Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya-lila Chapter 18 Verse 145

Madhya-līlā | Chapter 18: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's Visit to Śrī Vṛndāvana

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 18.145

māgha-māsa lāgila, ebe yadi yāiye

makare prayāga-snāna kata dina pāiye

SYNONYMS

māgha-māsa lāgila — the month of Māgha has begun; ebe — now; yadi — if; yāiye — we go; makare — during the Makara-sańkrānti; prayāga-snāna — bathing at Prayāga; kata dina — for a few days; pāiye — we shall get.

TRANSLATION

"It is now the beginning of the month of Māgha. If we go to Prayāga at this time, we shall have an opportunity to bathe for a few days during Makara-sańkrānti."

PURPORT

Bathing during the month of Māgha at the Māgha-melā still takes place. This is a very old melā (assembly), dating from time immemorial. It is said that ever since the Lord in the form of Mohinī took a bucket of nectar and kept it at Prayāga, holy men have gathered there every year and observed the Māgha-melā. Every twelfth year there is a Kumbha-melā, a great festival, and all the holy men from all over India assemble there. The brāhmaṇa wanted to take advantage of the Māgha-melā and bathe there.

Bathing at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamunā, near the fort at Allahabad (Prayāga), is mentioned in the revealed scriptures:

māghe māsi gamiṣyanti gańgā-yāmuna-sańgamam

gavāḿ śata-sahasrasya samyag dattaḿ ca yat-phalam

prayāge māgha-māse vai try-ahaḿ snātasya tat-phalam

"If one goes to Prayāga and bathes at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamunā in the month of Māgha, he attains the result of giving hundreds and thousands of cows in charity. Simply by bathing for three days there, he attains the results of such a pious activity." Because of this, the Sanoḍiyā brāhmaṇa was very eager to go to Prayāga and bathe. Generally karmīs (fruitive laborers) take advantage of bathing there during the month of Māgha, thinking that they will be rewarded in the future. Those who are situated in devotional service do not very strictly follow this karma-kāṇḍīya process.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness