Three cakes and The Divine Madman.

We have a deity welcoming program at a devotee's home this Saturday, the day of Lord Nityananda's appearance. The Mataji asked me if i could bring a cake and also asked another devotee for 2 large cakes. Since our congregation is small we thought there must be a mistake. We assumed that it must be Avadhuta Nityananda Prabhu's desire and went about collecting the ingredients.

Since i have a penchant for the music, language and vegetarian cuisine of Bengal even before my coming to Krishna Consciousness, i was trying to find traditional dishes that two Lords would relish on this auspicious day and that is when i came across this episode from Caitanya Caritamrita where the Gauna Rasa of Hasya is portrayed between Sri Advaita Acharya and Sri Nityananda. One has to hear it to understand this unique mellow. Here is the link:http://mayapur.com/sites/default/files/media/english/2009-02-02_sri.advaita.acarya_swp.mp3.

Listening to HG Suresvara Prabhu's class i felt Nitai was ridiculing my even momentarily questioning His eating pattern. He is mocking Sri Advaita Acharya by saying that while He has not had prasadam for 3 days at a stretch, Advaita Acarya Prabhu was serving Them so scanty a meal that it did not do justice to His appetite.

I'm pasting here the excerpt from Caitanya Caritamrita(CC Madhya 3.80-3.87)

Although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was thinking that the quantity of food was enormous, Nityānanda Prabhu, on the contrary, thought it not even a morsel. He had been fasting for three days and had greatly hoped to break fast on that day. Indeed, He said, "Although I am invited to eat by Advaita Ācārya, today also is a fast. So small a quantity of food will not fill even half My belly."
Advaita Ācārya replied, "Sir, You are a mendicant traveling on pilgrimage. Sometimes You eat fruits and roots, and sometimes You simply go on fasting.
"I am a poor brāhmaṇa, and You have come to My home. Please be satisfied with whatever little food You have received and give up Your greedy mentality."

Lord Nityānanda Prabhu replied, "Whatever I may be, You have invited Me. Therefore You must supply as much as I want to eat."
His Divine Grace Advaita Ācārya, after hearing the statement of Nityānanda Prabhu, took the opportunity presented by the joking words and spoke to Him as follows.: Advaita Ācārya said, "You are a reject paramahamsa, and You have accepted the renounced order of life just to fill up Your belly. I can understand that Your business is to give trouble to brāhmaṇas."
Advaita Ācārya accused Nityānanda Prabhu, saying, "You can eat ten to twenty mānas of rice. I am a poor brāhmaṇa. How shall I get so much rice?
"Whatever You have, though it be a palmful of rice, please eat it and get up. Don't show Your madness and strew the remnants of food here and there."

He is an Avadhuta and is addressed as a Brashtha Avadhuta or a reject mendicant by Sri Advaita Acharya. He CAN have 3 cakes or 10 and i consider myself most fortunate to be able to serve Him in any small way. So, i have a big cake all ready for Nitai and another smaller one for our very own deities of Nimai and Nitai. Since Krsna is the reservoir of all Rasas and the mango fruit is considered the king of fruits, also endowed with all the rasas, this offering of a mango cake is in the meditation of this pastime of the Lords. Moral of the story: If you do invite Nitai to your homes, please do feed Him well, otherwise be prepared to feed a 100 sannyasis. I pray to Lord Nityananda that one day i too can dance blissfully, maddened merely by the touch of mahaprasadam.

Nitai Bine Bhai Radha Krishna Paite Nai!