Antya-līlāChapter 6: The Meeting of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Raghunatha dasa Gosvāmī

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Antya 6.23

viśeṣe kāyastha-buddhye antare kare ḍara

mukhe tarje garje, mārite sabhaya antara

SYNONYMS

viśeṣe — specifically; kāyastha-buddhye — considering a kāyastha; antare — within his heart; kare ḍara — is afraid; mukhe — with his mouth; tarje garje — threatens; mārite — to beat; sa-bhaya — afraid; antara — at heart.

TRANSLATION

Indeed, the caudhurī was afraid of Raghunātha dāsa because Raghunātha dāsa belonged to the kāyastha community. Although the caudhurī would chastise him with oral vibrations, he was afraid to beat him.

PURPORT

Raghunātha dāsa belonged to a very aristocratic family of the kāyastha community. He had substantial influence with the local people, and therefore the caudhurī, or minister, was afraid to beat him. Superficially he would chastise Raghunātha dāsa with threatening vibrations, but he did not beat him. The members of the kāyastha community in India are generally very intelligent and expert in business management. Formerly they were mostly government officers. They were mentioned even by Yājñavalkya, as quoted by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya:

cāṭa-taskara-durvṛttair mahā-sāhasikādibhiḥ

pīḍyamānā prajā rakṣet kāyasthaiś ca viśeṣataḥ

From this verse it appears that the governmental officials of the kāyastha community would sometimes chastise the citizens, and thus it was the duty of the king to protect the people in general from the atrocities of the kāyasthas. In Bengal the kāyastha community is honored almost as much as the brāhmaṇa community, but in the up-country of India the kāyasthas are considered śūdras because they generally eat meat and drink wine. In any case, from history the kāyasthas appear very intelligent. Thus the Muslim caudhurī was afraid of Raghunātha dāsa because he belonged to the kāyastha community.

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