Text 56) Lord Caitanya's Childhood Pastimes 161

TRANSLATION

“They will be learned, clever and young and possess abundant wealth and rice.
Not only that, but you will each have seven sons, who will all live long lives and be
very intelligent.”

PURPORT

Generally it is the ambition of a young girl to have a very handsome husband
who is learned, clever, young and rich. According to the Vedic culture, one is rich
if he possesses a large stock of food grains and a very large number of animals,
Dhaényena dhanavén gavayé dhanavén: one is rich if he possesses food grains, cows
and bulls. A girl also desires to have many children, especially sons (putra) who are
very intelligent and long living. Now there is propaganda to have one or two chil-
drenand kill the rest by contraceptive methods because society has deteriorated. But
the natural ambition of a girl is to possess not only more than one child but at least
half a dozen.

In exchange for the paraphernalia of worship He usurped for Himself, Caitanya
Mahaprabhu wanted to bless the girls to fulfill all their ambitions and desires. One
can easily become happy and obtain the material benefits of a good husband,
wealth, food grains and a number of nice children by worshiping Lord Caitanya
Mahaprabhu. Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted sannydsa at an early age,
it is not necessary for His devotees to follow Him by also taking sannydsa. One can
stay a householder, but one must be a devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Then
one will be happy, with all the material opulences of a good home, good children,
good mate, good wealth and everything he desires. Therefore the Sastras advise,
yajfiai sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah (Bhag. 11.5.32). Every house-
holder, therefore, who is actually intelligent should introduce the sarkirtana move-
ment home to home and five peacefully in this life and go back to Godhead in the
next.

TEXT 56
aa Sie SHiaceta macs ACBla |
atfaca Se Ha aca fa’ foes carvan ew i

vara suni’ kanyd-ganera antare santosa
bGhire bhartsana kare kari’ mithyd rosa

SYNONYMS

vara suni’—hearing the benediction; kanydé-ganera—of the girls; antare—within;
santosa—very much satisfaction; bahire—externally; bhartsana—rebuking; kare—they
do; kari’—making; mithyd—false; rosa—anger.

TRANSLATION

Hearing this benediction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all the girls were inwardly
very happy; but externally, as it is natural for girls, they rebuked the Lord under the
pretense of anger.
