Text 44
rāja-mantrī rāmānanda — vyavahāre nipuṇa
rāja-prīti kahi’ dravāila prabhura mana
rāja-mantrī — diplomatic minister; rāmānanda — Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya; vyavahāre — in general behavior; nipuṇa — very expert; rāja-prīti — the love of the King for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kahi’ — describing; dravāila — softened; prabhura — of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; mana — the mind.
Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya was indeed a diplomatic minister for the King. His general behavior was very expert, and simply by describing the King’s love for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he gradually softened the Lord’s mind.
A diplomat in the material world knows how to deal with people, especially in political affairs. Some of the great devotees of the Lord — like Rāmānanda Rāya, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī — were government officers and had a background of very opulent householder life. Consequently they knew how to deal with people. In many instances we have seen the diplomacy of Rūpa Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and Rāmānanda Rāya employed in the service of the Lord. When Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī’s father and uncle were to be arrested by government officials, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī hid them and personally met the government officers and settled the affair diplomatically. This is but one instance. Similarly, Sanātana Gosvāmī, after resigning his ministership, was thrown in jail, and he bribed the attendant of the jail so he could leave the clutches of the Nawab and live with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Now we see Rāmānanda Rāya, a most confidential devotee of the Lord, diplomatically soften the heart of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, despite the fact that the Lord definitely decided not to meet the King. The diplomacy of Rāmānanda Rāya and entreaties of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and all the other great devotees succeeded. The conclusion is that diplomacy used for the service of the Lord is a form of devotional service.