Lessons on the Road to Puri
[Madhya 4 & 5]
[4.1-4.104] Enroute to Puri, Shri Chaitanya halted at the famous village of Remuna and narrated the story of Madhavendra Puri. Once, the great devotee was chanting at Govinda Kund when a beautiful boy appeared and offered him some milk. Completely captivated by the boy’s beauty, Madhavendra Puri wondered who He was. Later that night, the same boy appeared in his dream and introduced Himself as Gopal, instructing Madhavendra Puri to unearth Him from a nearby bush and erect a temple for His residence. Realising that Krishna had personally appeared before him, Madhavendra Puri was overcome with transcendental emotion. Without hesitation, He immediately excavated the Gopal deity, installed Him in a wonderful temple, and inspired the local villagers to begin elaborate worship.
Two years later, Gopal again appeared to Madhavendra Puri in a dream and requested him to acquire some fresh sandalwood from Jagannatha Puri. Madhavendra Puri immediately accepted the difficult task and set off on foot. On his gruelling journey he halted at Remuna where he witnessed the deity of Gopinath being offered the famous amrita-keli sweet rice. Madhavendra Puri desired to taste the sweet rice so he could make a similar preparation for Gopal in Vrindavana. As that thought entered, he immediately scolded himself for mentally tasting the unoffered food. Gopinath, however, was extremely pleased by his sentiments, and appeared to the temple priest that night, instructing him that a special pot of sweet rice had been hidden away for Madhavendra Puri, and it should now be delivered to him. The priest eagerly retrieved that pot and handed it to the fortunate recipient. Madhavendra Puri was overwhelmed by the activities of Gopinath, who thus became known as Kshira-Chora Gopinath, “Krishna who stole the sweet rice”.
Madhavendra Puri, not wanting to attract any attention, quickly left for Jagannatha Puri. There he collected the sandalwood and then began his homeward journey, halting again at Remuna. It was here that Madhavendra Puri had a third dream, in which Gopal instructed him to offer the sandalwood to Kshira-Chora Gopinath instead. Thus, the fortunate Madhavendra Puri was blessed to receive several dreams and interactions with the Lord. Having related the sweet pastimes of Gopal, Gopinath and Madhavendra Puri, Shri Chaitanya continued on His travels.
When Shri Chaitanya arrived in Kataka, Nityananda Prabhu narrated the story of Sakshi Gopal. Once, two brahmanas (one young and the other old) were travelling together on pilgrimage. Feeling deep gratitude for the assistance he received, the older brahmana offered his daughter in marriage to his young counterpart. Although the younger brahmana politely refused, feeling unqualified due to his humble family background, the older brahmana insisted he accept. The young brahmana then asked him to repeat his pledge in front of the deity. After doing so, they returned to their homes and eventually the younger brahmana requested the promise be fulfilled. The family of the older brahmana were outraged at the proposal and denied the validity of the agreement. To settle the controversy, the younger brahmana called upon the deity who had witnessed the promise. At the young brahmana’s request the the deity walked all the way from Kataka to Vidyanagara, and, in the presence of all the townspeople, bore witness that the elderly brahmana had indeed offered his daughter in marriage to the young brahmana. The wedding ceremony then took place and everyone was satisfied.
The two brahmanas requested the deity to stay in Vidyanangara so they could daily serve Him. Thereafter, thousands flocked to see the deity that now became known as Sakshi Gopal, “The one who bore witness”. Later, Sakshi Gopal moved to Kataka at the request of King Purusottamadeva. Once, when the queen eagerly desired to offer a pearl to Sakshi Gopal, the Lord came to her in a dream and indicated a hole in His nose where she could set it. Having fulfilled the cherished desire of the queen, she became extremely joyful and held a beautiful festival. Sakshi Gopal thus demonstrated the loving reciprocation He enjoys with His confidential devotees.
While many see the material world as completely separate from the supreme spirit, the Vedas define God as the source of everything material and spiritual (janmadya asya yatah). Even physical elements have an intimate relationship with God; the cause is present in the effect. Thus, God’s immanence in the material world can be experienced when ‘material’ objects, such as marble, metal or wood, are directly engaged as means of worship according to authorised prescriptions. God, after all, is the complete whole, and can simultaneously manifest Himself in everything within and beyond our perception. To say He cannot appear in a certain way would be to place a limitation on Him.
The pastimes narrated herein highlight the loving exchanges between the devotee and the deity, which will again be witnessed when Shri Chaitanya arrives at the Jagannatha Temple. Worship of the deity creates opportunities for personal service and a deepening of our devotional connection with Krishna.
One should, however, worship these forms with care and caution. Indeed, Shrila Prabhupada warned one disciple, “Never think of the deity as made of stone or wood. Every worshiper must remember that Krishna is personally present. He is simply kindly presenting Himself before us in a way so that we can handle Him. That is His mercy; otherwise, He is unapproachable.”
As Shri Chaitanya continued on His journey, an interesting event occurred at the River Bharginadi, causing it to later be known as danda-bhanga nadi. Here, Nityananda Prabhu took Shri Chaitanya’s sannyasa staff, broke it into three pieces, and threw it into the river! Some explain that Nityananda wanted to transform the impersonal ekadanda staff (one rod) into a Vaishnava tridanda staff (three rods). The tridanda represents one who has dedicated mind, body and words in the service of Krishna, whereas the ekadanda represents the oneness of merging with God. Others posit that Shri Chaitanya is the Supreme Lord who is beyond all worldly designations, including the order of sannyasa, and Nityananda highlighted this by rejecting the staff. Either way, although internally relsihing Nityananda’s love, Shri Chaitanya chastised Him, since He wanted to set a pristine example by strictly following all aspects of etiquette and culture.
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