13.113
vyaghra-nakha hema-jadi, kati-pattasutra-dori
hasta-padera yata abharana
citra-varna patta-sadi, buni photo pattapadi, svarna-raupya-mudra bahu-dhana
SYNONYMS
vyaghra-nakha—tiger nails; hema-jadi—set in gold; kati-pattasutra-dori—silken thread for the waist; hasta-padera—of the hands and legs; yata—all kinds of; abharana—ornaments; citra-varna—printed with varieties of colors; patta-sadi—silken saris; buni—woven; photo—small jackets for children; patta-padi—with embroidery of silk; svarna—gold; raupya—silver; mudra—coins; bahu-dhana—all kinds of riches.
There were also tiger nails set in gold, waist decorations of silk and lace, ornaments for the hands and legs, nicely printed silken saris and a child’s garment, also made of silk.
Many other riches, including gold and silver coins, were also presented to the child.
PURPORT
From the gifts presented by Sita Thakurani, Advaita Acarya’s wife, it appears that Advaita Acarya was at that time a very rich man.
Although brahmanas are not the rich men of society, Advaita Acarya, being the leader of the brahmanas in Santipura, was considerably well-to-do.
Therefore He presented many ornaments to the baby, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
But Kamalakanta Visvasa’s asking for three hundred rupees from the King of Jagannatha Puri, Maharaja Prataparudra, on the plea that Advaita Acarya was in debt for that amount, indicates that such a rich man, who could present many valuable ornaments, saris, etc., thought it difficult to repay three hundred rupees.
Therefore the value of a rupee at that time was many thousands of times greater than it is now.
At the present, no one feels difficulty over a debt of three hundred rupees, nor can an ordinary man accumulate such valuable ornaments to present to a friend’s son.
Probably the value of three hundred rupees at that time was equal to the present value of thirty thousand rupees.