{"id":20596,"date":"2020-02-05T02:51:42","date_gmt":"2020-02-05T06:51:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/?p=20596"},"modified":"2022-02-09T01:58:53","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T06:58:53","slug":"teachings-of-lord-caitanya-prologue-by-srila-bhaktivinoda-%e1%b9%adhakura","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/teachings-of-lord-caitanya-prologue-by-srila-bhaktivinoda-%e1%b9%adhakura\/","title":{"rendered":"Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Prologue by \u015ar\u012bla Bhaktivinoda \u1e6ch\u0101kura"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Prologue by \u015ar\u012bla Bhaktivinoda \u1e6ch\u0101kura<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
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This account originally appeared in a short work by \u015ar\u012bla Bhaktivinoda \u1e6ch\u0101kura entitled \u201c\u015ar\u012b Caitanya Mah\u0101prabhu: His Life and Precepts.\u201d (August 20, 1896)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Caitanya Mah\u0101prabhu was born in M\u0101y\u0101pur, in the town of Nadia, just after sunset on the evening of the 23rd Ph\u0101lguna, 1407 \u015aak\u0101bda, answering to the 18th of February, 1486, of the Christian Era. The moon was eclipsed at the time of His birth, and the people of Nadia were then engaged, as was usual on such occasions, in bathing in the Bh\u0101g\u012brath\u012b with loud cheers of \u201cHaribol!\u201d His father, Jagann\u0101tha Mi\u015bra, a poor br\u0101hma\u1e47a<\/i> of the Vedic order, and His mother, \u015aac\u012b-dev\u012b, a model good woman, both descended from br\u0101hma\u1e47a<\/i> stock originally residing in Sylhet. Mah\u0101prabhu was a beautiful child, and the ladies of the town came to see Him with presents. His mother\u2019s father, Pa\u1e47\u1e0dita N\u012bl\u0101mbara Cakravart\u012b, a renowned astrologer, foretold that the child would be a great personage in time, and he therefore gave Him the name Vi\u015bvambhara. The ladies of the neighborhood styled Him Gaurahari on account of His golden complexion, and His mother called Him Nim\u0101i on account of the nima<\/i> tree near which He was born. Beautiful as the lad was, everyone heartily loved to see Him every day. As He grew up He became a whimsical and frolicsome lad. After His fifth year, He was admitted into a p\u0101\u1e6dha\u015b\u0101l\u0101 <\/i>[school], where He picked up Bengali in a very short time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Most of His contemporary biographers have mentioned certain anecdotes regarding Caitanya, which are simple records of His early miracles. It is said that when He was an infant in His mother\u2019s arms He wept continually, and when the neighboring ladies cried \u201cHaribol!\u201d He used to stop. Thus there was a continuation of the utterance of \u201cHaribol!\u201d in the house, foreshowing the future mission of the hero. It has also been stated that when His mother once gave Him sweetmeats to eat He ate clay instead of the food. His mother asking for the reason, He stated that as every sweetmeat was nothing but clay transformed He could eat clay as well. His mother, who was the consort of a pa\u1e47\u1e0dita,<\/i> explained that every article in a special state was adapted to a special use. Earth while in the state of a jug could be used as a waterpot, but in the state of a brick such a use was not possible. Clay, therefore, in the form of sweetmeats was usable as food, but not clay in its other states. The lad was convinced and admitted His stupidity in eating clay and agreed to avoid the mistake in the future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Another miraculous act has been related. It is said that a br\u0101hma\u1e47a<\/i> on pilgrimage became a guest in His house, cooked his food and read his grace with meditation on K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. In the meantime the lad came and ate up the cooked rice. The br\u0101hma\u1e47a,<\/i> astonished at the lad\u2019s act, cooked again at the request of Jagann\u0101tha Mi\u015bra. The lad again ate up the cooked rice while the br\u0101hma\u1e47a<\/i> was offering the rice to K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a with meditation. The br\u0101hma\u1e47a<\/i> was persuaded to cook for the third time. This time all the inmates of the house had fallen asleep, and the lad showed himself as K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a to the traveler and blessed him. The br\u0101hma\u1e47a<\/i> was then lost in ecstasy at the appearance of the object of his worship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It has also been stated that two thieves stole away the lad from His father\u2019s door with a view to purloin His jewels and gave Him sweetmeats on the way. The lad exercised His illusory energy and deceived the thieves back toward His own house. The thieves, for fear of detection, left the boy there and fled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Another miraculous act has been described of the lad\u2019s demanding and getting from Hira\u1e47ya and Jagad\u012b\u015ba all the offerings they had collected for worshiping K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a on the day of Ek\u0101da\u015b\u012b. When only four years of age, He sat on rejected cooking pots, which were considered unholy by His mother. He explained to His mother that there was no question of holiness and unholiness as regards earthen pots thrown away after the cooking was over. These anecdotes relate to His tender age up to the fifth year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In His eighth year, He was admitted into the tola<\/i> [school] of Ga\u1e45g\u0101d\u0101sa Pa\u1e47\u1e0dita, in Ga\u1e45g\u0101nagara, close by the village of M\u0101y\u0101pur. In two years He became well read in Sanskrit grammar and rhetoric. His readings after that were of the nature of self-study in His own house, where He had found all important books belonging to His father, who was a pa\u1e47\u1e0dita<\/i>himself. It appears that He read the sm\u1e5bti<\/i> in His own study, and the ny\u0101ya<\/i> also, in competition with His friends, who were then studying under the celebrated Pa\u1e47\u1e0dita Raghun\u0101tha \u015airoma\u1e47i.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Now, after His tenth year, Caitanya became a passable scholar in grammar, rhetoric, the sm\u1e5bti<\/i> and ny\u0101ya.<\/i> It was after this that His elder brother Vi\u015bvar\u016bpa left His house and accepted the \u0101\u015brama<\/i> (status) of a sanny\u0101s\u012b<\/i> (ascetic). Caitanya, though a very young boy, consoled His parents, saying that He would serve them with a view to please God. Just after that, His father left this world. His mother was exceedingly sorry, and Mah\u0101prabhu, with His usual contented appearance, consoled His widowed mother.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It was at the age of fourteen or fifteen that Mah\u0101prabhu was married to Lak\u1e63m\u012bdev\u012b, the daughter of Vallabh\u0101c\u0101rya, also of Nadia. He was at this age considered one of the best scholars of Nadia, the renowned seat of ny\u0101ya<\/i> philosophy and Sanskrit learning. Not to speak of the sm\u0101rta pa\u1e47\u1e0ditas,<\/i> the naiy\u0101yikas<\/i> were all afraid of confronting Him in literary discussions. Being a married man, He went to eastern Bengal on the banks of the Padma for acquirement of wealth. There He displayed His learning and obtained a good sum of money.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It was at this time that He preached Vai\u1e63\u1e47avism at intervals. After teaching him the principles of Vai\u1e63\u1e47avism, He ordered Tapana Mi\u015bra\u00a0 <\/span>to go and live in Benares. During His residence in eastern Bengal, His wife Lak\u1e63m\u012bdev\u012b left this world from the effects of snakebite. On returning home, He found His mother in a mourning state. He consoled her with a lecture on the uncertainty of human affairs. It was at His mother\u2019s request that He married Vi\u1e63\u1e47upriy\u0101, the daughter of R\u0101ja Pa\u1e47\u1e0dita San\u0101tana Mi\u015bra. His comrades joined Him on His return from prav\u0101sa,<\/i> or sojourn.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He was now so renowned that He was considered to be the best pa\u1e47\u1e0dita<\/i> in Nadia. Ke\u015bava Mi\u015bra of Kashmir, who had called himself the Great Digvijay\u012b [world conqueror], came to Nadia with a view to debate the pa\u1e47\u1e0ditas<\/i> of that place. Afraid of the so-called conquering pa\u1e47\u1e0dita,<\/i> the tola<\/i> professors of Nadia left their town on the pretense of invitation. Ke\u015bava met Mah\u0101prabhu at the Barokona-gh\u0101\u1e6d\u0101 in M\u0101y\u0101pur, and after a very short discussion with Him he got defeated by the boy, and mortification obliged him to decamp. Nim\u0101i Pa\u1e47\u1e0dita was now the most important pa\u1e47\u1e0dita<\/i> of the times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It was at the age of sixteen or seventeen that He traveled to Gay\u0101 with a host of His students and there took His spiritual initiation from \u012a\u015bvara Pur\u012b, a Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava sanny\u0101s\u012b<\/i> and a disciple of the renowned M\u0101dhavendra Pur\u012b. Upon His return to Nadia, Nim\u0101i Pa\u1e47\u1e0dita turned religious preacher, and His religious nature became so strongly represented that Advaita Prabhu, \u015ar\u012bv\u0101sa and others who had before the birth of Caitanya already accepted the Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava faith were astonished at the change in the young man. He was then no more a contending naiy\u0101yika,<\/i> a wrangling sm\u0101rta<\/i> and a criticizing rhetorician. He swooned at the name of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a and behaved as an inspired man under the influence of His religious sentiment. It has been described by Mur\u0101ri Gupta, an eyewitness, that He showed His heavenly powers in the house of \u015ar\u012bv\u0101sa Pa\u1e47\u1e0dita in the presence of hundreds of His followers, who were mostly well-read scholars.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It was at this time that He opened a nocturnal school of k\u012brtana<\/i> in the compound of \u015ar\u012bv\u0101sa Pa\u1e47\u1e0dita with His sincere followers. There He preached, there He sang, there He danced, and there He expressed all sorts of religious feelings. Nity\u0101nanda Prabhu, who was then a preacher of Vai\u1e63\u1e47avism and who had completed His travels all over India, joined Him at that time. In fact, a host of pa\u1e47\u1e0dita<\/i> preachers of Vai\u1e63\u1e47avism, all sincere at heart, came and joined Him from different parts of Bengal. Nadia now became the regular seat of a host of Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava \u0101c\u0101ryas<\/i> whose mission it was to spiritualize mankind with the highest influence of the Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava creed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The first mandate that He issued to Prabhu Nity\u0101nanda and Harid\u0101sa was this: \u201cGo, friends, go through the streets of the town, meet every man at his door and ask him to sing the name of Hari with a holy life, and then come and report to Me every evening the result of your preaching.\u201d Thus ordered, the two preachers went out and met Jag\u0101i and M\u0101dh\u0101i, the two most abominable characters in Nadia. These two insulted the preachers on hearing Mah\u0101prabhu\u2019s mandate, but were soon converted by the influence of bhakti <\/i>inculcated by their Lord.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The people of Nadia were now surprised. They said, \u201cNim\u0101i Pa\u1e47\u1e0dita is not only a gigantic genius but is certainly a missionary from God Almighty.\u201d From this time to His twenty-third year, Mah\u0101prabhu preached His principles not only in Nadia but in all the important towns and villages around His city. In the houses of His followers He showed miracles, taught the esoteric principles of bhakti<\/i> and sang His sa\u1e45k\u012brtana<\/i> with other bhaktas<\/i>. His followers in the town of Nadia commenced to sing the holy name of Hari in the streets and bazaars. This created a sensation and roused different feelings in different quarters. The bhaktas<\/i> were highly pleased. The sm\u0101rta br\u0101hma\u1e47as<\/i> became jealous of Nim\u0101i Pa\u1e47\u1e0dita\u2019s success and complained to Chand Kazi against the character of Caitanya, claiming it was un-Hindu. The Kazi came to \u015ar\u012bv\u0101sa Pa\u1e47\u1e0dita\u2019s house and broke a m\u1e5bda\u1e45ga<\/i> (khola<\/i> drum) there and declared that unless Nim\u0101i Pa\u1e47\u1e0dita ceased to make noise about His queer religion he would be obliged to enforce Mohammedanism on Him and His followers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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This was brought to Mah\u0101prabhu\u2019s notice. He ordered the townspeople to appear in the evening, each with a torch in his hand. This they did, and Nim\u0101i marched out with His sa\u1e45k\u012brtana<\/i> divided into fourteen groups. On His arrival in the Kazi\u2019s house, He held a long conversation with the Kazi and in the end communicated into his heart His Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava influence by touching his body. The Kazi then wept and admitted that he had felt a keen spiritual influence which had cleared up his doubts and produced in him a religious sentiment which gave him the highest ecstasy. The Kazi then joined the sa\u1e45k\u012brtana<\/i>party. The world was astonished at the spiritual power of the Great Lord, and hundreds and hundreds of heretics converted and joined the banner of Vi\u015bvambhara after this affair.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It was after this that some of the jealous and low-minded br\u0101hma\u1e47as<\/i> of Kulia picked a quarrel with Mah\u0101prabhu and collected a party to oppose Him. Nim\u0101i Pa\u1e47\u1e0dita was naturally a soft-hearted person, though strong in His principles. He declared that party feelings and sectarianism were the two great enemies of progress, and He saw that as long as He should continue to be an inhabitant of Nadia belonging to a certain family, His mission would not meet with complete success. He then resolved to be a citizen of the world by cutting off His connection with His particular family, caste and creed, and with this resolution He embraced the position of a sanny\u0101s\u012b<\/i> at Katwa under the guidance of Ke\u015bava Bh\u0101rat\u012b of that town, in the twenty-fourth year of His life. His mother and wife wept bitterly for His separation, but our hero, though soft in heart, was a strong person in His principles. He left His little world in His house for the unlimited spiritual world of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a with man in general.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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After His sanny\u0101sa,<\/i> He was induced to visit the house of Advaita Prabhu in \u015a\u0101ntipura. Advaita managed to invite all Mah\u0101prabhu\u2019s friends and admirers from Nadia and brought \u015aac\u012b-dev\u012b to see her son. Both pleasure and pain invaded her heart when she saw her son in the attire of a sanny\u0101s\u012b.<\/i> As a sanny\u0101s\u012b,<\/i> K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a Caitanya put on nothing but a kaup\u012bna<\/i> and a bahirv\u0101sa<\/i> (outer covering). His head was without hair, and His hands bore a da\u1e47\u1e0da<\/i> (stick) and a kama\u1e47\u1e0dalu<\/i> (hermit\u2019s waterpot).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The holy son fell at the feet of His beloved mother and said, \u201cMother! This body is yours, and I must obey your orders. Permit Me to go to V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana for My spiritual attainments.\u201d The mother, in consultation with Advaita and others, asked her son to reside in Pur\u012b (the town of Jagann\u0101tha) so that she might obtain news of Him now and then. Mah\u0101prabhu agreed to that proposition and in a few days left \u015a\u0101ntipura for Orissa.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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His biographers have described the journey of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a Caitanya (that was the name He got after His sanny\u0101sa<\/i>) from \u015a\u0101ntipura to Pur\u012b in great detail. He traveled along the side of the Bh\u0101g\u012brath\u012b as far as Chatrabhoga, situated now in Th\u0101n\u0101 Mathur\u0101pura, Diamond Harbor, Twenty-four Parganas. There He took a boat and went as far as Pray\u0101ga-gh\u0101\u1e6da, in the Midnapura District. Thence He walked through Balasore and Cuttack to Pur\u012b, seeing the temple of Bh\u016bvane\u015bvara on His way. Upon His arrival at Pur\u012b He saw Jagann\u0101tha in the temple and resided with S\u0101rvabhauma at the request of the latter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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S\u0101rvabhauma was a gigantic pa\u1e47\u1e0dita<\/i> of the day. His readings knew no bounds. He was the best naiy\u0101yika<\/i> of the times and was known as the most erudite scholar in the Ved\u0101nta philosophy of the school of \u015aa\u1e45kar\u0101c\u0101rya. He was born in Nadia (Vidy\u0101nagara) and taught innumerable pupils in the ny\u0101ya<\/i> philosophy in his tola<\/i> there. He had left for Pur\u012b some time before the birth of Nim\u0101i Pa\u1e47\u1e0dita. His brother-in-law Gop\u012bn\u0101tha Mi\u015bra introduced our new sanny\u0101s\u012b<\/i> to S\u0101rvabhauma, who was astonished at His personal beauty and feared that it would be difficult for the young man to maintain sanny\u0101sa-dharma<\/i> during the long run of His life. Gop\u012bn\u0101tha, who had known Mah\u0101prabhu from Nadia, had a great reverence for Him and declared that the sanny\u0101s\u012b<\/i> was not a common human being. On this point Gop\u012bn\u0101tha and S\u0101rvabhauma had a hot discussion. S\u0101rvabhauma then requested Mah\u0101prabhu to hear his recitation of the Ved\u0101nta-s\u016btras,<\/i> to which the latter tacitly submitted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Caitanya heard with silence what the great S\u0101rvabhauma uttered with gravity for seven days, at the end of which the latter said, \u201cK\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a Caitanya! I think You do not understand the Ved\u0101nta,<\/i> as You do not say anything after hearing my recitation and explanations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The reply of Caitanya was that He understood the s\u016btras<\/i> very well but could not make out what \u015aa\u1e45kar\u0101c\u0101rya meant by his commentaries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Astonished at this, S\u0101rvabhauma said, \u201cHow is it that You understand the meanings of the s\u016btras<\/i> but do not understand the commentaries which explain the s\u016btras<\/i>? All well! If You understand the s\u016btras,<\/i> please let me have Your interpretations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mah\u0101prabhu thereupon explained all the s\u016btras<\/i> in His own way, without touching the pantheistic commentary of \u015aa\u1e45kara. The keen understanding of S\u0101rvabhauma saw the truth, beauty and harmony of the arguments in the explanations given by Caitanya and obliged him to utter that it was the first time he had found one who could explain the Brahma-s\u016btras<\/i> in such a simple manner. He also admitted that the commentaries of \u015aa\u1e45kara never gave such natural explanations of the Ved\u0101nta-s\u016btras<\/i> as those he had obtained from Mah\u0101prabhu. S\u0101rvabhauma then submitted himself as an advocate and follower. In a few days he turned out to be one of the best Vai\u1e63\u1e47avas of the time. When reports of this came out, the whole of Orissa sang the praise of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a Caitanya, and hundreds and hundreds came to Him and became His followers. In the meantime Mah\u0101prabhu thought of visiting southern India, and He started with one K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47ad\u0101sa Br\u0101hma\u1e47a for the journey.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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His biographers have given us details of the journey. He first went to K\u016brmak\u1e63etra, where He did a miracle by curing a leper named V\u0101sudeva. He met R\u0101m\u0101nanda R\u0101ya, the governor of Vidy\u0101nagara, on the banks of the God\u0101var\u012b and had a philosophical conversation with him on the subject of prema-bhakti.<\/i> He worked another miracle by touching (making them immediately disappear) the seven t\u0101la<\/i> trees from behind which R\u0101macandra, the son of Da\u015baratha, had shot His arrow and killed the great V\u0101li R\u0101ja. Mah\u0101prabhu preached Vai\u1e63\u1e47avism and n\u0101ma-sa\u1e45k\u012brtana<\/i> throughout His journey. At Ra\u1e45gak\u1e63etra He stayed for four months in the house of one Ve\u1e45kata Bha\u1e6d\u1e6da in order to spend the rainy season. There He converted the whole family of Ve\u1e45kata from R\u0101m\u0101nuja Vai\u1e63\u1e47avism to k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-bhakti,<\/i> including the son of Ve\u1e45kata, a boy of ten years named Gop\u0101la, who afterwards came to V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana and became one of the Six Gosv\u0101m\u012bs, prophets serving under their leader \u015ar\u012b K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a Caitanya. Trained up in Sanskrit by his uncle Prabodh\u0101nanda Sarasvat\u012b, Gop\u0101la wrote several books on Vai\u1e63\u1e47avism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Caitanya visited numerous places in southern India as far as Cape Comorin and returned to Pur\u012b in two years by P\u0101\u1e47\u1e0darapura on the Bh\u012bm\u0101. In this latter place He spiritualized one Tuk\u0101r\u0101ma, who became from that time a religious preacher himself. This fact has been admitted in his \u0101bh\u0101\u1e45gas,<\/i> which have been collected in a volume by Mr. Satyendran\u0101th Tagore of the Bombay Civil Service. During His journey He had discussions with the Buddhists, the Jains and the M\u0101y\u0101v\u0101d\u012bs in several places and converted His opponents to Vai\u1e63\u1e47avism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Upon His return to Pur\u012b, R\u0101ja Prat\u0101parudra-deva and several pa\u1e47\u1e0dita br\u0101hma\u1e47as<\/i> joined the banner of Caitanya Mah\u0101prabhu. He was now twenty-seven years of age. In His twenty-eighth year He went to Bengal as far as Gau\u1e0da in Malda. There He picked up two great personages named R\u016bpa and San\u0101tana. Though descended from the lines of the Kar\u1e47\u0101tic br\u0101hma\u1e47as,<\/i> these two brothers had turned demi-Mohammedans by their continual contact with Hussain Shah, the then Emperor of Gau\u1e0da. Their names had been changed by the Emperor into Dabira Kh\u0101sa and S\u0101kara Mallika, and their master loved them heartily as they were both learned in Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit and were loyal servants of the state. The two gentlemen had found no way to come back as regular Hindus and had written to Mah\u0101prabhu while He was at Pur\u012b, for spiritual help. Mah\u0101prabhu had written in reply that He would come to them and extricate them out of their spiritual difficulties. Now that He had come to Gau\u1e0da, both the brothers appeared before Him with their long-standing prayer. Mah\u0101prabhu ordered them to go to V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana and meet Him there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Caitanya returned to Pur\u012b through \u015a\u0101ntipura, where He again met His dear mother. After a short stay at Pur\u012b He left for V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana. This time He was accompanied by one Balabhadra Bha\u1e6d\u1e6d\u0101c\u0101rya. He visited V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana and came down to Pray\u0101ga (Allahabad), converting a large number of Mohammedans to Vai\u1e63\u1e47avism by argument from the Koran. The descendants of those converts are still known as P\u0101\u1e6dh\u0101na Vai\u1e63\u1e47avas. R\u016bpa Gosv\u0101m\u012b met Him at Allahabad. Caitanya trained him up in spirituality in ten days and directed him to go to V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana on two missions. His first mission was to write theological works scientifically explaining pure bhakti<\/i> and prema.<\/i> The second mission was to revive the places where K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47acandra had at the end of Dv\u0101para-yuga exhibited His spiritual l\u012bl\u0101<\/i> for the benefit of the religious world. R\u016bpa Gosv\u0101m\u012b left Allahabad for V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana, and Mah\u0101prabhu came down to Benares. There He resided in the house of Candra\u015bekhara and accepted His daily bhik\u1e63\u0101<\/i> (meal) in the house of Tapana Mi\u015bra. Here it was that San\u0101tana Gosv\u0101m\u012b joined Him and took instruction for two months in spiritual matters. The biographers, especially K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47ad\u0101sa Kavir\u0101ja, have given us details of Caitanya\u2019s teachings to R\u016bpa and San\u0101tana. K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47ad\u0101sa was not a contemporary writer, but he gathered his information from the Six Gosv\u0101m\u012bs themselves, the direct disciples of Mah\u0101prabhu. J\u012bva Gosv\u0101m\u012b, who was a nephew of San\u0101tana and R\u016bpa and who has left us his invaluable work the \u1e62a\u1e6d-sandarbhas,<\/i> has philosophized on the precepts of his great leader. We have gathered and summarized the precepts of Caitanya from the books of those great writers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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While at Benares, Caitanya had an interview with the learned sanny\u0101s\u012bs<\/i> of that town in the house of a Maratha br\u0101hma\u1e47a<\/i>who had invited all the sanny\u0101s\u012bs<\/i> for an entertainment. At this interview, Caitanya showed a miracle which attracted all the sanny\u0101s\u012bs<\/i> to Him. Then ensued reciprocal conversations. The sanny\u0101s\u012bs<\/i> were headed by their most learned leader, Prak\u0101\u015b\u0101nanda Sarasvat\u012b. After a short controversy they submitted to Mah\u0101prabhu and admitted that they had been misled by the commentaries of \u015aa\u1e45kar\u0101c\u0101rya. It was impossible even for learned scholars to oppose Caitanya for a long time, as there was some spell in Him which touched their hearts and made them weep for their spiritual improvement. The sanny\u0101s\u012bs<\/i> of Benares soon fell at the feet of Caitanya and asked for His grace (k\u1e5bp\u0101<\/i>). Caitanya then preached pure bhakti<\/i>and instilled into their hearts a spiritual love for K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, which obliged them to give up sectarian feelings. The whole population of Benares, on this wonderful conversion of the sanny\u0101s\u012bs,<\/i> turned Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava, and they made a massive sa\u1e45k\u012brtana<\/i> with their new Lord.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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After sending San\u0101tana to V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana, Mah\u0101prabhu went to Pur\u012b again through the jungles with His comrade Balabhadra. Balabhadra reported that Mah\u0101prabhu showed a good many miracles on His way to Pur\u012b, such as making tigers and elephants dance on hearing the name of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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From this time, that is, from His thirty-first year, Mah\u0101prabhu continually lived in Pur\u012b, in the house of K\u0101\u015b\u012b Mi\u015bra, until His disappearance in His forty-eighth year at the time of sa\u1e45k\u012brtana<\/i> in the temple of \u1e6co\u1e6d\u0101-gop\u012bn\u0101tha. During these eighteen years, His life was one of settled love and piety. He was surrounded by numerous followers, all of whom were of the highest order of the Vai\u1e63\u1e47avas and who were distinguished from the common people by their purest character and learning, firm religious principles and spiritual love of R\u0101dh\u0101-K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Svar\u016bpa D\u0101modara, who had been known by the name of Puru\u1e63ottam\u0101c\u0101rya while Mah\u0101prabhu was in Nadia, joined Him from Benares and accepted service as His secretary. No production of any poet or philosopher could be laid before Mah\u0101prabhu unless Svar\u016bpa had passed it as pure and useful. R\u0101ya R\u0101m\u0101nanda was His second mate. Both he and Svar\u016bpa would sing while Mah\u0101prabhu expressed His sentiment on a certain point of worship. Param\u0101nanda Pur\u012b was His minister in matters of religion. There are hundreds of anecdotes described by His biographers which we do not think it meet here to reproduce. Mah\u0101prabhu slept short. His sentiments carried Him far and wide in the firmament of spirituality every day and night, and all His admirers and followers watched Him throughout. He worshiped, communicated with His missionaries in V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana, and conversed with those religious men who newly came to visit Him. He sang and danced, took no care of Himself and oft times lost Himself in religious beatitude. All who came to Him believed in Him as the all-beautiful God appearing in the nether world for the benefit of mankind. He loved His mother all along and sent her mah\u0101-pras\u0101da<\/i> now and then with those who went to Nadia. He was most amiable in nature. Humility was personified in Him. His sweet appearance gave cheer to all who came in contact with Him. He appointed Prabhu Nity\u0101nanda as the missionary in charge of Bengal. He dispatched six disciples (Gosv\u0101m\u012bs) to V\u1e5bnd\u0101vana to preach love in the upcountry. He punished all of His disciples who deviated from a holy life. This He markedly did in the case of Junior Harid\u0101sa. He never lacked in giving proper instructions in life to those who solicited them. This was seen in His teachings to Raghun\u0101tha d\u0101sa Gosv\u0101m\u012b. His treatment of Harid\u0101sa (senior) showed how He loved spiritual men and how He defied caste distinction in the cause of spiritual brotherhood.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prologue by \u015ar\u012bla Bhaktivinoda \u1e6ch\u0101kura This account originally appeared in a short work by \u015ar\u012bla Bhaktivinoda \u1e6ch\u0101kura entitled \u201c\u015ar\u012b Caitanya Mah\u0101prabhu: His Life and Precepts.\u201d (August 20, 1896) Caitanya Mah\u0101prabhu was born in M\u0101y\u0101pur, in the … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-13 21:41:31","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20596"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20596\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}