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Chapter Summary -
Chaitanya-bhagavata - Adi-khanda Ch.
15
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Personal character
of Nimai Pandita continues - Marriage to Vishnupriya described in detail
Brief Summary:
Chapter 15 opens with the author briefly reviewing Nimai
Pandita's character, on one hand a strict teacher with His students and
His behavior toward women - while on the other hand still a troublemaker
when it came to taunting certain individuals, even to the point of having
to appear before the Nabadwip magistrate for misbehavior. The
Chapter then moves on to the marriage of Visvambhara to the beautiful
Visnupriya, the daughter of Sanatana Misra. Again arranged by the
Lord's mother, once the marriage was set, the very weathly Buddhimanta
Khan stepped forward and paid for all the necessary details that
eventually made this particular wedding the most expensive and elaborate
ever seen in Nabadwip's history. The author touches on many aspects
of the wedding ceramony, even telling how certain men would purposefully
take more than their fair share of gifts and how the Lord countered them
with even greater generosity.
Most Memorable:
The residents of
Nabadwip were fortunate to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead in
person as He swayed past them in His palanquin; ...The Joy
Raja Pandita felt was indescribable and the love and respect he felt for
the Lord was visible on his face
as he escorted Nimai Pandita into his house; ...Having completed all of his ceremonial duties Raja pandita returned home.
The relatives of Nimai
Pandita then went to Raja Pandita's house to perform the same adhivas
ceremony for Visnupriya; ...Raja Pandita came forward
to receive the Lord from
the palanquin, helped Him step down and took him inside where a seat had
been prepared. The Joy
Raja Pandita felt was indescribable and the love and respect he felt for
the Lord was visible on his face
as he escorted Nimai Pandita into his house. He showered flowers on the
Lord as a blessing and
welcome; ...Laksmi Dev placed a flower garland at the lotus feet of her Lord
offering Him her life and soul.
The Lord picked up the flower garland and smiling sweetly, placed it
around her neck. Again the
divine couple was drowned in a shower of flower petals; ...Thousands of lamps shed bright light everywhere and the loud and joyous
sounds of song and
instruments filled the sky.
Quiz: (see answers below)
1. Vedic literature compares the forehead of a
person which does not bear the mark of tilaka as being as good as what?
A. A barren field
B. A crow
C. A place of death
D. The skull of a leper
2. After returning from E. Bengal, Nimai
Pandita has settled down into role of a respected scholar. In whose
house does He teach his students?
A. Advatia Acharya
B.
Mukunda Sanjaya
C. Purushottam Dasa
D. Buddhimanta Khan
3. Under Nimai's instruction, how long did it take a
student to become a full-fledged scholar well versed in
scriptural conclusions.
A. 1 year
B. 6 months
C. 2 years
D. 3 years
4. Why did Nimai use Mukunda Sanjaya house as
the place to teach His students?
A. Mukunda Sanjaya was also a teacher and had
extra room.
B. He was the uncle of Vishnpriya, Nimai's second wife, and wanted
to be helpful.
C. He had a daughter who hoped to marry Nimai and she asked her
father to offer Nimai use of their house.
D. His son, Purushottam Dasa, was one of Nimai Pandita's students.
5. Although every kind of eulogy
is applicable to the Lord,
knowledgeable, pure devotees glorify the specific nature that the Lord manifests
in a particular incarnation.
In Nabadwip the Supreme Personality of Godhead was Nimai Pandita and the
best eulogy to describe Him is that he...
A. Defeated the Digvijaya
B. Was married to the most beautiful girl in the entire town of
Nabadwip.
C. He was a scholar
D. He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
6. Although Nimai Pandita was arrogant and full
of mischief, one thing he never did was...
A. Steal from others.
B. Interfere with others if they were praying to God.
C. Have to go before the town magistrate.
D. Joke or be loose around women.
7. Who was the father of Vishnupriya, Nimai's
second wife?
A. Sri Sanatan Misra
B. Buddhimanta Khan
C. Kasinath Pandita
D
Tapan Misra
8. What was Sri Sanatan Misra qualities?
A. A scholar, earning him the title of, Raja Pandita.
B. A gentleman
C. Provider for the poor
D A nobleman by birth
9. Who was Buddhimanta Khan?
A. Niami's greatest student
B. Laxmi devi's uncle
C. A rich gentleman
D A famous scholar
10. What did Buddhimanta Khan do?
A. Paid Nimai's wages as a teacher.
B. Gave Mother Saci a great sum of money.
C. Paid for the property that Nimai Pandita used as His classroom.
D. Paid for the entire cost of the Lord's expensive wedding to Laxmi
devi.
11. During the
Adhivas, (a important ceremony before the day of the marriage), some of
the men were acting sinful by taking gifts from the Lord more than once,
...more than their share. How did Vishvambhara react to this
cheating on the day of His wedding?
A. Went into a rage and threw those guilt out of the house.
B. Had them taken before the local magistrate and turned in a
thieves.
C. Ordered that all guest be given gifts three times over, thus
shaming the guilty ones plus freeing everyone of any possible sin.
D. Kindly asked that they return any extra gifts they may have
mistakenly taken. Otherwise, there would not be enough gifts for the
very large number of guest that arrived.
12. Beautiful designs were drawn to the floors
for the wedding. These were made from what substance?
A. coconut and mango pulp
B. charcoal from the sacred fires of the naga babas.
C. vegetables
D. rice
13. How did the Lord arrive at the house of
Raja pandita (Sanatana Misra), for the evening wedding?
A. On an elephant
B. The Lord walked there with his many friends
C. The Lord took a boat
D. On a beautiful palanquin provided by Buddhimanta Khan.
14. Besides his daughter, what else did Raja Pandita
offer the Lord on His wedding day?
A. Nice cows full of milk, land and property, beds and
furniture, maids and servants, and other valuable gifts.
B. A school building.
C. A trunk full of gold.
D. His youngest daughter, also.
15. What was the actual opulence of the residents of
Nabadwip?
A. By the Lord's arrangement, every home in Nabadwip was free
of suffering.
B. They each received a beautiful flower garland from the Lord,
personally.
C. They were able to actually see the Supreme Lord and His eternal
consort.
D. During the wedding the Lord distributed food to them with His own
hands.
16. Out of His love and appreciation to Buddhimanta Khan
for providing the Lord with such a wonderful wedding, what gift did he
give Duddhimanta Khan?
A. A tight and
affectionate embrace, leaving Buddhimanta Khan in indescribable ecstasy.
B. He gave him His personal audience for over an hour.
C. The Lord and His wife had a private dinner with Buddhimanta
Khan, expressing their deep thankfulness.
D. He gave Buddhimanta Khan a secrete mantra to chant.
17. Did Nimai, the Lord of all known worlds,
both material and spiritual, ever have to face the magistrate of Nabadwip
for His misbehavior toward certain citizens?
A. No
B. Yes
Devotee Mentioned:
Mukunda Sanjaya (is the father of) Purushottam Dasa (both mentioned); Sri Sanatan Misra
(aka Sanatana Pandita, aka Raja Pandita); Kasinath Pandita (went on Mother
Saci's request to ask Sanatan Misra for his daughter's hand in marriage to
Niamai Pandita); Visnupriya;
Buddhimanta Khan; Blessings:
One achieves devotional service to the Supreme Lord just by
hearing the wonderful
pastimes of Sri Chaitanya; Whoever hears or
reads these transcendental
activities of the Supreme Lord can certainly reside in Lord Gaura Chandra's
eternal association.
Misc. Facts: Vedic literature says that the forehead which does not bear the mark of
tilaka is as good as a
crematorium...Although every kind of eulogy is applicable to the Lord,
knowledgeable, pure devotees glorify the nature that the Lord manifests in
a particular incarnation.
In Nabadwip the Supreme Personality of Godhead was Nimai Pandita, the
scholar; ...So magnanimous is the Supreme Lord
that one becomes
completely free from all sinful activities and their reactions just by
looking at the transcendental luster
of the Lord. Moreover, he becomes eligible to enter the spiritual sky, the Vaikuntha planets. Everyone
from all walks of life could see the Lord and His spiritual effulgence.
Therefore He has been called the
most compassionate, the only friend of the fallen souls.
Words:
1. acquiesce (submit or
comply silently or without protest)
2. pusillanimous (lacking courage or resolution; cowardly;
faint-hearted; timid.)
3. invectives (Denunciatory or abusive language)
4.
dearth (an inadequate supply; scarcity; lack)
5. eulogy (a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing)
Answers To Quiz:
1-C 2-B ; 3-A ; 4-D ; 5-C ; 6-D ; 7-A ;
8-ALL ; 9-C ; 10-D ; 11-C ; 12-D ; 13-D ; 14-A ;
15-C ; 16-A
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