More travels
Then that group of Vaisnavas reached Gauda Mandala via Prayaga and Varanasi, and then went to Bagadi to have darsana of Sri Krishna Ray[1]. From Bagadi he went to Bhatbhumi where the local king himself came to meet him and later received initiation from him.
One of the previous kings of Bhatbhumi had insulted a great Vaisnava, and being cursed by him, Bhatbhumi was being terrorized by a fierce tiger. By the mercy of Syamananda Prabhu the effect of the curse subsided and the inhabitants of the kingdom became free from the tiger’s menace.
From Bhatbhumi Syamananda Prabhu reached Dharenda distributing the priceless Sri Hari Nama everywhere. The chanting of the Holy Names of Krishna was the essence of his preaching. The Padma Purana says:
nama cintamanih krsnas
caitanya rasa vigraha
purna suddha nitya mukta
abhinnatvad nama naminoh.
“The holy name of Krishna is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Krishna Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Krishna’s name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Krishna Himself. Since Krishna’s name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with maya. Krishna’s name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Krishna and Krishna Himself are identical.”
Therefore it is clear why chanting and reciting the names of Krishna is so important.
This Maha Mantra is:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Krishna
Rama Rama Hare Hare
At that place, a Pathan named Sher Khan, who was a Royal Deputy, with the assistance of his subordinates broke the mridangas and other instruments of the sankirtana party[2]. Syamananda Prabhu became enraged and made a frightening roar, which amazingly produced a terrific blazing fire that started burning the beards and moustaches of the Yavanas. Those tyrants started vomiting blood and, almost dead, fled the place.
The next day Syamananda Prabhu went around the town with several sankirtana parties. Pathan Sher Khan then came before him, fell at his feet and asked for forgiveness. Afflicted with fear, he narrated the incident he had in the previous night.
“In a dream I first saw Allah in a very frightening form. Afterwards, He appeared in a very pleasing golden form and introduced Himself as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He suddenly became angry and warned me to take initiation from Syamananda Prabhu, otherwise I will have to go to hell. Therefore, O my lord, please consider me yours and give me your mercy.”
The greatly merciful Sri Syamananda Prabhu was touched by the Pathan’s humble request and initiated him in the Sri Hari Nama Maha-mantra and gave him the name Caitanya Dasa.
[1] Krishna Raya is one of the most famous Deities in Bengal. It was the personal Srimurti of Srinatha Prabhu, the Guru of Kavi Karnapura.
[2] Something similar happened during Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s time. This story is told in Sri Caitanya Caritamrita.
This is a section of the book “Syamananda, the Joy of Radharani (English)”.
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