Chaitanya's Life And Teachings Part 7

The Ray in delight tasted the books in the Master's company and took copies of them.

The whole village was agitated by the news of the _sannyasi's_ return and all men flocked to see Him. At this Ramananda went back to his own house. At noon the Master rose for His meal. Ramananda returned at night and the two kept a vigil discoursing of Krishna. Thus five or six days were spent blissfully, the two holding forth on Krishna day and night.

Ramananda said, "With thy leave, Master, I pet.i.tioned my king, and he has permitted me to visit the Nilachal. I have already begun my preparations for departure." The Master replied, "I have come here only to take you to the Nilachal." But the Ray objected, "Master, go you in advance. A noisy throng of elephants, horses and soldiers surrounds me.

Let me first dispose of them, and then after ten days I shall follow you." The Master consented and returned to the Nilachal by the route He had previously followed, the people every where chanting Hari's name as they saw Him. He rejoiced at it. From Alalnath he sent Krishna-das in advance to call Nityananda and others of His own folk. At the news, Nityananda went to meet the Master, his devotion knowing no bounds.

Jagadananda, Damodar, Gopinatli Acharya and Mukunda Pandit went along dancing, unable to contain their delight. They all met the Master on the way, and He lovingly embraced them, all weeping in delight. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya joined the Master on the beach of the ocean and fell at His feet; but the Master raised him up and held him to the bosom, Sarvabhauma weeping in rapture. The whole party went to visit Jagannath's shrine, where the Master had a transport of devotion, trembling, perspiring, weeping in delight, dancing and singing again and again. The servitors of the temple offered Him the dedicated garlands and food of the G.o.d, at which the Master regained composure. The attendants of Jagannath joyfully flocked together. Kashi Mishra (the high priest) fell at His feet, but the Master did him honour and embraced him. The _Parichha_ of Jagannath, too, did Him obeisance.

Sarvabhauma took the Master to dinner at his own house, and fed Him and His party at noon on sumptuous dishes from the temple. Thereafter he made the Master lie down and rubbed His feet; but the Master bade him go and dine; and He pa.s.sed the night also in Sarvabhauma's house to please him, narrating the story of His pilgrimage all night to His followers and host, and saying, "In all the holy places I have visited I did not meet with a single Vaishnav who can equal you. Only Ramananda Ray gave me intense delight." The Bhatta replied, "It was just for that reason that I had asked you to see him." [Text, canto 9.]

[1] This is exactly like the version of the legend of the abduction of Helen given by Stesichorus and accepted by Euripides in his _Helena_.

NOTES ON THE PLACES VISITED BY CHAITANYA IN THE SOUTH

[In this connection we should bear in mind that no record of Chaitanya's pilgrimage was kept at the time it was made. His disciples heard of it, evidently piece-meal, from his lips long after-wards. A diary constructed on this basis by Govinda-das has been lost. Our author, Krishna-das Kaviraj, frankly admits (at the beginning of canto ix) that he has not been able to name the holy places, of the South in the order in which they were visited by the Master. We should also note that this pilgrimage was performed between April 1510 and January 1512 and that the great and widespread revival of temple building which resulted from the restoration of the Vijaynagar empire under Krishna Dev just began at the time of Chaitanya's visit, but was completed long afterwards. Hence many of the famous shrines of the South dating from the early 16th century were not seen by him, as they were completed after his visit].

_Ahobal.--Ahobilam_, in the Sirvel taluq of the Karnul district. The most sacred Vishnu temple in the district, it is dedicated to Narasimha.

Together with other temples in the neighbourhood, it forms a group known as the Nava (nine) Narasimha, represent ing nine different forms of Vishnu. The original temple is supported by 64 pillars, each of which is beautifully carved into several miniature pillars. In front is a fine unfinished mantapam with large pillars of white sand-stone, about 3 feet in diameter, elaborately sculptured. (_Kurnool Manual_, 183-184, 145).

_Ananta Padmanava_.--The famous Padmanava temple in Trivandrum.

_Betapani_.--_Bhutapandi_ in Travancore, in the Tobala taluq, n. of Nagarcoil, with temple of Bhutanath. [R. M. Ghose.]

_Brahma-giri_.--There is a Brahmagiri near Sopara (_Bom. Gaz._ xiv.

315); but that is not the place meant in our text. The reference is to the _Brahma mountain_, in the ridge joining which to the Trimbak mountain the Kikvi, a larger and more distant branch of the G.o.davari (than the one issuing at Trimbak) takes its rise. (_Bombay Gaz_. rvi.

7).

_Chamtapur.--Chenganur_ in Travancore State. [R. M. G.]

_Chiyar-tala.--Shertala_ near Nagarcoil, [according to R. M. Ghose].

_Courtallam_, 7 m. s. w. of Tenkashi in the Tinnevelly district, 450 ft. above sea-level. The falls of the Chittar (a river which joins the Tamraparni 15 m. n. J e. of Tinnevelly) at this place are famous among the Hindus for their virtue of cleansing from sin. [_Tinn. Man._ 96.]

_Dhanu-tirtha.--Dha.n.u.s-kodi_, terminus of the S. I. Railway, 12 m.

south-east of Rameshwaram. [R. M. G.]

_Durbesan.--Darvashayan_, on the sea-coast seven miles east of Ramnad.

[R. M. G.]

_Gajendra-mokshan_.--Probably Devendra-mokshan or Suchindram, 2 m. s.

of Nagarcoil. Here Indra was cleansed of his sin and built a temple to Sthanu-linga Shiva. [R. M. G.]

_Ganga Gotami_.--The G.o.davari river. At Kobur, opposite Rajmahendri, was the hermitage of the sage Gautama, from whom this river is named.

_Gokarna_.--On the west coast, about 20 miles s. e. of Karwar, famous for its temple of Mahabaleshwar and a very popular place of pilgrimage.

(_Bombay Gazetteer_, Kanara, xv. pt. 2, pp. 289-301).

_Kolhapur_.--Out of about 250 temples in this city at present six are well-known, namely, the temples of Ambabai or Mahalakshmi, Vithoba, Temblai, Mahakali, Phirangai or Pratyangiras, and Yallamma. (_Bombay Gaz_. xxiv. 309-311).

_k.u.mbha-kama.--k.u.mbakonam_ in the Tanjore district, 20 miles north-east of Tanjore town. It contains 12 princ.i.p.al Shaiva and 4 Vaishnav temples and one dedicated to Brahma. (_Tanjore Gaz_. 217-219).

_Madura_--on the river Vaigai, the minor basin of which is called _Kritima-nadi_ (the _Krita-mala_ of our text). Its temples are described in the _Madura Gazetteer_, 267-274.

_Mahendra hill_.--There is a peak of this name in the Travancore State, but too far from Cape Comorin.

_Malay mountain (Agastya)_.--(i) There is a temple to the sage Agastya in the village Agastyampalli, close to Vedaranniyam, near Point Calimere in the Tanjore district; but it cannot be the place meant, (ii) _Palni_ in the Madura district contains a famous temple to Subrahmanya on the top of a hill (Shivagiri) created by Agastya. But there is no temple to Agastya here. (_Madura Gaz._ 304-306). (iii) R.M. Ghose is inclined to identify it with _Pothia_ hill (near Cape Comorin), the reputed abode of Agastya (K. Pillai's _Tamils 1,800 Years Ago_, 21.) (iv) The Tamraparni rises on either side of a fine conical peak known as _Agastiar-malai_ or Agastya's hill. (_Tinn. Man._ 91).

_Mallar land._--Malabar.

_Mallikarjun.--Shri-Shailam_, on the south bank of the Krishna, 70 miles below Karnul. In the centre of the enclosure is the temple of Mallikarjun Shiva, the chief deity worshipped here, and considered as one of the _jyotir-lingas_. (_Kurnool Manual_, 181-183, 144). There is another and much less famous temple to Mallikarjun at Bezvada on the Krishna river.

_Matsya-tirtha_.--Either (1) _Mahe_, the French possession on the coast of the Malabar district. Or (2) _Matsya-gundam_, a curious pool on the Macheru river, near the village of Matam, six miles north north-west of Pacleru (in the Padwa taluq of the Vizaga-patam district).

A barrier of rocks runs right across the river there, and the stream plunges into a great hole and vanishes beneath this, reappearing again about a hundred yards lower down. Just where it emerges from under the barrier it forms a pool which is crowded with _mahseer_ of all sizes.

(_Vizagapatam Gaz._ 285).

_Nine Tripadi.--Alwar Tiru-nagari_, 17 m. s. e. of Tinnevelly. Around it are 9 temples to Vishnu (_Tirupati_), the idols of which are a.s.sembled in this town on holy days. [R. M. G.]

_Paksha-tirtha.--Pakshi-tirtham_ or _Tiru-kadi-kundram_, 9 miles south east of Chingleput. [R. M. G.] "The hill of the sacred kites." It is a ridge terminating in a spiked hill, some 500 feet above sea-level, on which stands a Shiva temple. The name of the hill is Vedagiri or Vedachalam, and the idol is called Veda-girishwar. Every day two birds of the kite species come to the mountain and are fed by an attendant Brahman. The same two are believed to have come from Benares to receive this daily dole from time immemorial. (_Chingleput Man_. 106-107).

_Pampa_.--The ancient and Puranic name of the Tungabhadra. The village of Hampi (the site of the famous capital Vijaynagar) was originally known as Pampa-tirtha. This name (also _Pampa-saras_) is now borne by a tank on the Haidarabad side of the Tungabhadra near Anegundi. (_Bellary Gazetteer_, 6, 261).

_Pana_.--Panakal Narasimha at Mangal-giri, 7 m. south of Bezvada. But it is too far to the north. [R. M. G.] When visitors offer a draught to Narasimha-swami, the image in the temple refuses to drink more than half of it. (_Kistna Dist. Man._ 179).

_Pana-garhi.--PanaG.o.di_, 30 m. s. s. w. of Tinnevelly on the road to Trivandrum. [R. M. G.] But the temple there is to Ramlinga-swami Shiva and not to Ram.

_Panchavati_.--Identified with Nasik in the Bombay presidency. Nasik and Trimbak (at the source of the G.o.davari) are described in _Bombay Gazetteer_, xvi.

_Pandupur.--Pandharpur_, on the Bhima river, 38 miles due west of Sholapur; famous for its temple to Vithoba. (_Bombay Gaz_. xx.

415-481).

_Papa-nashan_.--Eight miles s. w. of k.u.mbakonam (Tanjore Gaz. 221).

There is another city of this name 29 miles west of Palamkota, (in the Tinnevelly district). Here near a paG.o.da the Tamraparni river takes its last fall from the hills to the level country. (_Tinn. Man._ 91).

_Payaswini.--Tiru-vattar_ in the Travancore State. [R. M. G.]

_Pitambar_.--Evidently Chidambaram, 26 miles south of Cuddalore. Famous for its great paG.o.da, covering 39 acres in the centre of the town, and sourrounded on all four sides by a street 60 feet wide. It contains the Akasa-linga. (_S. Arcot Manual_, 400-407).

_Rishava peak--Anagarh-malai_, 12 miles north of Madura. [R. M. G.]

_Rishyamukh_.--Identified with the hill on the Nizam's side of the narrowest of the gorges in the Tungabhadra near Hampi. (_Bellary Gaz._ 261).

_Shiva image_.--Either Vedagiris at Pakshi-tirtham or the _lingam_ in the sh.o.r.e temple at Mahavalipuram (Seven PaG.o.das).

_Shiva Kanchi_.--The modern _Conjeveram_, also called the Southern Benares, 56 miles south-west of Madras. The Shiva temple is dedicated to Ekambara-swami. South-east of it stands _Vishnu Kanchi_ or Little Conjeveram, with its temple to Vishnu under the name of Varada-raj.

_Shiva-kshetra_.--There is a Shiva-ganga tank at Tanjore. The great Brihatishwar temple of this town seems to be meant in our text.

(_Tanjore Gaz._ 269-271).

_Shiyali_.--The head-quarters of a taluq of that name in the Tanjore district, about 48 miles n. e. of Tanjore town. It has a famous Shiva temple with a large tank, a shrine dedicated to the Tamil saint Tiru-jnan Sambandhar, and some other separate shrines, and evidently an image of Shiva's consort who is said to have given suck to this saint when he visited this temple as a child. (_Tanjore Gaz_. 258).