Texts 37-38] Pastimes of the Lord in His Youth 277
TRANSLATION
Thus the nonbelievers almost burned to ashes and died in envy. Yo retaliate, they
planned various ways to give trouble to Srivasa Thakura.
TEXTS 37-38
aatia fae), ar— caterer or attey’ |
*Htafeciata He gq, tote Nea NH
SAT YoA NA AT Meas} |
Tew Barcny ete ala certian ow i
eka-dina vipra, nama—— ‘gopala caépaia’
pasandi-pradhdana sei durmukha, vacala
bhavani-piijdra saba sdmagri lafia
ratre $rivasera dvare sthana lepana
SYNONYMS
eka-dinag—one day; vipra—one bradhmana; ndma—named; gopdla cépcla—of the
name Gopala Capala; pasandi-pradhdna—the chief of the nonbelievers; se/—he;
durmukha—ferocious, using strong words; vacd/a—talkative; bhavdni-puijdre—for
worshiping the goddess Bhavani; saba—all ; s@magri—ingredients, paraphernalia; /aria—
taking; rétre—at night; srivasera—of Srivasa Thakura; dv@re—on the door; sthana—
the place; /epa7id—smearing.
TRANSLATION
One night while kirtana was going on inside Srivasa Thakura’s house, a brahmana
named Gopala Capala, the chief of the nonbelievers, who was talkative and very
rough in his speech, placed all the paraphernalia for worshiping the goddess Durga
outside Srivasa Thakura’s door.
PURPORT
This brahmana, Gopala Capala, wanted to defame Srivasa Thakura by proving
that he was actually asgkta, or a worshiper of Bhavani, the goddess Durga, but was
externally posing as a Vaisnava. In Bengal there is perpetual competition between
the devotees of goddess Kali and the devotees of Lord Krsna. Generally Bengalis,
especially those who are meat-eaters and drunkards, are very much attached to
worshiping the goddesses Durga, Kali, Sitala and Candi. Such devotees, who are
known as $aktas, or worshipers of the saké/-fattva, are always envious of Vaignavas.
Since Srivasa Thakura was a well-known and respected Vaisnava in Navadvipa,
Gopala Capala wanted to reduce his prestige by bringing him down to the platform
