Advaita goes to Puri on the Annual Pilgrimage 

Advaita goes to Puri on the annual pilgrimage 

After saying his goodbyes to the devotees, Mahaprabhu set off to Puri or Nilachala to live there at the request of his mother. Advaita and the residents of Nabadwip were once again hurled into the ocean of separation from their lord. These events took place in the year 1510. It was probably three more years before the devotees went to Puri during the caturmasya period to visit him there at the time of the Rathayatra. 

  

The first year, Advaita and the other devotees went to Nilachala to see Mahaprabhu’s lotus feet. They witnessed the Rathayatra and then stayed for four months, passing the time in kirtan and dancing in great joy. When the time came for them to depart, the lord told everyone to return every year to see the Rathayatra festival. And so the yearly trips to Puri to see the lord became an institution.

 

Of the last 24 years of Mahaprabhu’s life, the first six were spent in traveling to and from Puri, while he spent the last eighteen there without ever leaving. During the six years that he was traveling, the Bengali devotees would first find out whether he was present in Puri before going to visit. During the eighteen years of Mahaprabhu’s permanent stay in Puri, the annual trips became a matter of course. 

 

After Mahaprabhu arrived in Puri, returning from Vrindavana, he never again left in the eighteen remaining years of his life. The devotees came from Bengali every year, meeting with the Lord and staying for the four months of the rainy season. 

  

All of Mahaprabhu’s servants, Advaita, Nityananda, Mukunda, Srivasa, Vidyanidhi, Vasudeva and Murari, went every year to meet with the lord, staying in Puri for four months. The lord enjoyed a multitude of pastimes with these devotees during this time.

The time for Rathayatra came around again and the devotees started off on the annual pilgrimage to Nilachala. They were following the lord’s order to come every year to see the Rathayatra festival. With Advaita Acarya at their head, all the devotees set off toward Nilachala. 

 

Advaita Acarya would go every year to Puri and stay for the full four months, participating with Mahaprabhu in lilas such as the cleaning of the Gundica temple, the water sports in Narendrasarovara, Jagannath’s Rathayatra, etc. The best of Advaita’s three orthodox sons, Acyutananda, who was totally devoted to Gauranga, was also present there, as is attested by the fact that his name is mentioned as the leader of the sixth kirtan group at the Rathayatra, which was from Shantipur. Another of Advaita’s sons, Gopala Mishra, is also named in this list. Advaita himself was the principal dancer in the first kirtan group led by Svarupa Damodara. 

In the third year, the wives of the Bengal devotees accompanied them, bringing various gifts for Mahaprabhu’s service. 

Advaita went first to Saci Mata’s house to take her leave. Then he departed with the assembly of devotees. They brought with them all the edibles they knew formerly brought pleasure to the Lord. They performed sankirtan the entire length of the route, purifying everything on their way. All the people of the three worlds were sanctified by the devotees’ joyful calls of Hari! Hari! In a mood of ecstasy they all went to see Caitanya, accompanied by their wives and sons, their male and female servants.  

 

In the third year, all the devotees from Bengal decided to go to Nilachala. They went in a group to Advaita Acarya’s house, and he happily agreed to go with them to see the lord. That year, all the wives of these saints went also, the mother of Achyuta accompanying Advaita Acarya.

Krishnadas Kaviraj has written about a wonderful pastime with Advaita’s son Gopal Mishra in the twelfth chapter of Caitanya Caritamrita’s Adi-lila. During the cleaning of the Gundica temple, Advaita and Mahaprabhu were satisfied to see the deep absorption of Gopal in dancing and singing before them. When Gopal Mishra suddenly fell unconscious, Advaita became very anxious and took his inert body in his lap, chanting the Nrisingha mantra. Despite the various mantras that Advaita uttered, Gopal did not return to consciousness. All the devotees began to cry for him, but Mahaprabhu, who takes away the distress of his devotees, touched Gopal over the heart and said, “Get up, Gopal and chant Hari Hari!” Gopal immediately returned to consciousness and stood up. The devotees shouted the names of the Lord in relief and joy. 

Kamala Kanta Visvasa 

Advaita Acarya had a disciple name Kamala Kanta Visvasa who wrote to King Prataparudra establishing that Advaita was the supreme lord, but then asked the king for money for him. When Sri Caitanya heard about this, he punished Kamala Kanta by refusing him access to the Gambhira. Kamala Kanta was disturbed by this punishment, but Advaita explained to him that to be punished by Mahaprabhu was a cause for rejoicing and that he was most fortunate.  

Bhaktivinoda Thakura has made the following comment on this story, which is found in the twelfth chapter of the Adi-lila: 

“Kamala Kanta first proved that Advaita was the supreme lord, but then begged for money from the king on Advaita’s behalf. This action was very displeasing to Caitanya. Even though Advaita Acarya is God himself, he is in this world playing the part of a man in order to teach. For an Acarya to beg from a king to free himself from debt is considered to be shameless behavior. One should entirely abandon the desire for material and if the desire for material well-being is taken to the point of begging from a foreign king in order to become free of a debt, then one’s spiritual life will certainly go to ruin. Kings are by nature materialistic. If one eats the food of a materialistic person, his mind becomes clouded over. When one’s mind is clouded over, then he can no longer remember Krishna and his life is wasted. Such begging is therefore a prohibited action for everyone, but is especially so for those who are in the position of Acarya. It is the Acarya’s duty to instruct people in the Holy Names, but he should not take money in return for such instruction. If he does so, he becomes an offender to the Holy Name rather than an initiator in the Name. If an instructor of the Holy Names becomes a money collector, then it is a matter of shame, and his religious reputation will be ruined.” 

 

In the third year when the Bengal devotees came with their wives and gifts of various food preparations that were dear to the lord, he mercifully ate all these offerings out of his affection for them. One day, Mahaprabhu was invited to eat at Advaita’s residence. This time, Advaita himself did the cooking and his wife assisted him by cutting the vegetables and gathering the ingredients. It was Advaita’s secret wish to be able to feed Mahaprabhu alone. It so happened that on that day the weather turned bad and due to a storm, all the sannyasis who normally came with Mahaprabhu on such occasions were unable to accompany him. Mahaprabhu thus arrived by himself, to Advaita’s great satisfaction, for he was thus able to serve him the meal in complete privacy. He praised Indra as a servant of Krishna who fulfilled the wishes of his devotees. Mahaprabhu was aware of the Advaita’s mood and praised him by saying, Krishna himself fulfills your desires, so what is unusual about Indra carrying out your orders?”

Mahaprabhu himself glorified Advaita and described the underlying truth of his nature in the following way: 

Advaita Acarya is the Supreme Lord himself. As a result of his association, I have become purified. Because there is no one equal to him in devotion to Krishna, nor in knowledge of the scriptures, he is called Advaita Acarya. By his mercy, even the mlecchas become devotees of Krishna, who can describe the extent of his powers or his devotion? 

 

Mahaprabhu had Rupa and Sanatan Gosvamis meet with Advaita and Nityananda in Puri and asked the two prabhus to bless the brothers. Raghunatha Das Gosvami received Mahaprabhu’s leftovers by the grace of Advaita Prabhu. He was the object of Advaita’s affection because his father, Govardhana Mishra, had served him honestly. 

His father always rendered service to Advaita Acarya, therefore the Acarya was pleased with him. By the grace of the Acarya, Raghunatha obtained the lord’s leftover plate and was able to have darshan of the lord for five or six days.

The words that Mahaprabhu spoke to Advaita when he was about to leave Puri show just how much affection he had for him: 

Acarya Gosai came here to show his mercy for me. I am bound in debt to his love and there is no way that I can repay him. He has abandoned his wife, children and home for my sake, traveling a long and difficult way to come here. I am living here in Nilachala without moving. I make no effort on your behalf. I am a monk and I have no wealth–what could I give you to make good my debt? My only possession is my body, which I give you. I will sell it to whomever you wish.

 

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