Maṅgalācaraṇa (Auspicious Invocation) –

jaya jaya pañca-tattvātmaka gaurahari
jaya jaya navadvīpa-dhāma sarvopari (1)

All glories, all glories to Śrī Gaurahari, who manifested as the Pañca-tattva! All glories, all glories to the topmost holy abode, Śrī Navadvīpadhāma! (1) 

Māmagāchi (Modadrumadvīpa), the City of Śrī Ayodhyā Situated Within Śrī Navadvīpa

māmagāchi-grāme giyā nityānanda-rāya
bale,—ei modadruma, ayodhyā hethāya (2)

When they arrived in the village of Māmagāchi, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu said, “This is Modadrumadvīpa. Ayodhyā is present here. (2)

(During their exile to the forest, Lord Śrī Rāmacandra arrived at this place with Sītā-devī and Lakṣmaṇa – )

pūrva-kalpe jabe rāma haila vanavāsī
lakṣmaṇa, jānakī la’ye ei-sthāne āsi’ (3)

mahā-vaṭa-vṛkṣa-tale kuṭīra bāṅdhiyā
katadina vāsa kaila ānandita haiyā (4)

“In a previous kalpa when Lord Śrī Rāmacandra was in exile in the forest, He came to this place (Modadrumadvīpa) with Lakṣmaṇa and Jānakī. They built a cottage underneath a large banyan tree and blissfully resided here for many days. (3–4)

(Śrī Rāmacandra smiles gently –)

navadvīpa-prabhā rāma kari’ daraśan
alpa-alpa hāsya kare śrī-raghunandana (5)

“Seeing the beauty of Śrī Navadvīpa, Raghunandana Śrī Rāmacandra smiled gently. (5)

kibā durvādala-śyāma-rūpa manohara
rājīva-locana, haste dhanuka sundara (6)

“Ahā! How mesmerizing was His darkish form resembling the colour of newly sprouting durvā grass. His eyes were like lotuses, and in His hand was a beautiful bow. (6)

ire jaṭā śobhā kare
darśane sakala prāṇi-gaṇa-mana hare (7)

“Matted locks adorned His head and His brahmacārī dress stole the hearts of all. (7)

Śrī Sītā-devī inquires about the reason for Śrī Rāmacandra’s smile –

hāsi-hāsi-mukha dekhi’ jānakī takhana
jijñāse śrī-rāme devī hāsyera kāraṇa (8)

“Seeing Śrī Rāmacandra smiling, Śrī Jānakī asked what was making Him smile. (8)

(Śrī Rāmacandra discloses a secret –)

rāma bale,—“śuna sītā, janaka-nandinī
ati gopanīya eka āche ta’ kāhinī (9)

“Śrī Rāmacandra replied, ‘Listen, O Sītā, daughter of King Janaka. I will now narrate to you a most confidential episode. (9)

Śrī Rāmacandra indicates the incarnation of Śrī Gaura –

dhanya kali jabe haya ei nadīyāya
pīta-varṇa rūpa mora dekhibāre pāya (10)

“‘When the blessed Kali-yuga comes, I will assume a golden form and appear here in Nadiyā. (10)

(An indication of the future mother and father of the incarnation of Śrī Gaura –)

jagannātha-miśra-gṛhe śrī-śacī-udare
gaurāṅga-rūpete janma labhiba satvare (11)

“‘In the house of Śrī Jagannātha Miśra, I will appear from Śrī Śacī-devī’s womb in the form of Gaurāṅga. (11)

bālya-līlā dekhibe je-saba bhāgyavān
kariba se-sabe āmi parā-prema dāna (12)

“‘I will bestow the highest divine love (prema) upon those fortunate persons who will behold My childhood pastimes. (12)

(An indication of scholastic pastimes and nāma-saṅkīrtana –)

kariba se-kāle priye vidyāra-vilāsa
śrī-nāma-māhātmya āmi kariba prakāśa (13)

“‘At that time, O beloved, I will perform pastimes of studying and teaching, and I will reveal the glories of the holy name. (13)

(An indication of sannyāsa –)

sannyāsa kariyā āmi jāba nīlācale
kāṅdibe jananī svīya vadhū la’ye kole” (14)

“‘I will accept sannyāsa and go to Nīlācala. My mother will take her daughter-in-law on her lap and weep.’ (14)

(Śrī Sītā-devī asks about the necessity of taking sannyāsa in the incarnation of Śrī Gaura –)

ei kathā śuni’ sītā balena vacana
“jananī kaṅdābe kena rājīva-locana (15)

sannyāsa karibe kena chāḍiyā gṛhiṇī
patnī-duḥkha diyā sukha kibā nāhi jāni” (16)

“Hearing these words of Śrī Rāmacandra, Śrī Sītā-devī asked, ‘O lotus-eyed one, why will You make Your mother cry? Why will You leave Your wife and take sannyāsa? What happiness will You get by causing her such grief?’ (15–16)

(Śrī Rāmacandra’s reply –)

śrī-rāma balena,—“priye, tumi saba jāna
jīvere śikhāte ebe haila ajñāna (17)

“Śrī Rāmacandra replied, ‘O beloved, you know everything. In order to instruct the living entities you are acting as if ignorant. (17)

(Tasting prema-bhakti in two ways –)

āmāte je prema-bhakti tāra āsvādana
dui mate haya sītā śunaha vacana (18)

“‘Listen, O Sītā, loving devotion for Me is relished in two ways. (18)

(Meeting and separation –)

āmāra saṁyoge sukha sambhoga bolaya
āmāra viyoge sukha vipralambha haya (19)

“‘Happiness that arises from union with Me is known as sambhoga, and that which arises out of separation from Me is called vipralambha. (19)

(Relishing vipralambha-rasa by the Lord’s mercy –)

bhakta mora nitya-saṅgī sambhoga vāñchaya
mama kṛpā-vaśe tāra vipralambha haya (20)

“‘Although My eternal devotees always desire only sambhoga, by My mercy they also relish vipralambha. (20)

(Even the sorrow of separation causes supreme happiness –)

vipralambhe duḥkha jei āmāra kāraṇa
parama ānanda tāhā jāne bhakta-jana (21)

vipralambha-śeṣe jabe sambhoga udaya
pūrvāpekṣā koṭi-guṇa sukha tāhe haya (22)

“‘The bhaktas know that the distress that arises from separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa is, in reality, the most exalted bliss. This is because one derives millions of times greater happiness from the meeting after vipralambha than the happiness of a meeting prior to vipralambha. (21–22)

sei ta’ sukhera hetu āmāra viccheda
svīkāra karaha tumi, bale cāri veda (23)

“‘Separation from Me also yields happiness. Therefore, to attain that happiness, you, also, accept separation from Me. This is described in the four Vedas. (23)

(Mother Kauśalyā is indeed Śrī Śacī-devī –)

śrī-gaurāṅga-avatāre kauśalyā-jananī
śacī-devī aditi vedete jā’ra dhvani (24)

“‘Mother Kauśalyā, whom the Vedas describe to be Aditi, will be known by the name Śrī Śacīdevī in My incarnation as Śrī Gaura. (24)

(Bhagavatī Śrī Sītā-devī is Śrī Viṣṇupriyā in gaura-līlā –)

tumi viṣṇupriyā-rūpe sevibe āmāre
vicchede śrī-gaura-mūrti karibe pracāre (25)

“‘You will serve Me as Viṣṇupriyā-devī, and out of separation from Me, you will manifest a golden deity of Me. (25)

(Indication of a pastime after the exile in the forest –)

tomāra vicchede kabhu svarṇa-sītā kari’
bhajiba tomāre āmi ayodhyā-nagarī (26)

“‘In this incarnation [of Śrī Rāma], I, in separation from you, will have a golden Sītā made, and I will worship you in the city of Ayodhyā. (26)

(The reason for Śrī Viṣṇupriyā-devī’s worship of the deity of Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu –)

tāra vinimaye tumi nadīyā-nagare
gaurāṅga-pratimā kari’ pūjibe āmāre (27)

“‘You, in turn, will make a deity of Śrī Gaurāṅga and worship Me in this city of Nadiyā. (27)

ei gūḍha kathā sītā gopanīya ati
lokete prakāśa nāhi haibe samprati (28)

“‘O Sītā, this matter is highly confidential and should not yet be disclosed in the presence of people in general. (28)

(In comparison with Ayodhyā and other places, Navadvīpa is most dear to the Supreme Lord –)

ei navadvīpa mora baḍa priya sthāna
ayodhyādi nāhi haya ihāra samāna (29)

“‘This place, named Navadvīpa, is most dear to Me. Ayodhyā and other places can never be equal to it. (29)

ei rāma-vaṭa-vṛkṣa kali āgamane
adarśana ha’ye sītā ra’be saṅgopane (30)

“‘O Sītā, upon the arrival of Kali-yuga, this tree, Rāma-vaṭa, will disappear from the vision of ordinary people and remain here in a hidden form.’ (30)

(Navadvīpa, the land that is marked with Śrī Rāma’s footprints –)

eirūpe rāma-sītā lakṣmaṇa-sahita
ei-sthāne katadina ha’ye avasthita (31)

daṇḍaka araṇye gelā kārya sādhibāre
rāmera kuṭīra-sthāna pāo dekhibāre (32)

“In this way, Śrī Rāmacandra resided here with Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa for some time. Thereafter, they left for Daṇḍakāraṇya to fulfil the purpose of their pastimes. O Jīva, behold the place where Bhagavān Śrī Rāmacandra’s cottage was situated. (31–32)

(Lord Rāmacandra’s friend, Guhaka, takes birth in gaura-līlā as Sadānanda Bhaṭṭācārya –)

rāma-mitra guhaka prabhura icchā-vaśe
ei-sthāne janmilena viprera aurase (33)

“By the will of the Lord, Śrī Rāmacandra’s friend Guhaka took birth here in a brāhmaṇa family. (33)

sadānanda vipra bhaṭṭācārya nāma tāṅra
rāma binā trijagate nāhi jāne āra (34)

“In gaura-līlā, Guhaka was known as Sadānanda Bhaṭṭācārya. He knew nothing in the three worlds but Śrī Rāma. (34)

(Śrī Sadānanda Vipra was present at the Yogapīṭha at the time of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s appearance –)

jei-dina prabhu mora janme māyāpure
sei-dina sadānanda chila miśra-ghare (35)

“The day on which My Lord took birth in Māyāpura, Sadānanda Bhaṭṭācārya was also present in the house of Śrī Jagannātha Miśra. (35)

(Sadānanda Vipra recognizes the demigods –)

prabhura janama-kāle jata deva-gaṇa
miśrera bhavane śiśu kare daraśana (36)

parama sādhaka vipra cine deva-gaṇe
jānila āmāra prabhu janmila ekhāne (37)

“At the time of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s appearance, all the demigods assembled at Śrī Jagannātha Miśra’s residence to take darśana of Śrī Gaurahari. The great devotee brāhmaṇa Sadānanda Bhaṭṭācārya recognized the demigods, and seeing them offering prayers, he understood that his Lord had now descended. (36–37)

(In his meditation he sees Śrī Gaurasundara instead of Śrī Rāmacandra –)

parama kautuka vipra āila nija-ghare
iṣṭa-dhyāne dekhe vipra gaurāṅga-sundare (38)

“Greatly pleased, the brāhmaṇa returned to his home and began to meditate upon his worshipful deity [Śrī Rāmacandra]. In his meditation, he had darśana of Śrī Gaurāṅgasundara instead of Śrī Rāmacandra. (38)

siṁhāsane basiyāche śrī-gaurāṅga-rāya
brahmā ādi deva-gaṇa cāmara ḍhulāya (39)

“He saw Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu brilliantly seated upon a throne with Brahmā and other demigods fanning Him with a cāmara. (39)

(Śrī Sadānanda Bhaṭṭācārya attains knowledge of bhagavat-tattva –)

punaḥ dekhe rāmacandra durvādala-śyāma
nikaṭe lakṣmaṇa-vīra śrī-ananta-dhāma (40)

vāme sītā, sammukhe bhakata hanumāna
dekhiyā viprera haila prabhu-tattva-jñāna (41)

“He again saw Śrī Rāmacandra, whose complexion resembles darkish newly sprouted grass. On the right side of Śrī Rāmacandra was Lakṣmaṇa, on His left side, Sītā, and in front, Bhakta Hanumān. Having seen all this, the brāhmaṇa understood the fundamental truth (tattva) of the Lord. (40–41)

parama ānande vipra māyāpure giyā
alakṣye gaurāṅga dekhe nayana bhariyā (42)

“Absorbed in ecstatic bliss, the brāhmaṇa went to Māyāpura and, not seen by anyone, had darśana of Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu to his heart’s content. (42) ‘dhanya āmi’ ‘dhanya āmi’ bale bārabāra
gaura-rūpe rāmacandra sammukhe āmāra (43)

“The brāhmaṇa again and again thought, ‘I am blessed! I am blessed! Śrī Rāmacandra is present as Śrī Gaurahari, right in front of my eyes.’ (43)

(Sadānanda Bhaṭṭācārya’s dance during saṅkīrtana –)

katadine saṅkīrtana ārambha haila
sadānanda ‘gaura’ bali’ tāhāte nācila (44)

“After some time, when saṅkīrtana started in Śrīdhāma Navadvīpa, Sadānanda, also, chanted the name of Gaura and danced in the kīrtana party. (44)

Modadrumadvīpa, Śrī Bhāṇḍīravana of Vraja

ohe ‘jīva’, ei-sthāne śrī-bhāṇḍīravana
nirmala bhakata-gaṇa kare daraśana (45)

“O Jīva, devotees with spotless, uncontaminated hearts take darśana of Śrī Bhāṇdīravana at this place.” (45)

sei saba kathā śuni’, nitya-dhāme heri’
nācena bhakata-gaṇa nityānande gheri’ (46)

After hearing all these narrations and having had darśana of the eternal abode, the devotees surrounded Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and began to dance. (46)

śrī-jīvera aṅge haya sāttvika-vikāra
‘hā gaurāṅga’ bali’ jīva karena cītkāra (47)

Ecstatic symptoms arose upon the body of Śrī Jīva and he began loudly calling out, ‘O Gaurāṅga! O Gaurāṅga!’ (47)

(Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu takes rests at the residence of Śrī Nārāyaṇī-devī –)

sei grāme sei dina nārāyaṇī-ghare
rahilena nityānanda praphulla antare (48)

That day Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, being exceedingly blissful, stayed in that village at Śrī Nārāyaṇī-devī’s house. (48)

parama pavitra satī vyāsera jananī
śrī-vaiṣṇava-gaṇe sevā karila āpani (49)

That most pure and chaste Nārāyaṇī-devī, who is also the mother of Vyāsa(1), personally served all the Vaiṣṇavas. (49)

paradina prāte sabe cali’ kata dūra
praveśila anāyāse śrī-vaikuṇṭhapura (50)

Early the next morning, after walking some distance, everyone entered Śrī Vaikuṇṭhapura. (50)

(The author prays for his desired service –)

nitāi-jāhnavā-ājñā karite pālana
nadīyā-māhātmya gāya dīna-akiñcana (51)

For the sake of obeying the order of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Jāhnavā-devī, this wretched pauper [Śrī Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura] sings the glories of Nadiyā. (51)

Thus Ends Chapter Fourteen