The following is an audio recitation from Sri Chaitanya Bhagavata, Adi Khanda, Chapter 14, Verses 99-191. In these verses, Srila Vrindavan das Thakur describes how Lakshmipriya devi left her body and how this sad news was broken to Lord Chaitanya upon His return from East Bengal.
A few words on these verses – Disappearance of Lakshmipriya devi
When Lord Chaitanya visited East Bengal, Lakshmipriya devi suffered the pangs of separation from her husband. She did not speak of her loneliness to anyone. Her eating was almost reduced to nothing. Unable to endure it anymore, one day, she sat on the bank of the Ganges. Fixing her heart on the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya, she went into deep meditation, never to return again. When the news of her demise spread, mother Saci and the Vaishnavas were inconsolable.
On the other hand, Sri Chaitanya returned from East Bengal with a bunch of gifts that included gold, silver, drinking vessels, blankets, etc. The people there were exceedingly grateful to the Lord, having obtained spiritual guidance from Him. While at East Bengal, Lord Chaitanya also counseled an intelligent brahmana named Tapan Mishra and instructed him to chant the holy names of Krishna. When Tapan desired to accompany the Lord, Sri Chaitanya asked him to immediately move to Varanasi where the Lord would meet him later.
When the Lord returned to Nabadwip, his relatives and students met with him and welcomed him after His long absence. But none of them mentioned the passing away of Lakshmirpirya devi as the news would cause the Lord grief. Mother Saci remained in her room and avoided meeting the Lord, being affected by the pain of Lakshmi’s death. But the Lord soon suspected that something was wrong and enquired about His wife. When He came to learn of the untimely demise of His wife, He hung His head down and allowed the pain of separation to consume Him. The Lord tried to console His mother citing philosophy from the Vedic scriptures. He said that everything was ordained by the Supreme Lord and that a woman who passes away before her husband, is very pious. In this way, the Lord tried to dissipate the veil of sadness with His soothing words.