AdiLilaCh17Sumry

Nimai Pandita goes to Gaya-dhama to properly worship His deceased father. He
teaches a lesson about the importance of the Braminical class, meets Sri Ishvari Puri,
received initiation from him, Love of God has fully manifested upon His Holy body,
finally the Lord returns to Nabadwip, no longer Nimai the boy scholar.

Brief Summary:

This is the final chapter of the Adi-kanda section; but more of a beginning than an ending because it was during this pastime that Nimai Pandita the scholar morphs into Nimai the great lover of God. Precipitated by a trip to Gaya-dhama, by His divine arrangement, the Lord manifest a fever which only goes away by drinking the foot-bath water of a brahmin. Nimai then meets face-to-face with the exalted Ishvari Puri. A wonderful description of their meeting is given where Nimai serves Ishvari Puri with food, message, and great attention. Later Ishvari Puri initiates Nimai Pandita with a ten syllable mantra. It is described in several places in Chapter 17 how the Lord started to manifest ecstatic symptoms of love within His body. Although at first He didn't want to return to His home in Nabadwip, but rather seek out Krishna in Mathura, after hearing a divine voice, once again the residents of Nabadwip are blessed by the Lord's personal association. The Adi-Kanda ends with the author glorifying his own spiritual master, Sri Nityananda Prabhu, telling his readers how only by Nitai's mercy is he able to write anything, at all.

Most Memorable:

Ishvara-chandra Puri was also overjoyed to see Lord Gaura-chandra and he embraced him very lovingly. They couldnot control their intense joy of meeting each other and tears flowed profusely from their eyes drenching each other. Lord Gauranga said, Now that I have seen your lotus feet, My visit to Gaya has
become successful and worthy. Oblations offered in a place of pilgrimage, for the liberation of the
departed souls of forefathers, effect only those who they are intended for, but just by your presence you
have liberated so many innumerable souls of departed forefathers. Therefore no place of pilgrimage
can be compared to you, in fact you are the purifier of even the places of pilgrimage. So kindly save
me from drowning in the ocean of material existence, because I am surrendering my heart and soul and
body to your feet. The only benediction that I desire from you is that you make me drink the nectar
from Sri Krishna's lotus feet; ...Sri Chaitanya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead acting like an ideal disciple
went to see the place of appearance of Sri Isvara Chandra Puri. The Lord said, "I offer my obeisances
to the village Kumarahatta where Sri Isvara Puri appeared." The Lord was so spiritually moved by this
place that he shed profuse tears of love for Isvara Puri and continuously repeated his name. He picked
up a handful of earth and tied it to the corner of his cloth. The Lord said, "This handful of earth from
the place of Sri Isvara Chandra Puri's appearance is my most precious possession;" ...The time was slowly approaching for the Lord to reveal to the world the reason for accepting this incarnation, His love for Krishna manifested increasingly day by day. One day the Lord sat in a solitary place chanting and meditating on His specific mantra. The Lord was lost in the ecstatic world of meditation on the Supreme Lord, and when His consciousness returned He began lamenting and calling out to the Lord: His object of meditation. "O my Krishna, My dear Lord. O Lord Hari, you are my life and soul! You have stolen my heart, now which way have you run away? In which direction can I find My beloved Lord?" The Lord cried out in intense separation from His beloved Lord and wept bitterly. The Lord was totally absorbed in relishing the nectar of love of Krishna and rolling on the ground, His body was covered with dust. He cried out as if greatly afflicted, "where is My beloved Krishna and where has He gone leaving me?" Lord Nimai, who for so long was a grave and serious scholar teacher, now exhibited extreme restlessness becoming stunned by the arrow of love of God. He rolled about on the ground and cried out loudly and floated on the waves of ecstasy from intense separation from Himself. Soon his students returned and treated the Lord with great care, they brought him back to normal condition; ...One can associate with Lord Krishna simply by hearing the transcendental activities of Lord Krishna and this association with the Lord is eternal because the Lord will never leave such a pure devotee. I am able to describe some of the transcendental pastimes of Lord Chaitanya in this book just because my beloved Lord and master Nityananda Prabhu is sitting on the throne in my heart and dictating all this to me. It is only by his mercy that I can write these wonderful transcendental activities of Lord Chaitanya, independently it would be impossible to write all this. I am just a wooden doll made to dance by the magic spell of a Supreme magician, the Supreme Lord Gaura Chandra for he is making me speak about his transcendental pastimes. Lord Chaitanya's transcendental activities are eternal and limitless, without a beginning and without a end so it is unfathomable for me, I am simply writing
somehow.

1.   At this point in the book, the author tells how the human society had deteriorated to such an extent that there was an increase of atheistic people, and the process of devotional service had become very rare. The mischievous and sinful population continued to hurl abuses at the Vaishnava devotees. Besides this, what was the other reason why the Vaishnavas were despairing?

A. Because Nimai Pandit had taken a wife.
B.  Because many of the Vaishnavas were loosing faith in Lord Krishna.
C.  Because all the village astrologers were seeing in the stars that bad things would soon befall upon Nimai.
D.  Because Lord Chaitana was so engrossed in His scholastic pursuits rather than acting as their leader.

2.   The Supreme Lord Gaurasundara desired within his heart that the time was now ripe to reveal his true identity and manifest His transcendental pastimes.   But first the Lord wanted to do what?

A. Go to Vrndavana.
B. Take up the renounced order of life.
C. Visit area known as Gaya-dham.
D. Meet with Advaita Acharya

3. Half way to Gaya-dham, what happened to the Lord?

A. He went into a trace for three days.
B. He developed a fever.
C. He was bitten by a snake.
D. He took initiation from Ishvara Puri

4. The author uses the name, Sevaka-vatsal, to describe the Lord. What does it mean?

A. The top-most scholar.
B. The destroyer of all who are envious of the Vaishnavas.
C. One who is very affectionate to His servitors.
D. The friend of the poor.

5. What was the Lord's reasoning for drinking the foot-bath water of a brahmin to cure His fever?

A. Because it is the remedy for all suffering.
B. Due the the severe drought and scarcity of drinking water, this was the most prudent thing to drink.
C. Since the bath water also had Tulasi leaves mixed in with it, and since Tulasi leaves are a powerful medicine, the footbath water would act like a tonic and cure his fever.
D. Specifically, Lord Chaitanya requested the foot-bath water from the priest on Mandara Hill, whose waters were famous for it's healing properties, much like the famous healing waters found in France, today.

6. Under what circumstance does the Lord readily accept defeat?

A. If doing so will lesson the suffering of others.
B. If He has been proven to be wrong in His opinion.
C. If it saves His honor.
D. If it increases the name and position of his surrendered devotee.

A. A chariot wheel used by Lord Krishna as a weapon during the fierce battle of Kurukshetra.
B. The impressions of the lotus feet of Lord Visnu.
C. Krishna's flute
D. A mystic yogi who always levitated above a sacred fire, never once being burned by the flames.

8. What other great soul was also in the temple at Chakra-tirtha when, for the benefit of the entire human society, for the good fortune for all living entities, Supreme Lord Gaura-chandra now began to manifest the process of devotional service, love of Godhead?

A. Lord Nityananda
B. Lord Shiva
C. Srila Madavendra Puri
D. Srila Isvara Puri

9. What does Ishvara Puri tell Nimai Pandita is the reason why he has concluded that Vishvambhara is none other than God?

A. "...the bliss one experiences in Lord Krishna's presence I am expressing that fully in Your presence."
B. "...how is it possible to possess ...such a transcendental nature as you have?"
C. "...how is it possible to possess vast learning...as you have?"
D. " I had a dream last night of meeting the Supreme Lord, and now meeting You, that dream has been fulfilled."

10. When they met again, shortly thereafter, in what mood did Sri Isvari Puri enter the room where Lord Chaitanya was cooking?

A. Great anxiety
B. Blissfulness
C. Very angry.
D. As if he were drunk.

11. Here is a statement from this final chapter of the Adi-khanda: These transcendental activities of the Lord and His devotees are so wonderful that anyone who hears them with faith and sincerity is immediately granted unalloyed devotional service at the lotus feet of Lord Krishna. What specific activities is this referring to?

A. Lord Chaitanya worshiping the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu.
B. The Lord and Ishvara Puri playing in the water together.
C. The Lord cooking rice and serving Ishvari Puri when this great saint unexpectedly arrived to see the Lord.
D. The ecstatic moment when Lord Nityananda arrived to eat rice with Ishvari Puri and Lord Chaitanya

13. How many syllables were contained in the mantra give by Ishvari Puri to Lord Chaitanya?

A. 4
B. 10
C. 16
D. 2

14. Where did Lord Chaitanya desire to go when His pastimes with Ishvari Puri at Gaya-dham had reached their end?

A. Back home to Nabadwip to see His mother and wife.
B. Mathura
C. South India
D. East Bengal

15. What prevented the Lord from traveling?

A. A divine voice
B. A tremendous storm that flooded all the roads
C. Ishvari Puri told the Lord not to go.
D. Lord Nityananda appeared and took Nimai back to Nabadwip with him

16. At the end of the Adi-khanda section of this Sri Chaitanaya-bhagavata, Vrndavana dasa Thakura speaks about the greatest jewel that eternally remains within his heart. What is this jewel?

ye yatha mam prapadyante
tams tathaiva bhajamy aham
mama vartmanuvartante
manushyah partha sarvasah

"As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pritha."

The Lord immediately left his cooking in the kitchen and offered his respectful obeisances and sat him down comfortably. Laughing Srila Isvara Chandra Puri said, "O Pandita, I have come certainly at the right time." The Lord replied, "Good fortune has smiled upon me today by sending you here. I pray that you will please accept some rice prasada." Srila Puripada smiled and said, "But then what will you have?" The Lord replied, "I will
cook some rice for me now." Srila Puripada asked, "What is the use of cooking again? Whatever you
have already cooked, let us share that amongst ourselves." Smiling the Lord replied, "Whatever is
already prepared that is all for you, in no time I can prepare something afresh, please do not feel
hesitant, you eat first." Offering to Isvara Puri what he had cooked for himself the Lord went back into
the kitchen and began preparing food once again. Feeling great happiness the Lord exhibited so much
mercy to Isvara Chandra Puri, and Sripada Puri also had no other thought in mind other than Krishna.
The Lord served Sripada Puri with his own hands and Sripada Puri relished the Lord's cooking with
great delight. While this was going on Rama Devi, Laksmi Devi, the Goddess of fortune personally
appeared and cooked for the Lord, unseen by anyone in the kitchen. Seeing to that Sripada Puri was
fully satisfied the Lord sat down to eat. These transcendental activities of the Lord and His devotees
are so wonderful that anyone who hears them with faith and sincerity is immediately granted unalloyed
devotional service at the lotus feet of Lord Krishna; ...Whoever hears this narration about the Lord going on a pilgrimage to Gaya with devotion and faith, Lord Gaura Chandra will appear in his heart; Whoever hears these narrations of Lord Chaitanya as described in the Adi Khanda of this book will certainly receive the full benediction of Sri Gaurachandra.

1-D; 2-C; 3-B; 4-C; 5-A; 6-D; 7-B; 8-D; 9-ALL; 10-D; 11-C; 12-A; 13-B; 14-B; 15-A; 16-D