This is a play on one of the pastimes of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who appeared in Navadvipa and propagated Harinama Sankirtana.
Introductory Narration
Five hundred years ago, in the village of Navadvipa, on the auspicious full moon day, Phalguni Purnima, another moon rose in the court-yard of Sri Jagannatha Misra and Srimati Sacidevi, to provide cool shelter to the burning hearts of the sinful people of this age of Kali. He was the golden avatar, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who appeared in the world to remove the miseries of Kali yuga.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, had appeared as predicted in the Srimad Bhagavatam, to propagate the yuga dharma – Harinama Sankirtana, the chanting of the holy names of God:
hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare
With His incomparable compassion, Lord Gauranga distributed Krishna prema, love of God, to all, without reserve. The village of Navadvipa was vibrant with the chanting, from the moment this new moon arrived on the horizon. (sankirtana music in back ground)
In fact, all the demigods eagerly awaited this auspicious moment: the inauguration of sankirtana movement.
Scene 1
The scene opens in the court of Yamaraja with a loud sound of a bell. Yamaraja enters his court followed by two Yama-kinkaras and sits on his throne.
| Chorus | All glories to Yamaraja… All glories to Yamaraja. |
| Chitragupta | All glories to you, My Lord. You are the chastiser of the sinful living entities. I offer my obeisance to you. Please allow me to present before you, the sinful deeds of the living entities who are awaiting your judgment… |
| Yamaraja | Chitragupta! I am exasperated, hearing the sinful accounts and judging the multitudes of sinful creatures, day in and day out. I see that people are becoming more and more sinful these days. |
| Chitragupta | Yes, Maharaj, Kali-yuga has enveloped the earth in its grip. |
| Yamaraja | People are losing interest in the real purpose of human life. They are becoming more and more attached to gratifying their senses. |
| Chitragupta | Yes Maharaj, it is true. My assistant writers are exhausted, as they are busy, day and night, writing the accounts of the sinful actions of the human beings. |
| Yamaraja | (gets up from his throne) Chitragupta … Mandavya Muni’s curse was really a great blessing upon me. He cursed me to become a shudra and at that time it seemed unjust. I had to spend 100 years on the earthly planet as Vidura. But later I realized that it was actually the Supreme Lord’s mercy upon me. I was blessed with the personal association of the Lord who descended as the son of Devaki and Vasudeva. I eagerly await the day when I will get such an opportunity again. |
Voice from behind the stage:
namo maha-vadanyaya Krishna-prema-pradayate
Krishnaya Krishna-caitanya namne gaura-tvise namah
Yamaraja and Chitragupta wonder who it is. Narada enters the court of Yamaraja singing ecstatically and playing his vina.
hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare (2 times)
| Narada | Jaya Gaurachandra … Jaya Nityananda … |
| Chitragupta | Maharishi! Please be seated. (offers his seat to Narada) |
| Yamaraja | Welcome, O great sage! I am greatly honoured by your visit to Yamapuri. Maharishe! I am surprised – you always sing the glories of Narayana, but today… |
| Narada | Dharmaraja, you are busy with your duties on this plutonic planet. I thought that I should let you know of the descent of Lord Chaitanya, the most magnanimous incarnation of the Supreme Lord to inaugurate the sankirtana movement. He is distributing the holy names: hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare – to anyone and everyone, without any partiality. |
| Yamaraja | The Supreme Lord is so merciful. |
| Narada | In the village of Navadvipa hundreds and thousands of people of all classes, without any discrimination, are worshiping Krishna, performing sankirtana intoxicated by the nectar of the holy names. |
| Yama-kinkara | And that is why we are in great trouble now. Whenever we need to go to Navadvipa and the surrounding villages we are in great anxiety… |
| Yamaraja | Don’t go to Navadvipa and the surrounding villages. Now they are not in our jurisdiction. |
| Narada | kali-kale nama-rupe krishna-avatara: Not only Navadvipa. Soon the entire world will be inundated with the chanting of the holy names. |
| Yama-kinkara | Probably we can go on a vacation for a few years. Looks like we will not have any work. |
Chitragupta gestures them to be silent.
| Yamaraja | Maharishi! I am eager to witness the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya. In your association, I wish to relish the happenings in Navadvipa. Will you please take me there? |
| Narada | (smiling) Narayana … Narayana … With great pleasure. It is a wonderful sight to see Lord Chaitanya performing sankirtana with His associates in the court yard of Srivasa. |
| Yamaraja | I am blessed. (to Chitragupta) Chitragupta … I will accompany Narada Muni to Navadvipa. I will be back very soon. |
| Chitragupta | Maharaj … please be merciful to me. What sin have I committed to be deprived of visiting the holy dham of Navadvipa? I am ready to suffer in all the different hells once we come back … but please do not deprive me of coming with you. |
| Yama-kinkaras | Maharaj … what shall we do here? Please take us also with you. |
| Yamaraja | (contemplatively looks at Narada for his permission) Hm… (Narada nods approvingly) Yes… (smiles) you can also come with me. Let us all go together. |
| Chitragupta | All glories to Yamaraja! |
| Yama-kinkaras | (in chorus) All glories to Yamaraja! |
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