Sree Sree Chaitanya Bhagabat Chapter 6 Part II

52. Thus sported in the water the beautiful figure of Gaur,
    The water from His feet sprinkled the bodies of all the bathers.
53. Though all forbade He paid no heed to them
    But nowhere could any of them catch Him.
54. The Lord made all the people bathe over and over again,
    Touched the bodies of some after their bath, with His mouth sprouted water at others.
55. Unable to catch hold of the Lord the Brahmans in a body
    Presented themselves before the father.
56. 'Misra, best of friends, listen well,
    We want to tell you all the vagaries of your Boy.
57. 'It is impossible to bathe in the Ganges in the proper manner.'
    One of them said, 'He interrupts my meditations by throwing water at me.
58. 'And says further, 'Behold Him on Whom you meditate;
    In the kali age I am Narayana manifest.
59. Some one said, 'He steals my symbol of Siva';
    Said another, ' He bolts with my upper cloth'.
60. And yet another complained, 'Flowers, durba grass, offerings, sandal paste,
    All requisites arranged for the worship of Vishnu, the seat of Vishnu, -
61. As I perform my bath, He sits there on the asana,
    And having eaten and worn all things makes off, -
62. 'Saying, 'Why do you feel sorry in mind?
    He has eaten for whom you prepared.'
63. Some said, ‘As I perform my sandhya standing up in the water,
    Making His way under water, pulls me away by the feet'.
64. Some said, ‘My flower basket and clothes are never to be found.'
    Some said, 'He steals my puthi, the Geeta.'
65. Some complained, ' My son is a mere baby
    He makes him cry violently by putting water into his ear.
66. Some informed, ' He climbs by the back to my shoulders,
    And leaping down cries,'I am Mahesha'.
67. Some said, 'He places Himself on my seat made for worship,
    Having eaten the offerings, Himself worships Vishnu'.
68. 'After I have bathed He throws sand at me
    With all the turbulent boys at His heels;
69. 'Puts the clothes of females in the place of those of males;
    All go mad with shame as they put on the wrong cloths
70. 'You are the best of friends, Misra Jagannath,
    I tell you He does this every day.
71. He does not get out of the water even when it is past midday,
    So how will His body keep its health?’
72. Just at that moment all the girls of the neighborhood
    With angry minds, came to the presence of Sachi Devi.
73. With great respect they spoke to her -
    ‘Lady, be pleased to listen to the deeds of your Son;
74. ‘He steals our clothes, abuses us,
    He gets up a quarrel and throws water at us if we protest.
75. ‘All the flowers and fruits that we bring with us for performing brata
    He forcibly takes away and scatters in all directions.
76. ‘As we come out of the water after bath He throws sand at us,
    And with Him are all the wayward boys.’
77. ‘Coming up un-noticed shouts loudly into our ears’
    One said, ‘With His mouth He sprouted water into my face.’
78. ‘Puts the seed of okhra into my hair.’
    ‘He wants to wed me,’ said another.
79. ‘What is He? - to behave like this every day?
    Is your Nimai the King’s Son?’
80. ‘Your Nimai behaves exactly like what
    We hear the Son of Nanda did formerly.’
81. ‘Being sorely grieved when we shall inform our parents
    That day they will have a sure quarrel with you.’
82. So be pleased to restrain your Son at once.
    Such behaviour is not at all proper at Nadia.’
83. On hearing this the mother of Mahaprabhu laughed
    And taking all of them on her lap said sweet words -
84. ‘When Nimai comes back today I shall bind Him and beat Him
    That He may not trouble you again.’
85. Taking the dust of Sachi’s feet on their heads
    They went back to the Ganges to bathe again.
86. Notwithstanding any frolics that the Lord played toward anyone,
    All were inwardly pleased in their souls,
87. They came to Misra to complain for pure fun
    On hearing which the Misra sterned and threatened violence -
88. ‘Thus does He behave constantly to all, -
    He does not allow them even to bathe properly!
89. ‘I must go at once and punish Him severely.’
    Not all their efforts could hold him back.
90. As the Misra hastened towards the spot in great anger,
    The Supreme Lord of all beings was aware of it.
91. In the stream of the Ganges sported Sri Gaursundar,
    The most charming figure amidst all the boys
92. All the girls said, ‘Hear Bisvambhar,
    Fly at once, the Misra is coming just now.’
93. Whereupon as the Lord ran after them with His companions
    The Brahman girls scattered in a fright.
94. He now instructed everyone to say to Misra,
    ‘Your Son has not come to bathe.’
95. He went home the other way after school was over;
    All of us are also waiting for Him.
96. Having thus coached them the Lord returned home by a different road
    Just as the Misra appeared at the bathing place of the Ganges.
97. Arrived there Misra looked about in all directions,
    But did not find his Son in the midst of the children.
98. The Misra asked them, ‘Whither has Bisvambhar gone?’
    The children replied, ‘He has not come to bathe today;
99. ‘He went the other way after school was over;
    We are all waiting for Him.’
100. The Misra looked about with stick in hand,
     Stormed and raged violently not being able to catch Him.
101. Those Brahmans who for fun had complained
     Now arrived and said once again, -
102. ‘Afraid of you Bisvambhar has left and gone back home;
     So return to your house but do not say anything to Him.
103. If He does any mischief again
     Ourselves will catch and take Him to you.’
104. Those words that we spoke to you were said in fun;
     There is no one in all the three worlds so fortunate as thyself.
105. ‘In whose house there is such a Darling.’
     What can hunger, thirst and grief do to such a one?
106. ‘You indeed served truly the feet of the Lord
     He is most fortunate who has such a Son. -
107. ‘If Bisvambhar commits crores of offences
     Yet is He ever the Darling of our hearts.”
108. All these persons are verily the devotees of Krishna at each birth;
     Therefore they have such excellent judgement.
109. Thus in the company of His own servants
     The Lord ever sports in many diverse ways, but no one can know.
110. The Misra said, ‘He is the Son of you all;
     Do not take any offence for my sake.’
111. Having embraced all of them the Misra
     Came home with a light heart.
112. Lord Bishvambhar had returned by another road
     With the beautiful puthi in His hand resembling the Moon;
113. Drops of ink adorned the body of Gaur,
     As if black bees clung to all sides of the champaka flower
114. The Lord called shouting ‘Mother!’
     ‘Give Me oil, I shall go to bathe.’
115. Sachi was delighted hearing of the voice of her Son;
     She did not find on His body any sign of bath.
116. Sachi Devi was filled with doubts and reflected in her mind,
     What is this that the girls say and the Brahmans?’
117. ‘Dots of ink are still all over His body,
     He is wearing the same cloth and has the same puthi.’
118. In another moment arrived the great Misra Jagannath.
     Catching sight of the Misra Bisvambhar climbed into his arms.
119. By that embrace Misra forgot everything of the world;
     He was completely filled with joy on beholding his Son.
120. Misra noticedthat His whole body was covered with dust,
     And was astonished discovering no sign of bath.
121. The Misra said, ‘Bisvambhar how is this reasonable?
     Why dost thou prevent the bath of the people?
122. ‘Why dost thou spoil the things for the worship of Vishnu?
     Art thou not afraid even of Vishnu?’
123. The Lord said, ‘I did not go to bathe today.
     My companions have gone in advance.
124. ‘They misbehave to all persons.
     But those people blame Me even when I am not there.
125. ‘If they thus accuse Me for what happens in My absence
     I say truly I will certainly treat them ill.’
126. So saying the Lord went off laughing to bathe in the Ganges
     And merrily once more joined the band of children.
127. On seeing Bisvambhar all of them embraced Him;
     And all the children burst into laughter on hearing of His trick.
128. All praised; Well done, clever Nimai!
     Thou hast very well escaped very sound beating today.’
129. Thus the Lord sported in the stream of the Ganges in the company of all the children.
     Here Sachi and Jagannath thus thought in their minds, -
130. ‘Those things that they have said cannot be false, -
     But how is it we have found no sign of bath on His body?
131. ‘There was the same dust all over His body, the same unbathed appearance,
     The very same puthi, the same cloth, hair.
132. ‘The Divine Bisvambhar is no mortal;
     By His own eternal power Krishna Himself may have been born in our house;
133. ‘Or some other great Being, - it passes my understanding’ -
     Thus thought the best of the twice-born.
134. These thoughts were banished by joy at the sight of the face of their Son,
     Both were filled with great happiness and there remained no trace of other thought.
135. Those two praharas while the Lord was away to school
     Were even as two ages to those two.
136. Even if the Vedas declare in crores of ways and with crores of mouths
     The good fortune of these two cannot be fully expressed.
137. Manifold obeisance at the feet of Sachi and Jagannath
     In the form of whose Son appeared the Supreme Lord of all the countless worlds!
138. In this manner played the Lord of Baikuntha
     No one understood deluded by His illusive energy.
139. Sri Krishna-Chaitanya is the life of Nityananda-chand,
     At Whose twin feet sings Brindabandas.

Here ends Chapter Sixth entitled ‘The beginning of studies and the story of the pastimes of childhood’ in Part First of Sri Chaitanya Bhagabat.

(To be continued.)