vrindavana hear that vibration, they all begin to dance.
“The cloud of Krisna’s pastimes is drenching the fourteen worlds with a shower of nectar. Unfortunately, when that cloud appeared, a whirlwind arose and blew it away from Me. Being unable to see the cloud, the cataka bird of My eyes