Every year, Srila Shivananda Sena led the devotees of Bengal on the long walk to Jagannatha Puri, arranging their lodging and paying every toll along the way. One year he was delayed at a tax post while the rest of the party went ahead, so he could not arrange a residence in time. Nityananda Prabhu was hungry and displeased at the disorder. He called Shivananda names, and when Shivananda arrived, He kicked him in anger. It is one of the best-known moments in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita's account of that pilgrimage. What it did to one boy standing nearby is told less often. This boy loved Shivananda Sena very much. He was Shivananda's nephew, Shrikanta.
An Uncle Kicked, A Nephew Offended #
Shivananda Sena himself took the kick as the highest mercy: he touched Nityananda Prabhu's feet, arranged a milkman's house as the Lord's residence within moments, and later told Nityananda directly that being chastised by Him was the fulfillment of his whole life (Antya 12.24-30). But "Shivananda Sena's nephew, Shrikanta, the son of his sister, felt offended, and he commented on the matter when his uncle was absent" (Antya 12.34). What he said, to whoever was near him, was blunt: "My uncle is well known as one of the associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, but Lord Nityananda Prabhu asserts His superiority by kicking him" (Antya 12.35).
It is a very human line. The young man could not yet see such a scolding as a sign of closeness. His uncle saw grace in it, but Shrikanta saw only insult. Chaitanya-charitamrita does not soften it or apologize for him. It simply records that "after saying this, Shrikanta, who was only a boy, left the group and traveled on alone to the residence of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu" (Antya 12.36). He walked ahead of the whole pilgrim party, by himself. He did not stay with the people whose devotion he had just quietly judged.
Arriving Still In His Traveling Clothes #
When Shrikanta reached the Lord's residence at Puri, he was still dressed for the road. He was wearing the shirt and coat (petangi) that travelers wore. Such garments were forbidden near the Deity or when offering obeisances. Govinda, the Lord's personal attendant, noticed this immediately: "My dear Shrikanta, first take off these garments" (Antya 12.37). Before Shrikanta could respond, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spoke up for him: "Don't bother him. Let Shrikanta do whatever he likes, for he has come here in a distressed state of mind" (Antya 12.38). This is a small but clear example of the Lord's own character. No one had told Him that anything was wrong, yet He noticed the boy's inner state. And in that moment He chose to be gentle, instead of insisting on what was correct.
Naming Everyone, Except One Thing #
Once Shrikanta had settled, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu "inquired from Shrikanta about all the Vaishnavas, and the boy informed the Lord about them, naming them one after another" (Antya 12.39), an ordinary, even pleasant exchange, a boy giving the Lord news of home. But it was the Lord's earlier remark, "he has come here in a distressed state of mind," that stayed with Shrikanta: "when Shrikanta Sena heard the Lord say 'He is distressed,' he could understand that the Lord is omniscient" (Antya 12.40). Having grasped that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu already knew everything without being told, Shrikanta made a choice of his own: "As he described the Vaishnavas, therefore, he did not mention Lord Nityananda's kicking Shivananda Sena" (Antya 12.41).
That single omission is the real turning point of the episode. The same boy had walked away from the party in protest. He had been unable to see anything but injury in what Nityananda Prabhu had done. Now he arrived at Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's feet and chose silence about the very thing that had upset him. No one told him to be silent. But he was in the Lord's presence, and he understood that the Lord knew everything. So the complaint now felt small. Soon after, the rest of the devotees arrived, Shivananda Sena among them, and the Lord received them in turn. The pilgrimage went on as it always had. The incident was never settled in words. It was simply taken in and let go, as many small disagreements inside a loving family are.
Read Alongside #
Before this episode, Shrikanta held a kirtan role, singing in Ratha-yatra's parties under Mukunda Datta, with Haridasa Thakura dancing before him. That story is told in A Nephew's Place In The Kirtan Party.
