Volume 7 - Prabhupada

Text 83]The Lord Travels to Vrndavana41TEXT 82Iii i{tifl·f; f "ff '' I-ti{ " f'tti fll' ll \r llei-mata nana-sukhe prabhu aila 'kasi'madhyahna-snana kaila maQikarQikaya asi'SYNONYMSei-mata-in this way; nana-sukhe-in great happiness; prabhu-Sri CaitanyaMahaprabhu; ai/a-came; kasi-to the holy place named Kasi; madhyahnasnana-afternoonbath; kai/a-took; maQikarQikaya-to the bathing placeknown as Maikarika; asi'-coming.TRANSLATIONFinally the Lord with great happiness arrived at the holy place called Kasi.There He took His bath in the bathing ghat known as Mal)ikarl)ika.PURPORTKasi is another name for Varaasi (Benares). It has been a place of pilgrimagesince time immemorial. Two rivers named Asi and Varua merge there. Maikar­ika is famous because, according to the opinion of great personalities, a bejeweledearring fell there from the ear of Lord Viu. According to some, it fellfrom the ear of Lord Siva. The word mal)i means "jewel," and karQika means "fromthe ear." According to some, Lord Visvanatha is the great physician who cures thedisease of material existence by delivering a person through the ear, whichreceives the vibration of the holy name of Lord Rama. Because of this, this holyplace is called Mai-karika. It is said that there is no better place than where theRiver Ganges flows, and the bathing ghat known as Maikarika is especiallysanctified because it is very dear to Lord Visvanatha. In the Kasi-khaQ(ia it is said:sarhsari-cintamal)ir atra yasmat tarakarh sajjana-karl)ikayam. sivo 'bhidhatte sahasanta-kaletad giyate 'sau maQi-karQiketi. mukti-lakmi maha-pitha-maQis taccaraQabjayo/:1.karQikeyarh tata/:l prahur yarh jana maQi-karQikam. According to theKa5i-khaQ(ia, if one gives up his body at Maikarika, he is liberated simply byremembering Lord Siva's name.TEXT 83tf;llf fl{ f; I12ft_"'' it1f f 'iii ate{ n v- n