23
The Rescue of Two Drunkards
The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas of Bengal were and still are famous for the vitality of their collective religious observances, especially the public singing of the praise of Kṛṣṇa (kīrtana). An important dimension of this public activity is proselytizing and conversion, two aspects of the premodern Hindu devotional traditions that are frequently ignored. Anyone, so this community holds, can be saved by becoming a Vaiṣṇava, a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. The concept is easy to explain although, as we shall see in the conversion story translated below, its execution is not always simple. But what does it mean to a Vaiṣṇava “to be saved”?
In the sixteenth-century biographical literature devoted to him, Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is frequently referred to as the “savior (pāvana) of the fallen (patita).” A person is considered fallen if he lives a life devoid of the love of Kṛṣṇa (and the ambiguity of the English expression “love of Kṛṣṇa” captures the Bengali sentiment, for it is both to receive and give love). In the Bhagavad Gītā, composed well over a millennium before Caitanya’s time, Kṛṣṇa speaks of that cosmic moral order known as dharma, which includes the physical laws of the world as well as personal and social obligations, all necessary for the smooth running of the cosmos. But in a twist on this ancient yet still-changing idea, the Bhagavad Gītā proposes that dharma is, in effect, nothing other than God’s, Kṛṣṇa’s, will; and the Bengal Vaiṣṇavas embrace this idea wholly. To live a life according to dhaema is to follow God’s will, and that is possible only through a proper devotion (bhakti). Devotion ensures that God will guide the devotee according to his individual circumstance. Conversely, to do anything contrary to God’s will is to act against dharma, which is to live a life devoid of devotion, a meaningless, misguided existence. This contrary act, whether seemingly intentional or not, is deemed pāpa, often translated into English as “sin,” but more properly understood as “divergence from dharma.” For the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas of Bengal, that person is “fallen,” slipped from the proper and satisfying order intended by God. Every human is eligible for reintegration into God’s cosmic order, that is, to be “saved”—God plays no favorites nor excludes anyone. The terminology resonates strongly of Christian notions of salvation when translated into English (and the parallels are certainly striking), but the mechanism by which salvation is effected is, in this case, quite different.
Ontologically, says Caitanya’s disciple, the theologian Jīva Gosvāmī, every living being (jīva) is a part, albeit ever so minute, of Kṛṣṇa. Most, however, are ignorant of this and consequently live their lives according to their own whims in a manner inconsistent with God’s will. The first step to overcoming this painful experience of a life without direction is simply to hear God’s name. The simplicity of this observation is stunningly profound—how can you know about Kṛṣṇa if you have never heard his name? But the name (as noted in Chapter 40) is more than a word, it is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa himself; it is an aural manifestation of his power. When properly chanted, the name functions as a mantra, a seed syllable that enters the heart and mind of the devotee and begins to work a seemingly magical transformation. A person who hears the name of Kṛṣṇa, in whatever way, is understood to have received at least a tiny portion of Kṛṣṇa’s grace. To understand grace, however, it is useful to examine the physical metaphors used by the Vaiṣṇavas when speaking of it.
In the selection below, four terms are used to capture this complex idea: grace (dayā), mercy kṛpā), favor (prasāda), and compassion (karuṇā). The first three are frequently interchangeable and refer to the action of Kṛṣṇa, who turns his attention to a devotee or fallen candidate, like the guru to a disciple. The last of the four terms represents the cause of this attention: compassion. Kṛṣṇa’s attention inevitably involves a transfer of part of Kṛṣṇa’s power—by sound, touch, or sight—which alters the recipient. In much the way that modern anthropologists have shown that food alters the very physical being of an individual by symbolic transformation, and its exchange and ingestion lead to changes in status and rank, so too does grace seem to operate for Vaiṣṇavas. To receive Kṛṣṇa’s grace is to have your very being transformed, purified, and cleansed, resulting in a reorientation of action and thought that is more consistent with what Kṛṣṇa intends for this world. The sense of prasāda, whose original meaning was “to show favor,” is extended to refer to the food that is first offered to Kṛṣṇa and then consumed by the individual, thereby physically and spiritually transforming the recipient. Prasāda as grace assumes a physical form as leftover offerings of food; grace becomes a substance. Because there is no clear separation of the physical and the spiritual dimension of the human being—those two representing opposite ends of a continuum of existence rather than bipolar dichotomies—the transformation is not limited to one’s physical being; rather, it affects the whole. For this reason the writer can speak of the bodily nature of grace, or how the recipient’s body becomes a receptacle of grace, and so on. The two drunks Jagāi and Mādhāi experience just this transformation as they become the vessels for Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. And it becomes clear why Vaiṣṇavas are so concerned about the company they keep, the food they eat, and the sounds they hear—all have the power to transform.
The conversion of Jagāi and Mādhāi comes from the first Bengali biography of Kṛṣṇa-Caitanya (1486-1533 C.E.), the Caitanya Bhāgavata of Vṛndāvana Dāsa. The text, which was completed by 1540 C.E., only a few year’s following Caitanya’s death, was written at the behest of the author’s guru, Nityānanda. Nityānanda, an ascetic whose name means “Eternal (nitya) Bliss (ānanda),” was one of Caitanya’s two most prominent disciples, the other being Advaitācārya. Nityānanda was a flamboyant man who attracted a large following, especially among the lower classes and those who had little or no experience as Vaiṣṇavas, such as Jagāi and Mādhāi. Tradition records a healthy rivalry between him and Advaitācārya who, as his name suggests (“Teacher [ācārya] of Nondualism [advaita]”), was much more conservative than Nityānanda. Advaitācārya had a substantial following of his own well prior to Caitanya, who in this story is just beginning to make public his divinity. Verse 13 in the selection below plays on their relationship and involves a pun. “Advaita” refers both to the man and to the meaning: nondualism is a position inimical to Vaiṣṇavas, who are dualists. For Vaiṣṇavas, to be absorbed in the nondual ultimate of Brahman, the neuter principle of cosmic unity, is a fate much worse than hell. Caitanya’s name means “consciousness,” but his full name is Kṛṣṇa-Caitanya, “he who makes people cognizant of Kṛṣṇa,” so the pun extends to include both the individuals and the belief systems represented by their names. Nityānanda’s companion, Haridāsa, was a converted Muslim, whose experiences are recounted in Chapter 40.
In this exchange between Jagāi and Mādhāi on the one hand and Nityānanda and Haridāsa on the other, we can see an active attempt to convert, a conscious choice to proselytize in the name of Kṛṣṇa. Likewise, it is evident that not all of the inhabitants of Nadīya were enamored of this rather public and boisterous form of devotional worship, which looked to all appearances as if the practitioners were as drunk as the two targets for conversion, Jagāi and Mādhāi. But the “drunkenness” of the Vaiṣṇavas is one of devotional ecstasy, madness for Kṛṣṇa. The author, with his keen eye, has vividly captured a slice of sixteenth-century Bengal in all of its religious and social diversity.
The following translation is from Vṛndāvana Dāsa, Caitanya Bhāgavata, edited with Bengali commentary Nitāikaruṇākallolinī ṭīkā by Rādhāgovinda Nātha (Calcutta: Sādhana prakāśanī, 1373 B.S. [1966 C.E.]), 2.13.
Further Reading
Three helpful discussions of Vaiṣṇava religious observance are: Sushil Kumar De, Early History of the Vaiṣṇava Faith and Movement in Bengal, 2d ed. (Calcutta: Firma KLM, 1961), Edward Dimock, Jr., “Doctrine and Practice among the Vaiṣṇavas of Bengal,” History of Religions 3:1 (1963), 106-27, reprinted in Kṛṣṇa: Myths, Rites and Attitudes, edited by Milton Singer (Hawaii: East-West Center Press, 1966), pp. 41-63; and David Haberman, Acting as a Way of Salvation: a Study of Rāganugā Bhakti Sādhana (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988). A fundamental source is the work of an early biographer, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, Caitanya caritamrta, translated with an introduction and notes by Edward Dimock, Jr., edited with revisions and addenda by Tony K. Stewart, Harvard Oriental Series no. 52 (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, forthcoming).
The Saving of Jagāi and Mādhāi
1. And so did Lord Viśvambhara—He Who Bears the World’s Burden—carry on in [the city of] Navadvīpa, but what he revealed was not recognized by anyone. 2. People saw the teacher Nimāi [an affectionate name for Caitanya] as he was before, and saw nothing more than that. 3. When he joined the gathering of the servants of Kṛṣṇa they would float in a strange delight. 4. He revealed to them whatever divinity they worshiped, while to those who were outside the circle he revealed nothing.
5. One day he was swept with inspiration and issued commands to Nityānanda and Haridāsa. 6. “Listen closely, Nityānanda! Listen, Haridāsa! Make known my wishes to everyone! 7. Go and beg at each and every house—‘Worship Kṛṣṇa! Say Kṛṣṇa! Learn the teachings of Kṛṣṇa!’ 8. Say nothing other than these words. At the end of the day, return and report to me. 9. If you ask for this as alms and someone fails to repeat the words, then I shall come, disc in hand, and chop them to pieces.” [The disc is a martial emblem of Viṣṇu’s cosmic sovereignty, a characteristic Caitanya seldom exhibits.] 10. The Vaiṣṇava community received his instruction with smiles. Who had the power to disobey this direct order?
11. Taking responsibility for the order, Nityānanda and Haridāsa gleefully set off down the road. 12. Nityānanda especially took the charge to heart, “No one who has good sense could be inimical to this. 13.1 will gladly believe that anyone who might pay their respects to Advaita, while showing no respect to Caitanya, will be slain by that very same Advaita.” 14. And so taking their charge, the two men made their rounds, moving from house to house. “Say Kṛṣṇa! Sing Kṛṣṇa! Worship Kṛṣṇa! 15. Kṛṣṇa is life itself. Kṛṣṇa is prosperity. Kṛṣṇa is the living soul! Concentrate your mind on him, brother, and speak of that very Kṛṣṇa!” 16. In just this way did the two go to each and every house throughout Nadīya, telling of the Lord of Earth.
17. The duo, dressed in the garb of ascetics, would pick a house and scurry forward, begging alms. 18. Nityānanda and Haridāsa would recite in unison, “For this we beg: Say Kṛṣṇa! Worship Kṛṣṇa! Learn the teachings of Kṛṣṇa!” 19. Having uttered these words, the pair would carry on at the next place. Those people who obliged them soon were blessed with happiness. 20. Many people heard those moving words from the mouths of the pair and spoke in response; they immediately received the pleasing benefits. 21. One happily replied, “I will certainly do it!” But another gave the excuse, “You two men have uttered your mantra with a tiny defect. 22. From this defect in your mantra you have gone quite mad. Why should I come and join your circle of madmen?” 23. When they approached the houses of those who previously had failed to gain entry to Caitanya’s dance, the inhabitants yelled, “Beat them! Beat them! 24. All of those people of good breeding and manners have gone mad—Nimāi the teacher has destroyed us all!” 25. Someone else skeptically opined, “These two are probably thieves or their spies, and their systematic visits to people’s homes are only pretexts for robbery! 26. Why would respectable people go about like this in public? The next time they come around, we will have the watchman apprehend them!”
27. As Nityānanda and Haridāsa listened to these and similar comments, they smiled. Through the strength of Caitanya’s orders, they had no fear. 28. So they made their rounds from house to house, and each day returned to Viśvambhara [Caitanya] to describe it.
29. One day, two men, both drunk, could be seen on the road. Given to excessive drink, these two were miscreants to the point of being truly criminal. 30. The tales that circulated about them were too many to document—there was nothing of which they were not guilty; they could not possibly be more wicked. 31. Although they were brahmans, they ate cow’s flesh and drank wine. They were dacoits, robbers, and routinely pilfered their neighbors’ houses. 32. Somehow they were never spotted by the local guards, even though they were routinely reported to the police. Never a time passed when they were without their drink. 33. Often the two would start a scuffle on the road, and whoever ventured to intervene would get mugged. 34. [This day] people watched from a safe distance as that ploy was followed on the road where Haridāsa accompanied Nityānanda.
35. Typically, the two [miscreants] would be quite pleasant one minute, but the next minute they would grab [their victims] by the hair, yelling obscenities. 36. They had destroyed the high rank of many of Nadīya’s brahmans, but some were convinced that it was only from the bad influence of their intoxication. 37. Every imaginable sin had been nurtured in the bodies of these two men, yet persecuting Vaiṣṇavas was not among those offenses. 38. Day and night they lived and played among the drunkards, but they never committed an offense against the Vaiṣṇavas—both of them were innocent of that. 39. He who commits but a single offense against a Vaiṣṇava, even should he live righteously, will meet with certain destruction. 40. When heinous acts are directed toward renunciates by drunkards, the entire group is held to be unrighteous. 41. When someone does manage to shake free from the addiction of alcohol, it is fated that they never join those who criticize and meddle. 42. Everything will come to ruin should one offend Nityānanda, regardless of whether the person is learned in the scriptures or an absolute idiot.
43. Nityānanda and Haridāsa saw the two men pushing and shoving and wrestling with each other [on the road that day], and so kept their distance. 44. Nityānanda personally queried the locals, “What caste are these two men? Why are they carrying on like this?”
45. The people answered, “Reverend Sir, the two men are brahmans, born into the grandest lineages, with model mother and father. 46. The lineage of their forefathers, from one generation in Nadīya to the next, never once suffered even the slightest of blemishes. 47. But these two, who inherited such good qualities, have completely forgotten their duties, their dharma. From birth they have acted in this unseemly fashion. 48. They abandoned their families and appear as terrible derelicts, associating with drunkards, doing as they please. 49. Everyone fears that when they meet these two men, some day one of them will return and destroy their homes. 50. There is no offense that these two men have failed to commit—they are reprobates and thieves, and they drink wine and eat meat.”
51. Hearing this, Nityānanda’s heart filled with a great compassion. Being merciful, he mentally resolved to save the two men: 52. “The Master, the Lord [Caitanya], descended in order to save the wicked. Where will one find greater sinners than these? 53. The Master has withheld his personal appearance [as God], but if people do not witness his power, then they will be derisive. 54. If the Master takes compassion on these two, then everyone in the world will behold his majesty and might. 55. If anyone is going to reveal Caitanya to these two, it is Nityānanda, the servant of Caitanya. 56. What if they, who are drunk on wine, were at this very moment and without realizing it to become drunk in the same way on the name of Kṛṣṇa? 57. If the two men start to weep when I say ‘my Lord,’ then these aimless wanderings of mine will become meaningful. 58. He who is touched by the mere shadow of these two men goes directly to the Gaṅgā to bathe, even fully clothed. 59. Sometime soon, when he see these two sinners, rather than thinking of bathing in the Gaṅgā, this same man will wish himself to be remembered in a manner similar to this pair.”
60. Without limit is the majesty of the lord Nityānanda, whose descent was brought about to save the fallen. 61. Thinking all of these things, [Nityānanda] turned to Haridāsa and said, “Haridāsa! Look at those two wayward men. 62. Although they are brahmans of terrible disposition, there is no proper retribution in Yama’s house [hell] for these two. 63. You thought benevolently even of those Muslims who beat you to within an inch of your life [see Chapter 40]. 64. If you really meant to effect that positive result, then you can accomplish the same thing through the salvation of these two. 65. The Master did not intend for you to do anything otherwise. This is the real sense of the words he himself spoke. 66. Let us show the world the power of our Lord, that Caitanya has rescued men such as these. 67. Just as the salvation of Ajāmila is heralded in the [Bhāgavata] Purāṇa, let it be seen by eyewitnesses here and now in the triple world.”
68. Haridāsa understood full well Nityānanda’s nature and he knew that they had already saved the duo. 69. Haridāsa said to the eminent [Nityānanda], “Listen, O revered one, whatever is your wish is certainly that of the Lord [Caitanya]! 70. Yoke me to the task as you would yoke a beast of burden. Again and again you must put me to the test.”
71. Nityānanda smiled and embraced him, and with an extremely gentle voice he said, 72. “We have been wandering around at the Master’s express command while he had been referring to these two drunkards. 73. It was the Master’s order that everyone must worship Kṛṣṇa, most especially the inveterate sinners among them. 74. We alone bear the burden of those instructions—it would be far braver to ignore them than not.” 75. So Haridāsa and Nityānanda headed straight for the two men to carry out the Master’s command.
76. Virtuous men offered their advice, “Do not go near them! If they slip up behind you they will take your life! 77. We stay indoors because we are so afraid. How can you have the courage to march right up to them? 78. The fact that someone is a renunciate will be lost on these two men, who are disposed to attack brahmans and destroy cows.”
79. Nevertheless, the two [devotees], repeating the name of Kṛṣṇa, headed straight for the [drunkards]. The two [drunkards] were struck with curiosity. 80. Getting close enough to be heard, the [two disciples] talked loudly, repeating the Master’s words. 81. “Say Kṛṣṇa! Worship Kṛṣṇa! Take the name of Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa is your mother! Kṛṣṇa is your father! Kṛṣṇa is the very treasure of your life! 82. Kṛṣṇa has descended for the sake of all of you. Worship that very Kṛṣṇa and abandon all of your evil ways!”
83. Hearing these loud cries, the two [reprobates] raised their heads and looked about. Their eyes glowered red, seething with anger. 84. Seeing the forms of renunciates, they looked at each other, shook their heads, and yelled “Grab them, grab them!” as they tried to catch [the devotees]. 85. Nityānanda and Haridāsa scrambled for safety, while their ill-tempered pursuers cried, “Halt! Stop!” 86. With the rabble hard on their heels, spewing endless deprecations, the two Vaiṣṇava worthies were frightened to their wits’ end and fled in alarm. 87. Some onlookers predicted, “Now there is no avoiding it—those two ascetics have fallen into a sure disaster today.” 88. Those of a more inimical bent gleefully thought, “Nārāyaṇa is giving those imposters their just deserts.” 89. “Kṛṣṇa! Protect them, Kṛṣṇa! Save them!” countered high-minded brahmans. But in their fear everyone, without exception, scattered from that spot.
90. The two delinquents gave chase, forcing the two pious men to flee. But the cry everyone expected—“We’ve got them! We’ve got them!”—never materialized. 91. Nityānanda said, “They have become Vaiṣṇavas! That we escaped with our lives today can only mean than we have won them over!”
92. Haridāsa replied, “Are you crazy? How can you say that? Do you realize that you narrowly escaped a decidedly unnatural death? 93. According to Kṛṣṇa’s own instruction, the appropriate punishment for what those two drunks did is for them to forfeit their lives!” 94. Talking like this, the eminent disciples ran, laughing hysterically. And right behind chased the two irascible men vomiting unspeakable abuse.
95. The bodies of these two [Vaiṣṇavas] grew tired and heavy; they could run no more. Still they could just see the drunken pair running in hot pursuit. 96. The two wretches yelled out, “O Brother! Where are you running? How do you expect to escape from Jagā and Mādhā [diminutives of Jagāi and Mādhāi] this day? 97. Don’t you realize that Jagā and Mādhā own this place? Wherever you are you will be discovered and instantly turned over [to us]!”
98. The two pious men heard these words and their apprehension spurred them forward. They continued to repeat “Save us, Kṛṣṇa! Protect us, Kṛṣṇa! O Govinda!” 99. Haridāsa wheezed, ”I cannot run any further! I know this and my body quakes, yet still I try. 100. Kṛṣṇa firmly protected me from death at the hands of the Muslims, but today, with my mind faltering, he takes my life!”
101. Nityānanda reassured him, “I am not going to waver! I am certain that Lord Caitanya is the cause of your agitation. 102. Although just a brahman, he commanded us with the authority of a king—‘Go tell the story [of Kṛṣṇa] to each and every house!’ 103. In his command I heard no provision regarding location, nor did he say to except thieves and known swindlers among the people. 104. If we do not fully execute his command, then all is lost. Conversely, should we execute his order precisely, we shall reap the rewards. 105. Understand well that our Lord makes no mistakes. He explicitly said, ‘The two of you . . .’—am I mistaken?” 106. And in this way did the two men garrulously bicker, pausing only to glance back at the two ne’er-do-wells chasing them.
107. They ran desperately until they arrived at their Master’s house, while the drunks, impeded by their own alcohol, followed somewhat circuitously in their footsteps. 108. Losing sight [of Nityānanda and Haridāsa], the inebriated men paused, stirring up a commotion in no time at all. 109. Completely befuddled by their drink, the pair failed to discern much of anything—they did not know where they were nor could they remember where they themselves lived. 110. A short while later the two Vaiṣṇavas reconnoitered the area but failed to discover where the two drunks had disappeared. 111. They breathed easily and embraced each other. Laughing, they made their way to the Master, Viśvambhara.
112. The great Master sat, his eyes like lotuses, his limbs pleasing in beauty like [Kṛṣṇa] Madanamohana, ‘The Enchanter of the God of Love.’ 113. Crowded around on four sides was seated the congregation of Vaiṣṇavas, everyone deep in discussing the tales of Kṛṣṇa. 114. Viśvambhara deftly explained to those gathered the true nature of himself, just as the Lord of the White Island [Viṣṇu] reclined with the sage Sanaka and others. 115. When Nityānanda and Haridāsa arrived, they recounted the wild adventures of their day.
116. “Today we encountered two truly extraordinary men: unmistakable alcoholics, yet called brahmans. 117. For their edification we said to them, ‘Say the name Kṛṣṇa!’ They came after us. We were fortunate to escape with our lives!”
118. The Master inquired, “Who are these two? What are their names? How can someone called a brahman indulge in such vices?”
119. In front of him sat Gaṅgādāsa and Śrīnivāsa, who spoke of the public misbehavior of those men. 120. “Master, the names of those two men are Jagāi and Mādhāi. They were born here [in Navadvīpa], the sons of good brahman parentage. 121. These two have never been associated with anything but vice; save liquor, they have striven for little else, practically since their birth. 122. Out of fear of these two, the citizens of Nadīya lock up their houses, and those who do not are certain to be burgled. 123. But we do not need to tell you about these two depraved men, for you see everything; you know everything, O Lord!”
124. The Master replied, “Yes, yes, I know. I have come here in order to destroy these two men, to dismantle them piece by piece.”
125. Nityānanda protested, “Chop them to pieces if you must, but I have not yet visited all of their hiding places. 126. Think how much more credit would reflect on you if first these two men were made to say ‘Govinda!’ 127. It is the nature only of a righteous individual to say the name of Kṛṣṇa. These two have never known nor done anything other than impious acts. 128. If you save these two men by giving the gift of devotion, then you will be rightly known as the “Savior of the Fallen.” 129. In saving me your greatness was revealed to be fantastic; how much more that will be increased by saving those two!”
130. Viśvambhara smiled and said, “They have already been saved, from the very moment they caught sight of you. 131. You focus your attention on them especially, which precipitates this auspicious result: Kṛṣṇa will bring about their well-being in no time.”
132. When they heard these blessed words, the devotees broke into a roar, proclaiming the victory and greatness of Kṛṣṇa. 133. “Already saved!”—everyone deeply mulled over those words. Haridāsa then confided privately in Advaita.
134. “The Master sent me out with an unstable man [Nityānanda]. I did not have any idea where we were, and still he ran all over the place. 135. During the rainy season, with the Jāhnavī River crawling with crocodiles, he went swimming and even wrestled with [those crocodiles]! 136. I stood on the bank and called across to alert him, but he just floated into the Gaṅgā’s main stream. 137. Then he happened to espy a young child on the bank. He clambered up to beat the child, but only chased him away. 138. The child’s mother and father appeared, stick in hand. I urged restraint by grasping their feet in supplication. 139. I sent for some ghi and curds [to assuage them], but they took me hostage. They intended to thrash me! 140. Those people, whose actions were as imprudent [as Nityānanda’s], turned and, pointing out their daughter, announced that she should be married to me. 141. Later [Nityānanda] climbed up on the sacred altar seat and cried out, ‘I am the Supreme Lord Śiva!’ and then he milked a cow belonging to someone else and drank the milk! 142. I threatened to get you to rebuke him in order to teach him; [but he responded], ‘What can your Advaita do to me? 143. You may even call Caitanya your “lord,” but what is he going to do if he comes here?’ 144. I have not told any of this to the Master. Only by the good working of fate did I escape with my life today! 145. On the road we encountered two men, both incorrigible drinkers. We spoke to them to share the message of Kṛṣṇa. 146. They responded with a frightful anger and gave chase to beat us. Only by your grace was my life spared.”
147. Advaita chuckled and observed, “This is not the complete picture. The two drunks you mentioned were in the company of yet another drunk. 148. You have described being in the presence of three drunks. Why were you frightened? Have you become orthodox? 149. Nityānanda will intoxicate everyone. I know only too well his actions. 150. Look, suffer this for two or three days and he will bring those two drunks into the fold.” 151. As he spoke Advaita began to be possessed of anger. Transformed into the Naked Ascetic, Śiva, he ranted and raved. 152. “I shall suck up all of the nectar of Caitanya’s Kṛṣṇa-devotion! How will he dance and sing? Everyone will see just how powerful he really is! 153. You watch! Tomorrow he will fetch those two drunks and Nimāi [Caitanya] and Nitāi [Nityānanda] will dance with them. 154. These two must be treated as one, not different from each other. To protect our social standing, they have maneuvered you and me away!” Haridāsa just smiled at Advaita in his possession of anger, while he contemplated the idea of the two drunkards’ salvation.
156. Who, except for one as adept as Haridāsa, had the capacity to fully comprehend Advaita’s speech?
157. At that time certain unrighteous followers of Advaita, smouldering with jealousy, cast aspersions on Gadādhara. 158. He who casts aspersions on one Vaiṣṇava in the presence of another is rooted in sin and certain to meet with destruction.
159. These two derelicts [Jagāi and Mādhāi] wandered all over and they ended up at the ghat where the Master was bathing in the Gaṅgā. 160. It was by chance that they had gone to that particular spot. Roaming about rather aimlessly, they harassed everyone they met. 161. Whether powerful or wealthy or miserably poor—each feared for his safety. 162. When night would fall, no one ventured alone to the Gaṅgā to bathe. If one did go, he went with ten or twenty people. 163. Those who found themselves in the vicinity of the Master’s house at night would be regaled with the Master’s kīrtana throughout the evening. 164. The double-ended mṛdaṅga drum and the small hand cymbals punctuated the beat of the kīrtana. Prompted by the music, the participants would dance, moving with the staggering convulsions of the inebriated. 165. Even people who lived a good distance away could hear the din. To hear it makes you dance like one who has drunk to excess.
166. Now where there is a party, those two trouble-makers show up. They heard the music and could not help but dance. 167. Oblivious from imbibing, they knew neither where they were nor what part of town they were in. 168. They saw the Master and called out to him, “Nimāi Paṇḍita! Have them play the complete medley of songs in praise of the Goddess Caṇḍī! 169. All of your singers are superb! I want to witness this myself. Let everyone in who wants to come!” 170. Seeing these insufferable men, the Master distanced himself quickly, but they ran after him, fortunately along another route altogether.
171. The next day Nityānanda was walking about the town. At nightfall these two hoodlums ambushed him. 172. “Where are you going?” Jagāi and Mādhāi called out. Nityānanda replied, “I am headed for the Master’s house.”
173. Somewhat stupefied by their drink, they queried further, “Just what is your name?” Nityānanda replied, “My name is Avadhūta, the wandering ascetic.” 174. Under the spell of the emotional condition of Kṛṣṇa’s brother, Balarāma, the lord Nityānanda was himself visibly intoxicated. And in the spirit of this condition he played along with the two drunks. 175. Then he remembered—“I was going to save these two men. Clearly it was for that reason that I came to this particular spot tonight.”
176. When he heard the title “Avadhūta,” Mādhāi was furious. He broke a water pot over the head of the ascetic. 177. The pot shattered on his skull and the blood streamed down in torrents. This extraordinary devotee, Nityānanda, thought only of Govinda [Kṛṣṇa].
178. Seeing the blood on Nityānanda’s head, Jagāi was moved to compassion and grabbed his brother’s hands which were raining blows on Nityānanda. 179. “Why do you do such cruel and hard things? Will it make you a big man to beat up someone who is not from around here? 180. Give it up! Do not strike the Avadhūta. What will you gain from beating a renunciate?”
181. With a great hubbub, people ran to tell the Master. In a short while the Lord arrived together with his retinue. 182. By this time blood had completely drenched Nityānanda’s body, yet Nityānanda stood there laughing with the two men. 183. When he saw the blood, the Master lost himself in his anger. “Disc! Disc! Disc!” the Master called out in a booming deep voice. 184. In a flash the disc materialized and Jagāi and Mādhāi both saw it with their own eyes! 185. The devotees were dumbstruck with astonishment. Gathering his wits, Nityānanda pressed forward an earnest request. 186. “O Lord, Jagāi restrained Mādhāi from hitting me! Only an accident made the blood flow so copiously. I am not hurt! 187. Grant me as a boon the bodies of these two men, Lord! I am not injured in the least. Please calm down!”
188. When he heard the words, “Jagāi restrained him,” the Master embraced Jagāi with great joy. 189. To Jagāi he said, “May Kṛṣṇa be merciful to you! By saving Nityānanda, you have won me over. 190. Ask for anything you may desire. From this day forward may you be blessed with devotional love.”
191. When the assembled Vaiṣṇavas heard the boon granted to Jagāi, they noisily rejoiced, “Victory! Hail to Hari!”
192. At the very moment when he said, “May you have devotional love,” Jagāi fell down in a dead faint from that love. 193. The Master commanded, “Jagāi, stand up and look at me! In truth, I have granted you the gift of devotional love.” 194. Jagāi then beheld him, the Lord, Viśvambhara—He Who Bears the Burdens of the Universe—with four arms holding the conch, the disc, the club, and the lotus. 195. Upon seeing this spectacular vision, Jagāi again fainted and Caitanya the Lord placed his holy feet on Jagāi’s chest. 196. Grasping as a treasure those precious feet, which are the very life of the goddess Lakṣmī, Jagāi held them as if they were priceless gems. 197. By the pious act of grasping those feet, Jagāi wept.
In this way did the Lord Gaurāṅga, the Golden-Limbed One, accomplish the unprecedented. 198. One soul, in two bodies, were Jagāi and Mādhāi—one meritorious, the other sinful—one [soul] divided. 199. When the Master was merciful to Jagāi, the heart and mind of Mādhāi was at that same time purified. 200. With a great rush they returned to where Nityānanda was sitting and fell down in full prostration, grabbing his feet in humility. 201. [Mādhāi entreated Caitanya,] “Treat the two of us as one, O Master. We both are unrighteous men. How can you apportion your mercy into two separate parts? 202. Be merciful to me, for I have taken your name. There is no one else who can save me!”
203. The Master replied, “I cannot countenance your salvation, for you have shed the blood of the body of Nityānanda.” Mādhāi pleaded, “What you say is impossible! How can you abandon your own duty, your own dharma? 205. How were you able to grant the shelter of your feet to those demons who pierced you with their arrows and their curses?”
206. The Master replied, “Your fault is much greater than theirs—you have spilled blood from Nityānanda’s body. 207. The body of my beloved Nityānanda is much more important than my own. This truth I have already explained to you.”
208. “Indeed you have so spoken to me, my Lord! Please tell me how I can be saved! 209. You are the crown jewel of physicians, destroyer of all ailments. If you heal my ailment, then I can be healthy and hale again. 210. Do not let me down, Master, Lord of My Existence! You are known to all, so why do you hide yourself from me?”
211. The Master responded, “Your fault is ultimately damning! Go and fall at Nityānanda’s feet.”
212. As soon as he received the Master’s command, Mādhāi grasped Nityānanda’s feet, a treasure without price. 213. He who embraces those feet can never be destroyed. Revatī [Balarāma’s wife] experienced the power of those feet. 214. Viśvambhara continued, “Listen, most worthy Nityānanda! He has fallen at your feet in the gamble that you will be merciful, 215. even though he drew blood from your body. You have the power to forgive him; it has fallen to you to act.”
215. Nityānanda replied, “My Lord! What can I say? You are the life-giving power which can grant mercy through this inert tree [of my body]. 216. All of whatever merit I have accrued in my many lifetimes, I transfer to Mādhāi. This I guarantee, make no mistake. 218. My faults, however, are many—I have no accumulated grace to grant. Please abandon this charade and be merciful to Mādhāi!”
219. Viśvambhara then said, “If you have forgiven everything, draw Mādhāi close and embrace him. May it all come to pass!” 220. When the Master commanded it, he strongly embraced him, and all of Mādhāi’s bonds [of sin] were loosed. 221. Nityānanda—Eternal Bliss—entered into Mādhāi’s body. Mādhāi was then completely empowered.
222. In this way were both [drunkards] liberated. And the two men sang their thanks at the feet of [Nityānanda and Caitanya]. 223. The Master commanded, “Never sin again!” to which Jagāi and Mādhāi eagerly responded, “Never again, Father!”
224. The Master continued, “Listen well, you two! I have spoken matters of truth to you. 225. You have accumulated much demerit in hundreds of millions of lifetimes, but if you sin no more, my grace will counter all. 226.1 will provide food for the mouths of all. My incarnation (avatāra) will enter your bodies.”
227. When Jagāi and Mādhāi heard those words, they fainted in ecstasy and collapsed on the spot. 228. The two brahmans had completely lost consciousness in that ocean of bliss. Fathoming their condition, the Master, Viśvambhara, instructed, 229. “Pick up these two men and take them to my house. We will sing the praises of Kṛṣṇa with them. 230. Today I will give them what is difficult for even the god Brahmā to attain. I will make these two the most honored men in the world. 231. The touch of these two is like bathing in the Gaṅgā, and so they will be proclaimed as equal to the Gaṅgā. 232. This is none other than what Nityānanda resolved. I know with certainty the wish of Nityānanda.”
233. Jagāi and Mādhāi were lifted up by the Vaiṣṇavas and carried inside the Master’s house. 234. Intimate friends and companions entered with the Master. Then the door closed and no one else could enter. 235. The great Lord Viśvambhara seated himself—Nityānanda and Gadādhara sat prominently on either side. 236. Directly in front sat Advaita, the King of the Storehouse [of Devotion], while the Vaiṣṇava retinue crowded around on all four sides. 237. Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, the adept Haridāsa, Garuḍāi, Rāmāi, Śrīvāsa, Gaṅgādāsa, 238. Vakreśvara Paṇḍita, Candraśekhara Ācārya—all of these [devotees] were well familiar with Caitanya’s ways. 239. Other respected individuals further encircled Caitanya—-joyfully seated among them, Jagāi and Mādhāi. 240. The bodies of Jagāi and Mādhāi rippled all over with gooseflesh; they cried profusely, racked with convulsions, jerking about on the ground. 241. Who has the power to fathom what Caitanya had in mind—he turns two incorrigible sinners into two great devotees, 242. and turns heretics into ascetic renunciates. In this way one savors a portion of the immortal elixir of his worldly play. 243. He who believes in this will surely gain Kṛṣṇa. He who doubts goes to a certain destruction.
244. The two men, Jagāi and Mādhāi, sang songs of praise, while the beautiful Golden-Limbed One, Caitanya, listened with the rest of the group. 245. The pure and holy Goddess of Speech sat on the tongues of these two men at the direct instigation of the Lord, the Radiant Moon Caitanya. 246. Nityānanda and Caitanya appeared as but one—the truth of which was seen and apprehended by the two men [who were saved]. 247. These men then sang songs of praise for what they had witnessed. Anyone who hears these panegyrics gains devotion to Kṛṣṇa. 248. “Glory, glory be to the Great Master, Glory to Viśvambhara! Glory to Nityānanda, who himself bears the Bearer of the World Burden. . . .
282. “You have rescued so many famous sinners—all kinds, shapes, and sizes can be distinguished in that notable group. 283. Among the undistinguished you have saved two particularly recalcitrant demons—us two—because your compassion stretches to everyone.” 284. Continuing in this vein, Jagāi and Mādhāi wept. Thus does the Protector Caitanya precipitate the unprecedented. 285. The Vaiṣṇavas who witnessed this extraordinary event placed their palms together in respect, intoned formal praise, and prostrated themselves in obeisance.
286. “Master, the praises sung by these two incorrigible drunkards most would believe to be false, except for your grace! 287. May you distribute your mercy when and where and to whom and in what shape you deem fit—who can apprehend your incomprehensible power?”
288. The Master replied, “These two men are drunkards no more. From this day forth these two are my servants. 289. All of you in the community must support these two men. In succeeding births they will not forget me. 290. Whenever they slip and commit an offense against someone, no matter the nature, forgive and be gracious to these two men.” 291. Jagāi and Mādhāi listened to the Master’s speech and promptly fell at the feet of those present. 292. Those stalwart devotees blessed Jagāi and Mādhāi, who were now without fault. 293. The Master commanded, “Stand up, Jagāi and Mādhāi! You have become my servants. Worry no more! 294. The two of you recited praises, invoking supremely profound truths which are incorruptible. 295. Nothing else, save Nityānanda’s grace, can ever reside in your bodies—that you can know for certain! 296. See for yourself and realize that I have removed all of your manifold sins, O brothers.” And no more sin sullied the bodies of these two men. . . .