Text 168]
The Residents of Vārāṇasī Become Vaiṣṇavas
391
SYNONYMS
nija-loka lañā —with His personal associates;  prabhu —Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu;  āilā vāsa-aghara —came to His residential place;  vārāṇasī —the city of Vārāṇasī;  haila —became;  dvitīya —second;  nadīyā-nagara —Navadvīpa (Nadia).
TRANSLATION
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then returned to His residence with His personal associates. Thus He turned the whole city of Vārāṇasī into another Navadvīpa [Nadiyā-nagara].
PURPORT
Both Navadvīpa and Vārāṇasī were celebrated for their highly educational activities. At the present time these cities are still inhabited by great, learned scholars, but Vārāṇasī is especially a center for Māyāvādī  sannyāsīs  who are learned scholars. However, unlike Navadvīpa, there are hardly any devotees in Vārāṇasī. Consequently a discussion of  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  was very rare in Vārāṇasī. In Navadvīpa, such a discussion was quite ordinary. After Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited Vārāṇasī and turned Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī and his disciples into Vaiṣṇavas, Vārāṇasī became like Navadvīpa because so many devotees began discussing  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam . Even at the present moment one can hear many discussions on  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  taking place on the banks of the Canges. Many scholars and  sannyāsīs  gather there to hear  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  and perform  saṅkīrtana .
TEXT 168
নিজগণ লঞ্জা প্রভু কহে হাত্ম করি'।
কাশীতে আমি আইলাঙ বেচিতে ভাবকালি ॥১৬৮॥
nija-gaṇa lañā prabhu kahe hāsya kari' kāśīte āmi āilāṅa vecite bhāvakāli
SYNONYMS
nija-gaṇa lañā —with His personal associates;  prabhu kahe —Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said;  hāsya kari' —laughingly;  kāśīte —in Kāśī;  āmi āilāṅa —I came;  vecite —to sell;  bhāvakāli —emotional ecstatic love.
TRANSLATION
Among His own associates, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu laughingly said, “I came here to sell My emotional ecstatic love.