The Story of Ramadasa Vipra
When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu arrived at southern Mathura (Madhurai), He met a brahmana. The brahmana who met Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu invited the Lord to his home. This brahmana was a great devotee and an authority on Lord Sri Ramachandra. He was always detached from material activities. After bathing in the river Kritamala, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went to the brahmana’s house to take lunch, but He saw that the food was unprepared
Seeing this, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, “My dear sir, please tell Me why you have not cooked. It is already noon.” The brahmana replied, “My dear Lord, we are living in the forest. For the time being we cannot get all the ingredients for cooking. When Laksmana brings all the vegetables, fruits and roots from the forest, Sita will do the necessary cooking.” Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was very much satisfied to hear about the brahmana’s method of worship. Finally the brahmana hastily made arrangements for cooking. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took His lunch at about three o’clock, but the brahmana, being very sorrowful, fasted.
While the brahmana was fasting, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked him, “Why are you fasting? Why are you so unhappy? Why are you so worried?” The brahmana replied, “I have no reason to live. I shall give up my life by entering either fire or water. My dear Sir, mother Sita is the mother of the universe and the supreme goddess of fortune. She has been touched by the demon Ravana, and I am troubled upon hearing this news. Sir, due to my unhappiness I cannot continue living. Although my body is burning, my life is not leaving.
” Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “Please do not think this way any longer. You are a learned pandita. Why don’t you consider the case?”
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu continued, “Sitadevi, the dearmost wife of the Supreme Lord Ramachandra, certainly has a spiritual form full of bliss. No one can see her with material eyes, for no materialist has such power. To say nothing of touching mother Sita, a person with material senses cannot even see her. When Ravana kidnapped her, he kidnapped only her material, illusory form. “As soon as Ravana arrived before Sita, she disappeared. Then just to cheat Ravana she sent an illusory, material form. Spiritual substance is never within the jurisdiction of the material conception. This is always the verdict of the Vedas and Puranas.”
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu then assured the brahmana, “Have faith in My words and do not burden your mind any longer with this misconception.” Although the brahmana was fasting, he had faith in the words of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and accepted food. In this way his life was saved.
After thus assuring the brahmana, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu proceeded further into southern India and finally arrived at Durvasana, where He bathed in the river Kriamala. At Durvasana Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited the temple of Lord Ramachandra, and on the hill known as Mahendra-shaila He saw Lord Parasurama. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu then went to Setubandha [Rameshwara], where He took His bath at the place called Dhanushtirtha. From there He visited the Rameshwara temple and then took rest.
There, among the brahmanas, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu listened to the Kurma Purana, wherein was mentioned the chaste woman’s narration. Srimati Sitadevi is the mother of the three worlds and the wife of Lord Ramachandra. Among chaste women she is supreme, and she is the daughter of King Janaka. When Ravana came to kidnap mother Sita and she saw him, she took shelter of the fire-god, Agni. The fire-god covered the body of mother Sita, and in this way she was protected from the hands of Ravana.
Upon hearing from the Kurma Purana how Ravana had kidnapped a false form of mother Sita, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu became very much satisfied. The fire-god, Agni, took away the real Sita and brought her to the place of Parvati, goddess Durga. An illusory form of mother Sita was then delivered to Ravana, and in this way Ravana was cheated. After Ravana was killed by Lord Ramachandra, Sitadevi was brought before the fire and tested.
When the illusory Sita was brought before the fire by Lord Ramachandra, the fire-god made the illusory form disappear and delivered the real Sita to Lord Ramachandra.
When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard this story, He was very much pleased, and He remembered the words of Ramadasa Vipra. Indeed, when Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard these conclusive statements from the Kurma Purana, He felt great happiness. After asking the brahmanas’ permission, He took possession of those manuscript leaves. Since the Kurma Purana was very old, the manuscript was also very old. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took possession of the original leaves in order to have direct evidence. The text was copied onto new leaves in order that the Purana be replaced.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu returned to southern Mathura [Madurai] and delivered the original manuscript of the Kurma Purana to Ramadasa Vipra. “When he was petitioned by mother Sita, the fire-god, Agni, brought forth an illusory form of Sita, and Ravana, who had ten heads, kidnapped the false Sita. The original Sita then went to the abode of the fire-god. When Lord Ramachandra tested the body of Sita, it was the false, illusory Sita that entered the fire. At that time the fire-god brought the original Sita from his abode and delivered her to Lord Ramachandra.” Ramadasa Vipra was very much pleased to receive the original leaf manuscript of the Kurma Purana, and he immediately fell down before the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and began to cry.
After receiving the manuscript, the brahmana, being very much pleased, said, “Sir, You are Lord Ramachandra Himself and have come in the dress of a sannyasi to give me audience. My dear Sir, You have delivered me from a very unhappy condition. I request that You take Your lunch at my place. Please accept this invitation. Due to my mental distress I could not give You a very nice lunch the other day. Now, by good fortune, You have come again to my home.” Saying this, the brahmana very happily cooked food, and a first-class dinner was offered to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu passed that night in the house of the brahmana. Then, after showing him mercy, the Lord started toward Tamraparni in Pandya-desa.
Yours in service of Lord Krishna,
Stoka Krishna Dasa.
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please tell me about the materiel happiness and the spiritual happiness and there deffrient
There is no material happiness. The material world is a temporary place full of misery, anxiety and death. There is no happiness whatsoever in the material world. Maya is the illusion that we can be happy in the material world. So there is no happiness in the material world. Only the illusion that we can be happy. Happiness in the material world is an illusion. There is no real happiness in the material world.
Spiritual happiness is experienced not directly exactly. A devotee is happy when his service makes Krishna or Krishna’s pure devotees happy. So we become happy if our service makes Krishna happy. So it is Krishna’s happiness that we want and if Krishna is happy with our service then we will naturally feel transcendental bliss.
Spiritual happiness has to be experienced. It can not be explained to a materialist who will try and put it within some materialistic understanding. But spiritual happiness is completely different from anything that can be experienced in the material world.
Krishna consciousness is an ever-increasing ocean of transcendental bliss. So if we become Krishna conscious actually we will enter into this ever-increasing ocean of transcendental bliss.
The only way to understand spiritual happiness is to experience it. So become Krishna conscious and experience it…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hare Krishna,
madhusiva dasa and all devotees,
Iam reading this great story of Shri Ramadasa Vipra in the morning,its feels really great,spiritually,thank you very much.
now my HUMBLE request to Shri madhusiva dasa is that please publish Sirla Prabhupada original books in Hindi also as large number of people prefer to read and can ONLY read books in hindi as this is the main language in india.For example my mother,my younger brother can read and understand only Hindi.so please publish books in hindi also.
i think more readers like me must be of same view.its true iskon in delhi where i live has most of the books in hindi and other languages also but as i know that those books are edited,replacing Sirla Prabhupada words,those are of no use for me,why i should read words of people who have to perfect themselves.i know being perfect is not the issue with them because it takes time if someone practices.to be humble and surrendered like the devotees of Krishna.org is important.in fact humble people like you will never edit Shri Prabhupada original text,its like editing words of Shri Krishna because SIRLA PRABHUPADA tells and gives what shri krishna has said.
please consider this request, hari bol
hare krishna,
jai sirla prabhupada, hari bol
Hare Krishna Gaurav
Prabhupada’s original books are in English Prabhu. If you want to read Prabhupada’s original books then you have to read the English books. Because as soon as the books are translated into another language they can not be Prabhupada’s original books. So for those devotees who can not or will not learn to read English the translations are available in Hindi and so many other languages. But translations can never be the original books. So if the people refuse to read the English books then we can encourage them to read the Hindi or whatever other language. Prabhupada sometimes uses the analogy, “A blind uncle is better than no uncle at all.” So we have to see like that. There may be some imperfections in the translations but at least the translations are available…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Srila Prabhupada said
“distirbute as many books, in as many laguages, around the whole world” So that should bring you to sense, that the translation with the same meaning is also original. There is no difference. Prabhupada also said that Krishna considers the intention, not the grammar.
So Guarav Dogra, please don’t be depressed any longer. Your sincere translation would be surely appreciated by Srila Prabhupada and Krishna Himself. Hare Krishna, my obeisances to you and other devotees.
Thank you for sharing the Lila, Madhudvisa Prabhu. I don’t see the reference. Where is it from? The source where Stoka Krishna Prabhu took it?
Hare Krishna Filip
A translation will NEVER be the original.
Prabhupada’s original books are the ones he wrote in English. Translation will always be a translation of the original and will be subject to the realization of the translator. Otherwise why are there thousands of completely useless translations of Bhagavad-gita? Why Srila Prabhupada had to write “Bhagavad-gita As It Is” even though there were already thousands of translations of Bhagavad-gita in English? That is because the thousands of existing translations of Bhagavad-gita were all useless. Because they had all been made by individuals who had their own ideas and opinions which they injected into their ‘translations’ of Bhagavad-gita. So as soon as someone injects his personal opinion or idea into a ‘translation’ it becomes useless.
So the validity of a translation depends on the authority and the realization of the translator.
Not all translations are good. It depends on the quality of the translator as to how accurately and truly he can render the subject matter in a different language. And no matter how perfect and pure the translator may be the translation will NEVER be the original. The translation will always be a translation of the original.
So serious followers of Srila Prabhupada should learn English and read Prabhupada’s original books in English. Of course we need to translate all of Prabhupada’s books into all of the languages of the world and distribute to everyone. But that does not mean that the translations become the original books…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna,
can you tell me something about Sudama?
I want to read complete life story of Sri Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu on net. Where can I get it?
Teachings of Lord Caitanya online:
http://prabhupadabooks.com/?g=155634
Hare Krishna ..
Is there Hindi translation is available of above books on net
Not as far as I know. You should read the English. Prabhupada preached in English.
There are some Prabhupada lectures in Hindi however available on the net:
https://krishna.org/new-prabhupada-hindi-classes-high-quality-mp3s/
Hare Krishna