All night He battered His face thus. Swarup, noticing the groaning sound, lighted a lamp, entered the room and saw His face. In intense grief the two brought Him back to His bed and soothed Him. Swarup asked, "Why didst thou do this?" The Master answered, "I could not contain myself in the room in my [love] anxiety. I rushed in search of the door in order to go out very soon. I could not find the door and only knocked my face against the four walls. It was torn, it bled, but still I could not go out."
Then, Swarup in anxiety took counsel of the other bhaktas next day and made Shankar Pandit sleep in the Master's room, nursing His feet. In fear of Shankar He could not leave the room nor knock His face against the walls. These feats Raghunath-das has described in his Chaitanya-staba-kalpa-briksha.
One Baishakh night, when it was full moon, the Master went with His bhaktas to visit the great Jagannáth-vallabh park. The trees and creepers were in full bloom as at Brindában, the green parrots, bees and cuckoos were discoursing [love]. The Zephyr was blowing laden the scent of flowers, and freshening made the tree-tops dance. Under the bright moonlight the plants and creepers blazed in a silvery sheen. Spring pervaded the atmosphere. The sight threw the Master into a rapture. He bade the stanza Lalita labanga latá [of the Git-Govinda, canto ix. verse 6] be sung, and moved up and down dancing with His followers. Passing thus from tree to tree, He came under an Ashoka tree and lo! he beheld Krishna standing there. He rushed to meet Krishna, who disappeared laughing. The Master, losing Krishna after having caught sight of him, fell down in a faint. The odour of Krishna's person filled the garden; it took away the Master's senses, it maddened Him, and He began to sing and hold forth on the verses that Radha, enamoured of the scent of Krishna's body, had addressed to her sakhi.
Swarup and Rámánanda sang, the Master danced in rapture, and thus the night wore on to dawn.
THE LAST CHARGE TO THE APOSTLES
Thrilled with delight, the Master spoke, "Listen, Swarup and Rámánanda Ray! the supreme healer in this iron age is sankirtan of the Name. It is [equivalent to] the Vedic sacrifice, and the true sacrificer in it is rewarded with Krishna's feet. Sankirtan enables us to conquer sin and the world; it creates purity of soul, all kinds of bhakti and devotional practice. Chant the Name at meals, in bed, here there and every where. It is not restricted to a particular place or time, it works everywhere. It bears the name of sarva-shakti (omnipotent).
"Listen, Rámánanda, to the way in which the Name should be recited in order to conceive a passion for it. The devotee, if high of rank, should regard himself as lowly like the grass. He should learn patience from the tree, which does not cry out even when it is cut down and which does not beg for water even when it is perishing of drought, but on the other hand gives away its possessions to all who ask of it, bears sun and rain itself but protects others from them. The Vaishnav, however high, should be free from pride; he should venerate all forms of life as animated by Krishna. Take Krishna's Name thus, and you will be inspired with prem."
As He spoke He was filled with growing meekness of spirit and began to beg for pure bhakti at Krishna's hands. The true devotee, as is the law of love, holds that he has not even a particle of faith in Krishna! "Lord! I ask not for wealth or followers or the gift of poesy. Give me in birth after birth only unreasoning instinctive devotion to God."
In utter lowliness of spirit He proclaimed Himself a worldly-minded creature and prayed to be inspired with a slave's devotion (dásya bhakti). "O Nanda's son! Have pity on this thy servant sunk in the dread ocean (of the World)! Look on me as a particle of dust on thy lotus-feet!" Next, He was seized with the anxiety of humility and begged of Krishna, "Without the wealth of thy love my life is poor and futile. Make me thy slave and give me the treasure of thy love as my wages."
Then came the mood of melancholy-humility: "My eyes are running with tears like the rainy sky. A moment is as long to me as an aeon. The absence of Govinda (Krishna) has made the universe empty to me!"