Departure of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s Son

I am unable to describe the glories of Śrīvāsa’s good fortune. There is no end to the good fortune of even his servants and maidservants. One day, as the Lord was dancing in the house of Śrīvāsa, the devotees headed by Śrīvāsa happily engaged in saṅkīrtana. By the arrangement of providence, the ladies watched the son of Śrīvāsa leave his body because of some disease. As Śrī Śacīnandana was dancing in ecstasy, the sound of crying filled the house of Śrīvāsa. Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita therefore immediately went inside the room and found that his son had left his body. Being most sober and conversant with the intricacies of spiritual science, Śrīvāsa began to solace the ladies. “You all know the glories of Kṛṣṇa. Control your crying and pacify your minds. A person who even once hears the name of Kṛṣṇa at the time of death attains the abode of Kṛṣṇa, even if he is most sinful. That Lord is now personally dancing here, and His servants headed by Brahmā are glorifying His qualities. Is it proper to lament for a person who leaves his body at such a time? If I can ever become as fortunate as this child, I will consider my life successful. If you cannot check these familial emotions, then at least cry to your satisfaction later. Don’t let anyone else hear about this incident; otherwise, the Lord’s happiness from dancing will be disturbed. If by hearing your commotion the Lord regains His external consciousness, then I will certainly drown myself today in the Ganges.” After hearing Śrīvāsa’s words, the ladies became pacified. Śrīvāsa then returned to the Lord’s saṅkīrtana. As Śrīvāsa participated with great ecstasy in the saṅkīrtana, his exceptional happiness repeatedly increased. Such are the glories of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, who was the most qualified among Lord Caitanya’s associates. Gauracandra danced in His own ecstatic mood. After some time, He and the devotees stopped the kīrtana. Gradually word spread among the devotees that Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s son had departed for Vaikuṇṭha. Still, no one disclosed this news to the Lord. They all kept their feelings of distress in their hearts. Śrī Gaurasundara, the crest-jewel of omniscient persons, placed a question before everyone present there. The Lord said, “I can’t explain how I feel today. Has some distress entered the house of Śrīvāsa?” Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita replied, “O Lord, what distress could I have when Your pleasing lotus face is present in my house?” Eventually, the devotees informed the Lord of what had happened to Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s son. The Lord gravely asked, “How long ago did this happen?” He was then informed that the incident occurred early in the evening. Fearing that Your ecstasy would be disturbed, Śrīvāsa did not inform anyone about this. It is nearly seven and a half hours since the child left his body. Now please give us permission to perform the last rites.”
On hearing about Śrīvāsa’s wonderful activities, the Lord remembered Govinda. The Lord said, “How will I give up such association?” Speaking these words, Mahāprabhu began to cry. “How will I give up the association of one who did not lament for his son out of love for Me?” After speaking in this way, Mahāprabhu cried profusely. The devotees became thoughtful on hearing Him speak of renunciation. The devotees discussed among themselves, but they could not understand when such a calamity would occur. They concluded that the Lord sighed deeply and cried loudly because He would eventually leave household life and accept sannyāsa. When the Lord became somewhat pacified on seeing the child, He prepared to take the child for performing its last rites. The Lord then asked the dead child, “Why are you leaving Śrīvāsa’s house?” The child replied, “O Lord, this is the destiny arranged by You. Who has the power to change it?” All the devotees were struck with wonder to hear the dead child reply to the Lord’s question. The child said, “I stayed and enjoyed as long as I was destined to live in this body. That destined time is now completed, so I cannot remain longer. Now I am going to another predestined body. My destined time in this body is finished, so I cannot stay. Be merciful so that I may not forget You. O Lord, who is anyone’s father and who is anyone’s son? Everyone enjoys the fruits of his own karma. As long as I had the good fortune, I lived at the house of Śrīvāsa. Now I am going to the house of someone else. I offer my obeisances at the feet of You and Your associates. Please do not consider my offenses. I am leaving now.”
After speaking in this way, the child’s body became silent. Such are the wonderful pastimes of Lord Gaurāṅga. After hearing those extraordinary topics from the mouth of the dead child, the devotees all floated in an ocean of bliss. Śrīvāsa’s family members forgot their lamentation and distress for their child and became agitated in ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. In their ecstatic love, Śrīvāsa and his family members caught hold of the Lord’s feet and began to cry. “Birth after birth, You are our father, mother, son, and master. May we never forget Your lotus feet. O Lord, it does not matter where we take birth, but may we always have loving devotion for Your lotus feet.” As the four brothers offered humble words at the Lord’s feet, the devotees in the four directions began to cry loudly. The sound of crying in ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa arose in the four directions as the entire house of Śrīvāsa became filled with love for Kṛṣṇa. The Lord said, “Listen, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita! You know well the nature of material existence. The miseries of material existence do not affect you. Even one who sees you is not affected by such miseries. Nityānanda and I are your two sons, so you should no longer feel any grief in your heart.” On hearing these most compassionate words from the lotus mouth of the Lord, the devotees in the four directions chanted, “Jaya! Jaya!” The Lord and His associates then performed kīrtana as they took the child to the bank of the Ganges. After performing the appropriate rituals and taking bath in the Ganges, they returned home while chanting the names of Kṛṣṇa. The Lord and the devotees returned to their respective homes, and Śrīvāsa’s family became overwhelmed. One who hears these confidential topics will certainly attain the wealth of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. I offer my obeisances at the feet of Śrīvāsa, whose sons were Gauracandra and Nityānanda. These wonderful pastimes took place in Navadvīpa. The devotees accept them, but the nondevotees do not. The topics of the Madhya-khaṇḍa are most extraordinary, for a dead child’s narration on spiritual topics is included among them. In this way, Śrī Gaurasundara continually enjoyed the happiness of saṅkīrtana in Navadvīpa.
(Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.024 – 25.085)