One question came up during the recent celebration of Ramananda Raya which I couldn't really answer. The CC tells us that Ramananda Raya, Svarupa Damodara, Shikhi Mahiti and his sister were Mahaprabhu's closest associates during his Antya-lila. It is easy to understand that Ramananda Raya and Svarupa Damodara are counted among the closest associates, since they would spend time with Mahaprabhu in the Gambhira during his most intimate lilas (being Vishakha and Lalita in Vrajalila), but what is it that makes Krishnadasa Kaviraja single out Shikhi Mahiti and his sister? B.B. Tirtha Maharaja's book on Sri Caitanya's associates has very little on Sikhi Mahiti, and about his sister I only know that her name was Madhavi Devi and that she is the one Laghu Haridas begged rice from. What is it that makes these two so special?
If I remember right his sister use to bring Him His meals at various times.
If I remember right his sister use to bring Him His meals at various times.
Your memory is not good, nor are you thinking deeply about the lila. Think about it. Mahaprabhu is in Puri living as a very strict sannyasi in terms of social norms of the time. There is no scope in this lila for a woman to be serving him his meals.
Otherwise, I believe mention of Sikhi Mahiti and is sister by Krsnadasa Kaviraja is gernerally thought of as encourageent for the Orissan devotees. They are local and not universal in the sense that Svaruapa and Rama Raya are. Neither is Svarupa Damodara from Orsissa. It is possible that Ram Ray is not either.
sorry Guru Maharaja. I thought the sister mentioned her was Mahaprabhus' and now know he had no living siblings.
Ädi 10.137
What makes them so special may be describe in TEXT 137
TEXT
mädhavé-devé——çikhi-mähitira bhaginé
çré-rädhära däsé-madhye yäìra näma gaëi
SYNONYMS
mädhavé-devé—Mädhavédevé; çikhi-mähitira—of Çikhi Mähiti; bhaginé—sister; çré-rädhära—of Çrématé Rädhäräëé; däsé-madhye—amongst the maidservants; yäìra—whose; näma—name; gaëi—count.
TRANSLATION
Mädhavédevé, the seventeenth of the prominent devotees, was the younger sister of Çikhi Mähiti. She is considered to have formerly been a maidservant of Çrématé Rädhäräëé.
PURPORT
In the Antya-lélä of Caitanya-caritämåta, Chapter Two, verses 104–106, there is a description of Mädhavédevé. Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu considered her one of the maidservants of Çrématé Rädhäräëé. Within this world, Caitanya Mahäprabhu had three and a half very confidential devotees. The three were Svarüpa Gosäïi, Çré Rämänanda Räya and Çikhi Mähiti, and Çikhi Mähiti’s sister, Mädhavédevé, being a woman, was considered the half. Thus it is known that Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu had three and a half confidential devotees.
Your memory is not good, nor are you thinking deeply about the lila. Think about it. Mahaprabhu is in Puri living as a very strict sannyasi in terms of social norms of the time. There is no scope in this lila for a woman to be serving him his meals.
Indeed, Mahaprabhu's observance of sannyasa was so severe that he went through the motions of rejecting Chota Haridas because Haridas begged some rice from Madhavidevi. So it's not at all likely that Mahaprabhu would have accepted meals from her.