The Lord comes to Shantipur 

The Lord comes to Shantipur 

Advaita Acarya was Mahaprabhu’s associate in sankirtan, both in Srivasa’s house and in the streets of Nabadwip and along the shores of the Ganges. 

Everyone sang together in great joy, “Krishna Rama Mukunda, Murari, Vanamali!” Holding on to Nityananda and Gadadhara, Advaita, like a lion ran in every direction.

The lord danced along the banks of the Bhagirathi while all around him all the people sang the names of Hari. Advaita Acarya preceded him, dancing ecstatically with a small group of devotees.

  

After Mahaprabhu had taken sannyasa from Keshava Bharati in Katwa, he became overwhelmed with love for Krishna and started to run toward Vrindavana. With the help of some cowherd boys, Nityananda Prabhu tricked him into coming to the banks of the Ganges. Nityananda wanted to show him to the people of Nabadwip and wanted to bring him to Shantipur. When Mahaprabhu saw the Ganges, he thought that it was the Yamuna and became ecstatic. Meanwhile, Advaita had heard that Nityananda had brought Mahaprabhu there and came by boat across the river with new clothes for him. Mahaprabhu was astonished to see Advaita, wondering how he could have known that he was in Vrindavana. Advaita answered by saying that Vrindavana was there wherever Mahaprabhu went and that the western flow of the Ganges was the Yamuna. When he heard these words, Mahaprabhu realized that he had been tricked into coming to the western bank of the Ganges, across from the town of Shantipur. Advaita had him take a bath and dressed him in the new clothes and then took him to his house where he stayed for several days. 

  

When Saci and the people of Nabadwip heard that Gaurahari was at Advaita’s, they all came there to visit him. Seeing him dressed as a sannyasi, they felt joy mixed with the sorrow of separation. Sita Thakurani prepared an immense meal and served it on whole leaves from seed-banana trees. As Mahaprabhu and Nityananda ate, Advaita Prabhu talked and joked with them. This has been extensively described in the Caitanya Caritamrita’s Madhya-lila, chapter 3. Mahaprabhu afterwards also ate foodstuffs prepared by Sacidevi in order to ease the suffering he had imposed on her by his departure. The reunion of devotees turned into a great festival, and Advaita’s house in the town of Shantipur was transformed into the city of Vaikuntha. 

Everyone was dancing and singing the names of Hari. Advaita’s house became the city of Vaikuntha. 

 

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