Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya # 28

28

Sarvabhauma examines the body lying on the ground with meticulous care. He immediately realizes that the coma has indeed put all external consciousness to sleep. Since the stranger collapsed right in front of the altar and the incident interrupted the service, Sarvabhauma has him transported to his own apartments near the temple. Above all, he hopes to be more at ease to examine the stranger, as his expert eyes have perceived several extraordinary details.

Upon arriving home, he grows worried; Chaitanya shows no signs of life. He is no longer breathing... He then takes a feather and places it before the nostrils. Thank God, the down trembles under an almost imperceptible breath. Reassured, he keeps watch over him. He is in admiration of this young beggar crushed under the yoke of spiritual emotions, the prerogative of souls in great union with the Lord.

Meanwhile, the group of devotees Chaitanya had left behind when he hastened his pace to see Lord Jagannath arrives at one of the temple entrances. People are still talking about this delirious sannyasi who was taken to Sarvabhauma’s house.

By chance, they meet one of their friends, Gopinath, who is also searching for Chaitanya. Since he is the brother-in-law of the famous exegete, they all go to his home. They find their master still unconscious and immediately begin a kirtane under the intrigued eyes of their host, Sarvabhauma.

Gopinath, who is a disciple of Chaitanya, explains the origin of his relationship with him to Sarvabhauma: they attended the school of Nadia together. Upon hearing this, when Sarvabhauma understands that Chaitanya comes from the same city as he does, his interest grows. And when he further learns that he is the son of one of his father’s friends for whom he has great esteem, a spontaneous affection for Chaitanya manifests.

However, he does not look favorably upon the veneration offered to this sannyasi fresh out of Nadia, a veneration he deems exaggerated. Above all, he finds it aberrant that his brother-in-law and his companions consider Chaitanya as God personified!

He does not make much of a case of it, as it is common in this country to honor one's guru as a divine representation. The plethora of incarnations, he thinks, or even the intricacies of their human manifestations, do not make things easy for these credulous people. Nevertheless, he is fascinated by the group, even if the way Gopinath goes about bringing Chaitanya out of his coma makes him even more skeptical: sitting near the master, he sings these words into his ear: "Haribol, Haribol!" (chant the name of Hari).

To Sarvabhauma’s great astonishment, Chaitanya shows signs of life. He gradually regains consciousness. "Where am I?" he asks. Then Gopinath tells him how he ended up in the house of the venerable Bhattacharya, the temple director.

Upon making his acquaintance, Chaitanya accepts the hospitality offered by his host to stay in his home as long as he wishes. From there, it is true that they will be able to visit the temple every day at their convenience.

Next chapter : The relations grow complicated # 29
Preceding chapter : Jagannath, Lord of the Universe # 27