Lord Caitanya Liberates the Puppy Kṛṣṇa Himself is known as Mukunda, the giver of liberation. Lord Caitanya not only gives liberation but He also gives love.
One time when He was just a child, maybe three or four years old, He saw a group of little puppies playing outside His house. All the puppies ran away, but one puppy stayed, so the Lord thought, “I’ll take this puppy as my pet.” Lord Caitanya took the dog and tied a little rope around his neck, and brought him inside the house. Then He was hugging the puppy, saying, “Oh my little puppy,” just as any threeyear- old child would to their little pet.
But when His mother saw the puppy she said, “What are you doing? You are a brāhmaṇa boy, you should not have a puppy in the house.” The Lord replied, “No, this is my pet.” Mother Śacī told Him, “You should keep it outside. This dog should not be brought inside the house.”
In the Vedic custom, dogs are considered impure, so they are kept outside because they may look at offerings made to the Lord.
Just then Lord Caitanya said He wanted to go and take bath with His friends, so Mother Śacī told Him, “You go and take your bath, I’ll watch your puppy. Nobody will do anything.”
So Lord Gaurāṅga went to the Ganga to take His bath. Meanwhile, the mother dog came to the house looking for its puppy. Mother Śacī was relieved; she didn’t want the dog around, although she had said she would take care of the puppy.
When Lord Gaura came back He asked, “Where is my puppy?” Śacīmata said, “Maybe your friends let him loose.” Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the puppy that had been hugged by Lord Caitanya started to develop symptoms of love for Godhead. It jumped up and down, barking “Haribol! Haribol!” Crowds of people gathered. The puppy was rolling on the ground—it was feeling so much love for Kṛṣṇa—chanting: “Haribol! Haribol!”
Rolling on the ground the puppy left his body, and from his heart came a spark; the soul came out from the dog’s body. Then a light came in the sky, a brilliant light came down. It was a spiritual airplane with Viṣṇudūtas, messengers of Lord Viṣṇu. Just then the soul of the dog assumed a human form, and the Viṣṇudūtas took him back to the spiritual world. So even as a child Lord Caitanya was giving out love. He was just hugging the dog and the dog received love for Godhead. If anyone would even just touch the lotus feet of the Lord, they would develop love for Godhead.
Lord Caitanya Liberates the Puppy Kṛṣṇa Himself is known as Mukunda, the giver of liberation. Lord Caitanya not only gives liberation but He also gives love.
One time when He was just a child, maybe three or four years old, He saw a group of little puppies playing outside His house. All the puppies ran away, but one puppy stayed, so the Lord thought, “I’ll take this puppy as my pet.” Lord Caitanya took the dog and tied a little rope around his neck, and brought him inside the house. Then He was hugging the puppy, saying, “Oh my little puppy,” just as any threeyear- old child would to their little pet.
But when His mother saw the puppy she said, “What are you doing? You are a brāhmaṇa boy, you should not have a puppy in the house.” The Lord replied, “No, this is my pet.” Mother Śacī told Him, “You should keep it outside. This dog should not be brought inside the house.”
In the Vedic custom, dogs are considered impure, so they are kept outside because they may look at offerings made to the Lord.
Just then Lord Caitanya said He wanted to go and take bath with His friends, so Mother Śacī told Him, “You go and take your bath, I’ll watch your puppy. Nobody will do anything.”
So Lord Gaurāṅga went to the Ganga to take His bath. Meanwhile, the mother dog came to the house looking for its puppy. Mother Śacī was relieved; she didn’t want the dog around, although she had said she would take care of the puppy.
When Lord Gaura came back He asked, “Where is my puppy?” Śacīmata said, “Maybe your friends let him loose.” Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the puppy that had been hugged by Lord Caitanya started to develop symptoms of love for Godhead. It jumped up and down, barking “Haribol! Haribol!” Crowds of people gathered. The puppy was rolling on the ground—it was feeling so much love for Kṛṣṇa—chanting: “Haribol! Haribol!”
Rolling on the ground the puppy left his body, and from his heart came a spark; the soul came out from the dog’s body. Then a light came in the sky, a brilliant light came down. It was a spiritual airplane with Viṣṇudūtas, messengers of Lord Viṣṇu. Just then the soul of the dog assumed a human form, and the Viṣṇudūtas took him back to the spiritual world. So even as a child Lord Caitanya was giving out love. He was just hugging the dog and the dog received love for Godhead. If anyone would even just touch the lotus feet of the Lord, they would develop love for Godhead.
Swami, Jayapataka. Gauranga – The golden incarnation of divine love (Kindle Locations 531-553). JPS Archives. Kindle Edition.
