One day Lord Gauranga, entering the mood of a cowherd damsel, dressed up as a gopi. He wore a bodice, sari, golden ankle bells and conch shell bangles. His eyes swam in rasa. His waist was very attractive and slim as a fist. The unparalleled beauty of the Lord’s gopi dress enchanted the three worlds. The effulgence of His bodily limbs was transcendental. The fragrant malati garlands swinging from His golden neck looked like the celestial Ganges rushing down golden Mount Sumeru. Gaura Nataraja, the king of all dancers, relished various ecstatic moods of prema [divine love] as He danced.
(Sri Caitanya-mangala 2.9, p. 186)
As Lord Visvambhara [Caitanya] put on His gopi dress inside one of the rooms, He became fully absorbed in the mood of Goddess Rukmini. Being absorbed in Her mood, the Lord forgot Himself and considered Himself as the daughter of the Vidarbha king. He then began to write a letter using His tears as ink, the ground as paper and His finger as a pen. He cried as He read Rukmini’s letter consisting of seven verses from the Srimad Bhagavatam. The Supreme Lord becomes the husband of one who hears the purport of those seven verses.
(Sri Caitanya-bhagavata 2.18.70-74)
As Visvambhara danced in the mood of the mother of the universe, His followers sang appropriate songs. No one was certain in which consort’s mood Lord Narayana was dancing. When He inquired, “O brahmana, has Krsna come?” then it was understood that He was in the mood of a young lady of Vidarbha [Rukmini]. When the devotees saw tears of ecstasy flow from His eyes, they considered Him to be the Ganges personified. When He laughed loudly in ecstatic love, He appeared to everyone just like Mahachandi [Durga]. When the Lord staggered about while dancing, He appeared just like Revati [Lord Balarama’s consort] after She had drunk some intoxicating beverage. Another time when He said, “Come, dear old lady, let us go to Vrndavana,” they understood that He was in the mood of a beautiful girl from Gokula [Sri Radha]. When He sat for meditation in the virasana posture, everyone saw Him as the goddess of millions of mystic perfections. As the Lord danced in the dress of Rukmini, He manifested the role of all His various consorts from innumerable universes.
(Sri Caitanya-bhagavata 2.18.138-146)
In Lord Caitanya’s crossdressing pastimes at the home of Candrasekhara, the Lord dressed up as the Supreme Goddess, Nityananda Rama as Paurnamasi [Yogamaya in the form of an elderly woman], Gadadhara Pandita as Rukmini, Brahmananda as Her elderly female companion [Suprabha], Srivasa as Narada Muni, and Srirama as someone who had just bathed. Haridasa was the master of ceremonies and Sriman Prabhu held the torch. Buddhimanta Khan and Sadasiva prepared the costumes and set up the stage. Advaita Acarya came as Himself and the Gopinatha Deity, seated on a throne, served as the play’s hero:
Once, the sense-controlled great Lord with His moon-like face and smile of nectar dressed Himself in sublime women’s attire and performed a drama with His associates in the courtyard of Candrasekhara.
Like a gopi, He wore a beautiful bodice on His chest, bracelets made of tiny conch shells, and a saffron dress around His very slender waist. He danced with sweet lotus feet, celebrated by tinkling ankle bells.
The Lord began to blissfully sing and dance with much energy. Then replete with ecstasy and loveliness, He played the part of the Goddess of fortune. The Goddess humbly approached the Deity form of Krsna in the middle of the temple. She took some jasmine flowers from the Deity with the hem of Her new sari and as She offered them again to Him, Her heart became filled with prema-bhakti-rasa, like the affection of ten million mothers.
A moment later, the Lord entered the all-powerful mood of goddess Durga. The people became enlivened and offered praises by chanting excellent hymns composed by the saints.
Then, the Lord, who is known as the annihilator of the armies of the demons, gave breast milk to those most exalted of godly men. And, as they gazed upon the Supreme Lord, whose beautiful eyes were filled with tender compassion, His associates felt joy.
(Sri Caitanya-carita 2.15-16)
In the mood of a mother, Visvambhara affectionately breast-fed everyone. The Lord personally manifested as the mother of the universe in the form of Kamala, Parvati, Daya, and Maha-Narayani. The Lord confirmed His statement in the Bhagavad Gita (9.17), “I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support, and the grandsire.” All those Vaishnavas, who had been most fortunate for millions of lifetimes, now blissfully drank milk from the Lord’s breast. By drinking the Lord’s breast milk, their feelings of separation were mitigated and they became greatly maddened in the mellows of ecstatic love.
(Sri Caitanya-bhagavata 2.18.203-208)
Sri Gadadhara Pandita’s crossdressing dance and inner identity as Sri Radha are also described very nicely as follows:
Gadadhara danced wonderfully in the dress of Rama [Rukmini], the Goddess of fortune, as his companion sang appropriate songs. Who would not become overwhelmed and cry on seeing the dancing of Gadadhara? Drenched by tears of love flowing like a river from Gadadhara’s eyes, the earth considered herself fortunate. Gadadhara appeared like the personification of the Ganges. In fact, he is the potency of Lord Krsna. Lord Caitanya has repeatedly declared, “Gadadhara is My consort in Vaikuntha”…The sound of crying in ecstatic love for Krsna was heard everywhere as the son of Madhava [Gadadhara] danced in the dress of a gopi.
(Sri Caitanya-bhagavata 2.18.112-119)
(Sri Caitanya-mangala 2.9, p. 186)
As Lord Visvambhara [Caitanya] put on His gopi dress inside one of the rooms, He became fully absorbed in the mood of Goddess Rukmini. Being absorbed in Her mood, the Lord forgot Himself and considered Himself as the daughter of the Vidarbha king. He then began to write a letter using His tears as ink, the ground as paper and His finger as a pen. He cried as He read Rukmini’s letter consisting of seven verses from the Srimad Bhagavatam. The Supreme Lord becomes the husband of one who hears the purport of those seven verses.
(Sri Caitanya-bhagavata 2.18.70-74)
As Visvambhara danced in the mood of the mother of the universe, His followers sang appropriate songs. No one was certain in which consort’s mood Lord Narayana was dancing. When He inquired, “O brahmana, has Krsna come?” then it was understood that He was in the mood of a young lady of Vidarbha [Rukmini]. When the devotees saw tears of ecstasy flow from His eyes, they considered Him to be the Ganges personified. When He laughed loudly in ecstatic love, He appeared to everyone just like Mahachandi [Durga]. When the Lord staggered about while dancing, He appeared just like Revati [Lord Balarama’s consort] after She had drunk some intoxicating beverage. Another time when He said, “Come, dear old lady, let us go to Vrndavana,” they understood that He was in the mood of a beautiful girl from Gokula [Sri Radha]. When He sat for meditation in the virasana posture, everyone saw Him as the goddess of millions of mystic perfections. As the Lord danced in the dress of Rukmini, He manifested the role of all His various consorts from innumerable universes.
(Sri Caitanya-bhagavata 2.18.138-146)
In Lord Caitanya’s crossdressing pastimes at the home of Candrasekhara, the Lord dressed up as the Supreme Goddess, Nityananda Rama as Paurnamasi [Yogamaya in the form of an elderly woman], Gadadhara Pandita as Rukmini, Brahmananda as Her elderly female companion [Suprabha], Srivasa as Narada Muni, and Srirama as someone who had just bathed. Haridasa was the master of ceremonies and Sriman Prabhu held the torch. Buddhimanta Khan and Sadasiva prepared the costumes and set up the stage. Advaita Acarya came as Himself and the Gopinatha Deity, seated on a throne, served as the play’s hero:
Once, the sense-controlled great Lord with His moon-like face and smile of nectar dressed Himself in sublime women’s attire and performed a drama with His associates in the courtyard of Candrasekhara.
Like a gopi, He wore a beautiful bodice on His chest, bracelets made of tiny conch shells, and a saffron dress around His very slender waist. He danced with sweet lotus feet, celebrated by tinkling ankle bells.
The Lord began to blissfully sing and dance with much energy. Then replete with ecstasy and loveliness, He played the part of the Goddess of fortune. The Goddess humbly approached the Deity form of Krsna in the middle of the temple. She took some jasmine flowers from the Deity with the hem of Her new sari and as She offered them again to Him, Her heart became filled with prema-bhakti-rasa, like the affection of ten million mothers.
A moment later, the Lord entered the all-powerful mood of goddess Durga. The people became enlivened and offered praises by chanting excellent hymns composed by the saints.
Then, the Lord, who is known as the annihilator of the armies of the demons, gave breast milk to those most exalted of godly men. And, as they gazed upon the Supreme Lord, whose beautiful eyes were filled with tender compassion, His associates felt joy.
(Sri Caitanya-carita 2.15-16)
In the mood of a mother, Visvambhara affectionately breast-fed everyone. The Lord personally manifested as the mother of the universe in the form of Kamala, Parvati, Daya, and Maha-Narayani. The Lord confirmed His statement in the Bhagavad Gita (9.17), “I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support, and the grandsire.” All those Vaishnavas, who had been most fortunate for millions of lifetimes, now blissfully drank milk from the Lord’s breast. By drinking the Lord’s breast milk, their feelings of separation were mitigated and they became greatly maddened in the mellows of ecstatic love.
(Sri Caitanya-bhagavata 2.18.203-208)
Sri Gadadhara Pandita’s crossdressing dance and inner identity as Sri Radha are also described very nicely as follows:
Gadadhara danced wonderfully in the dress of Rama [Rukmini], the Goddess of fortune, as his companion sang appropriate songs. Who would not become overwhelmed and cry on seeing the dancing of Gadadhara? Drenched by tears of love flowing like a river from Gadadhara’s eyes, the earth considered herself fortunate. Gadadhara appeared like the personification of the Ganges. In fact, he is the potency of Lord Krsna. Lord Caitanya has repeatedly declared, “Gadadhara is My consort in Vaikuntha”…The sound of crying in ecstatic love for Krsna was heard everywhere as the son of Madhava [Gadadhara] danced in the dress of a gopi.
(Sri Caitanya-bhagavata 2.18.112-119)
