Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmrita Madhya 16.207

'vācaspati-grihe' prabhu yemate rahilā

loka-bhida bhaye yaiche 'kuliyā' āilā

SYNONYMS

vācaspati-grihe — at the house of Vidyā-vācaspati; prabhu — the Lord; yemate — as; rahilā — stayed there for some time; loka-bhida bhaye — due to fear of crowds of people; yaiche — just as; kuliyā āilā — He came to Kuliyā, the present city of Navadvīpa.

TRANSLATION

The Lord remained some time at the house of Vidyā-vācaspati, but then, because it was too crowded, He went to Kuliyā.

PURPORT

The house of Vidyā-vācaspati was located at Vidyānagara, which was near Koladvīpa, or Kuliyā. It was here that Devānanda Pandita was residing. This information is found in the Caitanya-bhāgavata (Madhya-khanda, Chapter Twenty-one). In the Caitanya-candrodaya-nātaka, the following statement is given about Kuliyā. Tatah kumārahatte śrīvāsa-pandita-vātyām abhyāyayau: "From there the Lord went to the house of Śrīvāsa Pandita in Kumārahatta"; tato 'dvaita-vātīm abhyetya haridāsenābhivanditas tathaiva taranī-vartmanā navadvīpasya pāre kuliyā-nāma-grāme mādhava-dāsa-vātyām uttīrnavān. evam sapta-dināni tatra sthitvā punas tata-vartmanā eva calitavān: "From the house of Śrīvāsa Ācārya, the Lord went to the house of Advaita Ācārya, where He was offered obeisances by Haridāsa Thākura. The Lord then took a boat to the other side of Navadvīpa, to a place called Kuliyā, where He stayed seven days at the house of Mādhava dāsa. He then proceeded along the banks of the Ganges."

In the Śrī Caitanya-carita-mahā-kāvya, it is stated, anye-dyuh sa śrī-navadvīpa-bhūmeh pāre gańgām paścime kvāpi deśe, śrīmān sarva-prāninām tat-tad-ańgair netrānandam samyag āgatya tene: "The Lord went to the western side of the Ganges at Navadvīpa, and everyone was pleased to see the Lord coming."

In the Caitanya-bhāgavata (Antya-khanda, Chapter Three), it is stated, sarva-pārishada-sańge śrī-gaurasundara/ ācambite āsi' uttarilā tāńra ghara: "The Lord suddenly came to Vidyānagara with a full party and stayed there in the house of Vidyā-vācaspati." Navadvīpādi sarva-dike haila dhvani: "Thus throughout Navadvīpa, the Lord's arrival was made known." Vācaspati-ghare āilā nyāsi-cūdāmani: "Thus the chief of all the sannyāsīs, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, arrived at the house of Vidyā-vācaspati." As further stated:

ananta arbuda loka bali' 'hari' 'hari'

calilena dekhibāre gaurāńga śrī-hari

patha nāhi pāya keho lokera gahale

vanadāla bhāńgi' loka daśa-dike cale

lokera gahale yata aranya āchila

kshaneke sakala divya pathamaya haila

kshaneke āila saba loka kheyā-ghāte

kheyārī karite pāra padila sańkate

satvare āsilā vācaspati mahāśaya

karilena aneka naukāra samuccaya

naukāra apekshā āra keho nāhi kare

nānā mate pāra haya ye yemate pāre

hena-mate gańgā pāra ha-i' sarva-jana

sabhei dharena vācaspatira carana

lukāñā gelā prabhu kuliyā-nagara

kuliyāya āilena vaikuntha-īśvara

sarva-loka 'hari' bali' vācaspati-sańge

sei-kshane sabhe calilena mahā-rańge

kuliyā-nagare āilena nyāsi-mani

sei-kshane sarva-dike haila mahā-dhvani

sabe gańgā madhye nadīyāya-kuliyāya

śuni' mātra sarva-loke mahānande dhāya

vācaspatira grāme (vidyānagare) chila yateka gahala

tāra koti koti-gune pūrila sakala

laksha laksha naukā vā āila kothā haite

nā jāni kateka pāra haya kata-mate

laksha laksha loka bhāse jāhnavīra jale

sabhe pāra hayena parama kutūhale

gańgāya hañā pāra āpanā-āpani

kolākoli kari' sabhe kare hari-dhvani

kshaneke kuliyā-grāma — nagara prāntara

paripūrna haila sthala, nāhi avasara

kshaneke āilā mahāśaya vācaspati

teńho nāhi pāyena prabhura kothā sthiti

kuliyāya prakāśe yateka pāpī chila

uttama, madhyama, nīca, — sabe pāra haila

kuliyā-grāmete āsi' śrī-krishna-caitanya

hena nāhi, yāre prabhu nā karilā dhanya

"When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stayed at Vidyā-vācaspati's house, many hundreds of thousands of people went to see Him and chant the holy name of Hari. It was so crowded that people could not even find a place to walk; therefore they made room by clearing out the jungles near the village. Many roads were automatically excavated, and many people also came by boat to see the Lord. So many came that it was difficult for the boatmen to get them across the river. When Vidyā-vācaspati suddenly arrived, he made arrangements for many boats to receive these people, but the people would not wait for the boats. Somehow or other they crossed the river and hurried toward the house of Vidyā-vācaspati. Due to this great crowd, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu secretly went to Kuliyā-nagara. After the Lord left Vidyānagara, however, all the people heard news of His leaving. They then accompanied Vācaspati to Kuliyā-nagara. Since the news of the Lord's arrival was immediately broadcast, large crowds arrived and greeted Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu with great jubilation. Indeed, when the crowd went to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, it increased ten thousand times in number. No one could say how many people crossed the river to see Him, but many hundreds of thousands made a great tumult when crossing the river Ganges. After crossing the river, everyone began to embrace one another because they heard the good news of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's arrival. Thus all the inhabitants of Kuliyā — the sinful, intermediate and spiritually advanced — were delivered and glorified by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu."

As stated in the Caitanya-bhāgavata (Antya-khanda, Chapter Six):

khānāyodā, badagāchi, āra dogāchiyā

gańgāra opāra kabhu yāyena 'kuliyā'

"Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed through Khānāyodā, Badagāchi and Dogāchiyā and then crossed the Ganges before arriving in Kuliyā."

As stated in the Caitanya-mańgala:

gańgā-snāna kari prabhu rādha-deśa diyā

krame krame uttarilā nagara 'kuliyā'

māyera vacane punah gelā navadvīpa

vārakonā-ghāta, nija vādīra samīpa

"Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu walked through Rādha-deśa and gradually arrived at the Ganges. After bathing in the river, he crossed it and went to Kuliyā. Because He had promised His mother He would return to Navadvīpa, He went to Vārakonā-ghāta, a village near His house."

In the commentary of Premadāsa it is said:

nadīyāra mājhakhāne, sakala lokete

jāne, 'kuliyā-pāhādapura' nāme sthāna

"Everyone knows that in the middle of Nadia is a village named Kuliyā-pāhādapura."

Śrī Narahari Cakravartī, or Ghanaśyāma dāsa, has written in his Bhakti-ratnākara:

kuliyā pāhādapura dekha śrīnivāsa

pūrve 'koladvīpa'-parvatākhya — e pracāra

"He said, 'O Śrīnivāsa, just see the town of Kuliyā-pāhādapura, which was previously known as Koladvīpa.'"

In a book named Navadvīpa-parikrama, also written by Ghanaśyāma dāsa, it is stated: kuliyā-pāhādapura grāma pūrve koladvīpa-parvatākhyānanda nāma. "The town of Kuliyā-pāhādapura was previously named Koladvīpa-parvatākhyānanda."

Therefore one can conclude that the present-day city of Navadvīpa and the places known as Bāhirdvīpa, Kolera Gañja, Kola-āmāda, Kolera Daha, Gadakhāli, etc., were known as Kuliyā, but the so-called Kuliyāra Pāta is not the original Kuliyā.

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