376
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta
[Ādi-līlā, Ch. 17]
expressed His regret, saying, “Why was this news not given to Me before?” He went to the place where the son was lying dead and asked him, “My dear boy, why are you leaving the house of Śrīvāsa Thākura?” The dead son immediately replied, “I was living in this house as long as I was destined to live here. Now that the time is over, I am going elsewhere, according to Your direction. I am Your eternal servant, a dependent living being. I must act only according to Your desire. Beyond Your desire, I cannot do anything. I have no such power.” Hearing these words of the dead son, all the members of Śrīvāsa Thākura’s family received transcendental knowledge. Thus there was no cause for lamentation. This transcendental knowledge is described in  Bhagavad-gītā  (2.13).  Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati : when someone dies, he accepts another body; therefore sober persons do not lament. After the discourse between the dead boy and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, funeral ceremonies were performed, and Lord Caitanya assured Śrīvāsa Thākura, “You have lost one son, but Nityānanda Prabhu and I are your eternal sons. We shall never be able to give up your company.” This is an instance of a transcendental relationship with Kṛṣṇa. We have eternal transcendental relationships with Kṛṣṇa as His servants, friends, fathers, sons or conjugal lovers. When the same relationships are pervertedly reflected in this material world, we have relationships as the sons, fathers, friends, lovers, masters or servants of others, but all these relationships are subject to termination within a definite period. If we revive our relationship with Kṛṣṇa, however, by the grace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, our eternal relationship will never break to cause our lamentation.
TEXT 230
তবে ত’ করিলা সব ভক্তে বর দান।
উচ্ছিষ্ট দিয়া শারাস্ত্রীর করিল সন্মান ॥ ২৩ ॥
tabe ta’ karilā saba bhakte vara dāna ucchiṣṭa diyā nārāyaṇīra karila sammāna
SYNONYMS
tabe —thereafter;  ta’ —certainly;  karilā —did;  saba bhakte —unto all devotees;  vara —benediction;  dāna —charity;  ucchiṣṭa —food remnants;  diyā —giving;  nārāyaṇīra —of Nārāyaṇī;  karila —did;  sammāna —respect.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter the Lord charitably bestowed His benediction upon all His devotees. He gave the remnants of His food to Nārāyaṇī, showing her special respect.
PURPORT
Nārāyaṇī was a niece of Śrīvāsa Thākura, and later she became the mother of Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Thākura. In this connection the  sahajiyās  cite a malicious story that after eating the remnants of Lord Caitanya’s foodstuff Nārāyaṇī became