288 Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta

existing. Sivananda Sena was the father of Paramananda Sena, who was also known
as Puridasa or Karnaptra. Paramananda Sena wrote in his Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika
(176) that two of the gopis of Vendavana, whose former names were Vira and
Diiti, combined to become his father. Srila Sivananda Sena guided all the devotees
of Lord Caitanya who went from Bengal to Jagannatha Puri, and he personally bore
all the expenses for their journey. This is described in the Madhyca-lild, Chapter Six-
teen, verses 19 through 26. Srila Sivananda Sena had three sons, named Caitanya
dasa, Ramadasa and Paramananda. This last son later became Kavikarnapura, and
he is the author of Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika. His spiritual master was Srinatha
Pandita, who was Sivananda Sena’s priest. Due to Vasudeva Datta’s lavish spending,
Sivananda Sena was engaged to supervise his expenditures.

Sri Sivananda Sena actually experienced Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s features of
sdksat, Gvesa and avirbhdava. He once picked up a dog while on his way to J agannatha
Puri, and it is described in the Antya-/i/a, First Chapter, that this dog later attained
salvation by his association. When Srila Raghunatha dasa, who later became
Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, fled his paternal home to join Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
his father wrote a letter to Sivananda Sena to get information about him. Sivananda
Sena supplied him the details for which he asked, and later Raghunatha dasa
Gosvami’s father sent some servants and money to Sivananda Sena to take care of
Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. Once Sri Sivananda Sena invited Lord Caitanya Maha-
prabhu to his home and fed Him so sumptuously that the Lord felt indigestion and
was somewhat sick. This became known to his son, who gave the Lord some medicine
for His digestion, and thus Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very pleased. This is
described in the Antya-/ild, Tenth Chapter, verses 124 through 151.

Once while going to Jagannatha Puri all the devotees had to stay underneath a
tree, without the shelter of a house or even a shed, and Nityananda Prabhu became
very angry, as if He were greatly disturbed by hunger. Thus He cursed Sivananda’s
sons to die. Sivananda’s wife was very much aggrieved at this, and she began to cry.
She very seriously thought that since her sons had been cursed by Nityananda
Prabhu, certainly they would die. When Sivananda later returned and saw his wife
crying, he said, ‘Why are you crying? Let us all die if Sri Nityananda Prabhu de-
sires.”” When Sivananda Sena returned and Srila Nityananda Prabhu saw him, the
Lord kicked him severely, complaining that He was very hungry, and asked why he
did riot arrange for His food. Such is the behavior of the Lord with His devotees.
Srila Nityananda Prabhu behaved like an ordinary hungry man, as if completely
dependent on the arrangements of Sivananda Sena.

There was a nephew of Sivananda Sena’s named Srikanta who left the company
in protest of Nityananda Prabhu’s curse and went directly to Sri Caitanya Maha-
prabhu at Jagannatha Puri, where the Lord pacified him. On that occasion, Lord
Caitanya Mahaprabhu allowed His toe to be sucked by Puridasa, who was then a
child. It is by the order of Caitanya Mahaprabhu that he could immediately com-
pose Sanskrit verses. During the misunderstanding with Sivananda’s family, Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu ordered His personal attendant Govinda to give them all the
remnants of His fuodstuffs. This is described in the Antya-khanda, Chapter
Twelve, verse 53.
