THE STORY OF AMOGHA
Scene I- Continued from the end of "Lord Caitanya bids Farewell to the Bengali devotees.
SARVABHAUMA
My dear Lord, since all the Vaisnavas have now returned to Bengal I request
that You kindly take lunch at my house every day for the next month.
LORD CAITANYA
This is not posible, it is completely against the religious principles of a sannyasi.
SARVABHAUMA
In that case, I request that You please come to my house for the next twenty days.
LORD CAITANYA
Bhattacarya, it is not a religious principle of the renounced order. I shall accept lunch at your house for one day only.
SARVABHAUMA
O Lord, please be merciful to me. After many millions of lifetimes I have achieved Your association. Do not treat me in such a way.
LORD CAITANYA
What can I say to you? Whgat will become of my regulative principles? Because I cannot refuse you I will accept lunch at you house for five days.
SARVABHAUMA
Please come this very day at noon, so that we may perovide food for You. (EXIT)
SCENE II
The house of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya.
On stage: Sarvabhauma and wife making preparations.
SARVABHAUMA
Quickly now, is all prepared? It is almost noon and the Lord will be here very soon. Yes, you have done very well. I am sure the Lord will be very pleased to accept such nice preparations that have been offered to the Lord.
I only hope that our son in low, Amogha does not decide to come here. That rascal is very envious of the Lord and is always looking for some chance to find fault. But if he shows his face here today, I will give him a sound beating that he will never forget in a long time.
ENTER SRI CAITANYA MAHAPRABHU
My Lord, there is no limit to Your mercy, for You are willing to come to the house of this unfortunate non-devotee.
?The story of Amogha?
He washes the Lord's feet.
(Sarva) Now, my Lord,please come and accept prasadam.
LORD CAITANYA
This is ???????????????. How was this arrangement of rice and vegetables finished within six hours? Even a hundered men cooking ?? a hundered ???? could not possibly finish all these preparations within so short time. ????? the food has already been offered to Krsna since I see that there are tulasi flowers on the plates. You are most fortunate and your endeavour is successful, for you have offered such a wonderful food to Radha and Krsna. Now take away Krsna's sitting place and give Me prasada on a different plate.
SARVABHAUMA
It is not so wonderful, my Lord. Everything has been made possible by the mercy of He who will eat the food. Now please sit in this place and take lunch.
LORD CAITANYA
This place is worshipable because it was used by Krsna.
SARVABHAUMA
Both the food and the sitting place are the Lord's mercy. If you can eat the remnants of the food, what is the offense in Your sitting in this place?
LORD CAITANYA
Yes, you have spoken correctly - the sastras enjoin that the devotees can partake of everything left by Krsna, but there is so much food here that it is impossible to eat.
SARVABHAUMA
I know how much You can eat. Here in Jagannatha Puri You eat hundreds of buckets of prasada 52 times a day and in Dvaraka You eat daily in 16,000 different places. At the Govardhana-puja ceremony You ate stacks of rice, in comparison to which this in not even a morsel for You. You are the Supreme Prsonality of Godhead whereas I am a most insignificant living being. Therefore You may accept a little quantity of food from my house.
LORD CAITANYA SITS DOWN TO EAT. BHATTACARYA IS GUARDING THE DOOR.
BUT WHILE HE IS SERVING THE LORD, AMOGHA ENTERS.
AMOGHA
This much food is sufficient to satisfy ten or twelve men but this sannyasi alone is eating so much.
SARVABHAUMA
Alas, the Lord has been blasphemed in my house. Now I will teach you a lesson ?????
HE TAKES A STICK AND CHASES AMOGHA OUT, THEN HE RETURNS.
This Amogha is lower than a street-dog. Alas, alas, that ever my daughter was given to such an abominable person.
ENTER Wife.
WIFE
My dear husband, what great calamity has occured here in the Lord's presence?
SARVABHAUMA
Blasphemy! The Lord, whilst taking prasada has been critisized by our most abominable son-in-law, Amogha.
WIFE
What! How could such a calamity befall us? Now with all my heart I pray that my daughter Sathi will soon become a widow.
LORD CAITANYA
My dear Bhattacarya, do not ??ment so bitterly. Pacify yourself now that I have taken prasada at your house as you desired.
BHATTACARYA BRINGS HIM SPICES, SANDALWOOD AND A GARLAND.
SARVABHAUMA
I have invited You to my house only to have You blasphemed. This is a great offense. Please excuse me. I beg Your pardon.
LORD CAITANYA
What Amogha has said is correct, therefore it is not blasphemy. What is your offense? Now I must depart, but I request please do not take this incident seriously and reproach yourself.
SARVABHAUMA
O Mahaprabhu, I surely have committed a great offense against You. I am the lowest of men and am certainly not fit to serve You.
LORD CAITANYA
There is no offense. Now please, I beg you, do not take this matter so seriously. (EXIT)
SARVABHAUMA
If the man who blashemed Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is killed or if I give up my own life, this sinful action may be atoned. However neither of these ideas are befitting because both bodies belong to brahmanas. Instead I shall avoid the face of that blasphemer. I shall never even speak his name. Inform my daughter Sathi to abandon relationship with her husband because he has fallen down. For when a husband is fallen, his relationship must be given up. This offense I have committed to the Lord grieves my heart so greatly.
CURTAIN
SCENE III
Front curtains.
ON STAGE Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu chanting japa.
ENTER Gopinatha Acarya
LORD CAITANYA
My dear Govinda, please tell Me what is happening at the house of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya. Both he and his wife were greatly afflicted at My being criticised yesterday by their son-in-law, Amogha.
GOPINATHA ACARYA
My Lord here is a great wonder. Both Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and his wife are staying in their house and fasting, while Amogha has fallen sick with cholera and is now dying.
LORD CAITANYA
This is all most disturbing. I must go immediately to Amogha's house.
CURTAIN OPENS OF AMOGHA'S HOUSE. AMOGHA IN BED.
LORD CAITANYA PLACES HIS HAND ON AMOGHA'S CHEST.
LORD CAITANYA
The heart of a brahmana is by nature very clean, therefore it is a proper place for Krsna to sit. Why have you allowed jelousy to sit here also, making yourself like a candala? However, because of your association with Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, all your contamination is now vanquished and you are now able to chant the holy name of the Lord. Get up Amogha and chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. If you do so Krsna will certainly bestow His mercy upon you.
?????
AMOGHA GETS UP AND BEGINS TO CHANT AND DANCE.
Lord Caitanya ?????.
AMOGHA
O merciful Lord, please excuse my offense. By this mouth I have blasphemed You.
HE SLAPS HIS MOUTH UNTIL GOPINATHA ACARYA STOPS HIM.
LORD CAITANYA
You are the object of My affection because you are the son-in-law of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya. Everyone in his house is very dear to Me, including his maids, his servants and even his dog. Amogha, always chant the holy name of the Lord and do not commit any further offenses.
AMOGHA
My Lord, I am the most abominabe person and surely I was destined to die of cholera due to my offenses at Your lotus feet. But not only have You saved me from death, out of Your causeless mercy, You have delivered love of God to me.
certainly You are the most merciful of all incarnations, for You are freely giving the priceless gift of love of God even to the lowest of men.
LORD CAITANYA
Surely Krsna has saved you from the most abominable existance, due to His causeless mercy upon you. Now, Gopinatha, go to the house of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and tell him to give up all his lamentation. For this Amogha who was formerly a most offensive person in now chanting the holy name of the Lord and has become a most exalted devotee.
END