Text

Prologue by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Purport

This account originally appeared in a short work by ÅšrÄ«la Bhaktivinoda ṬhÄkura entitled “ŚrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu: His Life and Precepts.†(August 20, 1896)

Caitanya MahÄprabhu was born in MÄyÄpur, in the town of Nadia, just after sunset on the evening of the 23rd PhÄlguna, 1407 ÅšakÄbda, 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 BhÄgÄ«rathÄ« with loud cheers of “Haribol!†His father, JagannÄtha MiÅ›ra, a poor brÄhmaṇa of the Vedic order, and His mother, ÅšacÄ«-devÄ«, a model good woman, both descended from brÄhmaṇa stock originally residing in Sylhet. MahÄprabhu was a beautiful child, and the ladies of the town came to see Him with presents. His mother’s father, Paṇá¸ita NÄ«lÄmbara CakravartÄ«, a renowned astrologer, foretold that the child would be a great personage in time, and he therefore gave Him the name ViÅ›vambhara. The ladies of the neighborhood styled Him Gaurahari on account of His golden complexion, and His mother called Him NimÄi on account of the nima 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 pÄá¹­haÅ›ÄlÄ [school], where He picked up Bengali in a very short time.

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’s arms He wept continually, and when the neighboring ladies cried “Haribol!†He used to stop. Thus there was a continuation of the utterance of “Haribol!†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 paṇá¸ita, 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. 

Another miraculous act has been related. It is said that a brÄhmaṇa on pilgrimage became a guest in His house, cooked his food and read his grace with meditation on Kṛṣṇa. In the meantime the lad came and ate up the cooked rice. The brÄhmaṇa, astonished at the lad’s act, cooked again at the request of JagannÄtha MiÅ›ra. The lad again ate up the cooked rice while the brÄhmaṇa was offering the rice to Kṛṣṇa with meditation. The brÄhmaṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa to the traveler and blessed him. The brÄhmaṇa was then lost in ecstasy at the appearance of the object of his worship. 

It has also been stated that two thieves stole away the lad from His father’s 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. 

Another miraculous act has been described of the lad’s demanding and getting from Hiraṇya and JagadÄ«Å›a all the offerings they had collected for worshiping Kṛṣṇa on the day of EkÄdaśī. 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.

In His eighth year, He was admitted into the tola [school] of Gaá¹…gÄdÄsa Paṇá¸ita, in Gaá¹…gÄnagara, close by the village of MÄyÄpur. 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 paṇá¸ita himself. It appears that He read the smá¹›ti in His own study, and the nyÄya also, in competition with His friends, who were then studying under the celebrated Paṇá¸ita RaghunÄtha Åširomaṇi.

Now, after His tenth year, Caitanya became a passable scholar in grammar, rhetoric, the smá¹›ti and nyÄya. It was after this that His elder brother ViÅ›varÅ«pa left His house and accepted the ÄÅ›rama (status) of a sannyÄsÄ« (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 MahÄprabhu, with His usual contented appearance, consoled His widowed mother.

It was at the age of fourteen or fifteen that MahÄprabhu was married to Laká¹£mÄ«devÄ«, the daughter of VallabhÄcÄrya, also of Nadia. He was at this age considered one of the best scholars of Nadia, the renowned seat of nyÄya philosophy and Sanskrit learning. Not to speak of the smÄrta paṇá¸itas, the naiyÄyikas 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. 

It was at this time that He preached Vaiṣṇavism at intervals. After teaching him the principles of Vaiṣṇavism, He ordered Tapana MiÅ›ra  to go and live in Benares. During His residence in eastern Bengal, His wife Laká¹£mÄ«devÄ« 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’s request that He married ViṣṇupriyÄ, the daughter of RÄja Paṇá¸ita SanÄtana MiÅ›ra. His comrades joined Him on His return from pravÄsa, or sojourn. 

He was now so renowned that He was considered to be the best paṇá¸ita in Nadia. KeÅ›ava MiÅ›ra of Kashmir, who had called himself the Great DigvijayÄ« [world conqueror], came to Nadia with a view to debate the paṇá¸itas of that place. Afraid of the so-called conquering paṇá¸ita, the tola professors of Nadia left their town on the pretense of invitation. KeÅ›ava met MahÄprabhu at the Barokona-ghÄá¹­Ä in MÄyÄpur, and after a very short discussion with Him he got defeated by the boy, and mortification obliged him to decamp. NimÄi Paṇá¸ita was now the most important paṇá¸ita of the times.

It was at the age of sixteen or seventeen that He traveled to GayÄ with a host of His students and there took His spiritual initiation from Īśvara PurÄ«, a Vaiṣṇava sannyÄsÄ« and a disciple of the renowned MÄdhavendra PurÄ«. Upon His return to Nadia, NimÄi Paṇá¸ita turned religious preacher, and His religious nature became so strongly represented that Advaita Prabhu, ÅšrÄ«vÄsa and others who had before the birth of Caitanya already accepted the Vaiṣṇava faith were astonished at the change in the young man. He was then no more a contending naiyÄyika, a wrangling smÄrta and a criticizing rhetorician. He swooned at the name of Kṛṣṇa and behaved as an inspired man under the influence of His religious sentiment. It has been described by MurÄri Gupta, an eyewitness, that He showed His heavenly powers in the house of ÅšrÄ«vÄsa Paṇá¸ita in the presence of hundreds of His followers, who were mostly well-read scholars. 

It was at this time that He opened a nocturnal school of kÄ«rtana in the compound of ÅšrÄ«vÄsa Paṇá¸ita with His sincere followers. There He preached, there He sang, there He danced, and there He expressed all sorts of religious feelings. NityÄnanda Prabhu, who was then a preacher of Vaiṣṇavism and who had completed His travels all over India, joined Him at that time. In fact, a host of paṇá¸ita preachers of Vaiṣṇavism, all sincere at heart, came and joined Him from different parts of Bengal. Nadia now became the regular seat of a host of Vaiṣṇava ÄcÄryas whose mission it was to spiritualize mankind with the highest influence of the Vaiṣṇava creed.

The first mandate that He issued to Prabhu NityÄnanda and HaridÄsa was this: “Go, 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.†Thus ordered, the two preachers went out and met JagÄi and MÄdhÄi, the two most abominable characters in Nadia. These two insulted the preachers on hearing MahÄprabhu’s mandate, but were soon converted by the influence of bhakti inculcated by their Lord. 

The people of Nadia were now surprised. They said, “NimÄi Paṇá¸ita is not only a gigantic genius but is certainly a missionary from God Almighty.†From this time to His twenty-third year, MahÄprabhu 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 and sang His saá¹…kÄ«rtana with other bhaktas. 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 were highly pleased. The smÄrta brÄhmaṇas became jealous of NimÄi Paṇá¸ita’s success and complained to Chand Kazi against the character of Caitanya, claiming it was un-Hindu. The Kazi came to ÅšrÄ«vÄsa Paṇá¸ita’s house and broke a má¹›daá¹…ga (khola drum) there and declared that unless NimÄi Paṇá¸ita ceased to make noise about His queer religion he would be obliged to enforce Mohammedanism on Him and His followers. 

This was brought to MahÄprabhu’s notice. He ordered the townspeople to appear in the evening, each with a torch in his hand. This they did, and NimÄi marched out with His saá¹…kÄ«rtana divided into fourteen groups. On His arrival in the Kazi’s house, He held a long conversation with the Kazi and in the end communicated into his heart His Vaiṣṇava 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 saá¹…kÄ«rtana 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 ViÅ›vambhara after this affair.

It was after this that some of the jealous and low-minded brÄhmaṇas of Kulia picked a quarrel with MahÄprabhu and collected a party to oppose Him. NimÄi Paṇá¸ita 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 sannyÄsÄ« at Katwa under the guidance of KeÅ›ava BhÄratÄ« 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 Kṛṣṇa with man in general.

After His sannyÄsa, He was induced to visit the house of Advaita Prabhu in ÅšÄntipura. Advaita managed to invite all MahÄprabhu’s friends and admirers from Nadia and brought ÅšacÄ«-devÄ« to see her son. Both pleasure and pain invaded her heart when she saw her son in the attire of a sannyÄsÄ«. As a sannyÄsÄ«, Kṛṣṇa Caitanya put on nothing but a kaupÄ«na and a bahirvÄsa (outer covering). His head was without hair, and His hands bore a daṇá¸a (stick) and a kamaṇá¸alu (hermit’s waterpot). 

The holy son fell at the feet of His beloved mother and said, “Mother! This body is yours, and I must obey your orders. Permit Me to go to Vá¹›ndÄvana for My spiritual attainments.†The mother, in consultation with Advaita and others, asked her son to reside in PurÄ« (the town of JagannÄtha) so that she might obtain news of Him now and then. MahÄprabhu agreed to that proposition and in a few days left ÅšÄntipura for Orissa. 

His biographers have described the journey of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya (that was the name He got after His sannyÄsa) from ÅšÄntipura to PurÄ« in great detail. He traveled along the side of the BhÄgÄ«rathÄ« as far as Chatrabhoga, situated now in ThÄnÄ MathurÄpura, Diamond Harbor, Twenty-four Parganas. There He took a boat and went as far as PrayÄga-ghÄá¹­a, in the Midnapura District. Thence He walked through Balasore and Cuttack to PurÄ«, seeing the temple of BhÅ«vaneÅ›vara on His way. Upon His arrival at PurÄ« He saw JagannÄtha in the temple and resided with SÄrvabhauma at the request of the latter. 

SÄrvabhauma was a gigantic paṇá¸ita of the day. His readings knew no bounds. He was the best naiyÄyika of the times and was known as the most erudite scholar in the VedÄnta philosophy of the school of Åšaá¹…karÄcÄrya. He was born in Nadia (VidyÄnagara) and taught innumerable pupils in the nyÄya philosophy in his tola there. He had left for PurÄ« some time before the birth of NimÄi Paṇá¸ita. His brother-in-law GopÄ«nÄtha MiÅ›ra introduced our new sannyÄsÄ« to SÄrvabhauma, who was astonished at His personal beauty and feared that it would be difficult for the young man to maintain sannyÄsa-dharma during the long run of His life. GopÄ«nÄtha, who had known MahÄprabhu from Nadia, had a great reverence for Him and declared that the sannyÄsÄ« was not a common human being. On this point GopÄ«nÄtha and SÄrvabhauma had a hot discussion. SÄrvabhauma then requested MahÄprabhu to hear his recitation of the VedÄnta-sÅ«tras, to which the latter tacitly submitted. 

Caitanya heard with silence what the great SÄrvabhauma uttered with gravity for seven days, at the end of which the latter said, “Kṛṣṇa Caitanya! I think You do not understand the VedÄnta, as You do not say anything after hearing my recitation and explanations.â€Â 

The reply of Caitanya was that He understood the sÅ«tras very well but could not make out what Åšaá¹…karÄcÄrya meant by his commentaries. 

Astonished at this, SÄrvabhauma said, “How is it that You understand the meanings of the sÅ«tras but do not understand the commentaries which explain the sÅ«tras? All well! If You understand the sÅ«tras, please let me have Your interpretations.â€Â 

MahÄprabhu thereupon explained all the sÅ«tras in His own way, without touching the pantheistic commentary of Åšaá¹…kara. The keen understanding of SÄrvabhauma 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-sÅ«tras in such a simple manner. He also admitted that the commentaries of Åšaá¹…kara never gave such natural explanations of the VedÄnta-sÅ«tras as those he had obtained from MahÄprabhu. SÄrvabhauma then submitted himself as an advocate and follower. In a few days he turned out to be one of the best Vaiṣṇavas of the time. When reports of this came out, the whole of Orissa sang the praise of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, and hundreds and hundreds came to Him and became His followers. In the meantime MahÄprabhu thought of visiting southern India, and He started with one KṛṣṇadÄsa BrÄhmaṇa for the journey.

His biographers have given us details of the journey. He first went to KÅ«rmaká¹£etra, where He did a miracle by curing a leper named VÄsudeva. He met RÄmÄnanda RÄya, the governor of VidyÄnagara, on the banks of the GodÄvarÄ« and had a philosophical conversation with him on the subject of prema-bhakti. He worked another miracle by touching (making them immediately disappear) the seven tÄla trees from behind which RÄmacandra, the son of DaÅ›aratha, had shot His arrow and killed the great VÄli RÄja. MahÄprabhu preached Vaiṣṇavism and nÄma-saá¹…kÄ«rtana throughout His journey. At Raá¹…gaká¹£etra He stayed for four months in the house of one Veá¹…kata Bhaá¹­á¹­a in order to spend the rainy season. There He converted the whole family of Veá¹…kata from RÄmÄnuja Vaiṣṇavism to kṛṣṇa-bhakti, including the son of Veá¹…kata, a boy of ten years named GopÄla, who afterwards came to Vá¹›ndÄvana and became one of the Six GosvÄmÄ«s, prophets serving under their leader ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. Trained up in Sanskrit by his uncle PrabodhÄnanda SarasvatÄ«, GopÄla wrote several books on Vaiṣṇavism.

Caitanya visited numerous places in southern India as far as Cape Comorin and returned to PurÄ« in two years by PÄṇá¸arapura on the BhÄ«mÄ. In this latter place He spiritualized one TukÄrÄma, who became from that time a religious preacher himself. This fact has been admitted in his ÄbhÄá¹…gas, which have been collected in a volume by Mr. SatyendranÄth Tagore of the Bombay Civil Service. During His journey He had discussions with the Buddhists, the Jains and the MÄyÄvÄdÄ«s in several places and converted His opponents to Vaiṣṇavism.

Upon His return to PurÄ«, RÄja PratÄparudra-deva and several paṇá¸ita brÄhmaṇas joined the banner of Caitanya MahÄprabhu. He was now twenty-seven years of age. In His twenty-eighth year He went to Bengal as far as Gauá¸a in Malda. There He picked up two great personages named RÅ«pa and SanÄtana. Though descended from the lines of the KarṇÄtic brÄhmaṇas, these two brothers had turned demi-Mohammedans by their continual contact with Hussain Shah, the then Emperor of Gauá¸a. Their names had been changed by the Emperor into Dabira KhÄsa and SÄkara 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 MahÄprabhu while He was at PurÄ«, for spiritual help. MahÄprabhu had written in reply that He would come to them and extricate them out of their spiritual difficulties. Now that He had come to Gauá¸a, both the brothers appeared before Him with their long-standing prayer. MahÄprabhu ordered them to go to Vá¹›ndÄvana and meet Him there.

Caitanya returned to PurÄ« through ÅšÄntipura, where He again met His dear mother. After a short stay at PurÄ« He left for Vá¹›ndÄvana. This time He was accompanied by one Balabhadra Bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya. He visited Vá¹›ndÄvana and came down to PrayÄga (Allahabad), converting a large number of Mohammedans to Vaiṣṇavism by argument from the Koran. The descendants of those converts are still known as PÄá¹­hÄna Vaiṣṇavas. RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ« met Him at Allahabad. Caitanya trained him up in spirituality in ten days and directed him to go to Vá¹›ndÄvana on two missions. His first mission was to write theological works scientifically explaining pure bhakti and prema. The second mission was to revive the places where Kṛṣṇacandra had at the end of DvÄpara-yuga exhibited His spiritual lÄ«lÄ for the benefit of the religious world. RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ« left Allahabad for Vá¹›ndÄvana, and MahÄprabhu came down to Benares. There He resided in the house of CandraÅ›ekhara and accepted His daily bhiká¹£Ä (meal) in the house of Tapana MiÅ›ra. Here it was that SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ« joined Him and took instruction for two months in spiritual matters. The biographers, especially KṛṣṇadÄsa KavirÄja, have given us details of Caitanya’s teachings to RÅ«pa and SanÄtana. KṛṣṇadÄsa was not a contemporary writer, but he gathered his information from the Six GosvÄmÄ«s themselves, the direct disciples of MahÄprabhu. JÄ«va GosvÄmÄ«, who was a nephew of SanÄtana and RÅ«pa and who has left us his invaluable work the á¹¢aá¹­-sandarbhas, 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.

While at Benares, Caitanya had an interview with the learned sannyÄsÄ«s of that town in the house of a Maratha brÄhmaṇa who had invited all the sannyÄsÄ«s for an entertainment. At this interview, Caitanya showed a miracle which attracted all the sannyÄsÄ«s to Him. Then ensued reciprocal conversations. The sannyÄsÄ«s were headed by their most learned leader, PrakÄÅ›Änanda SarasvatÄ«. After a short controversy they submitted to MahÄprabhu and admitted that they had been misled by the commentaries of Åšaá¹…karÄcÄrya. 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 sannyÄsÄ«s of Benares soon fell at the feet of Caitanya and asked for His grace (ká¹›pÄ). Caitanya then preached pure bhakti and instilled into their hearts a spiritual love for Kṛṣṇa, which obliged them to give up sectarian feelings. The whole population of Benares, on this wonderful conversion of the sannyÄsÄ«s, turned Vaiṣṇava, and they made a massive saá¹…kÄ«rtana with their new Lord. 

After sending SanÄtana to Vá¹›ndÄvana, MahÄprabhu went to PurÄ« again through the jungles with His comrade Balabhadra. Balabhadra reported that MahÄprabhu showed a good many miracles on His way to PurÄ«, such as making tigers and elephants dance on hearing the name of Kṛṣṇa.

From this time, that is, from His thirty-first year, MahÄprabhu continually lived in PurÄ«, in the house of KÄśī MiÅ›ra, until His disappearance in His forty-eighth year at the time of saá¹…kÄ«rtana in the temple of Ṭoá¹­Ä-gopÄ«nÄtha. 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 Vaiṣṇavas and who were distinguished from the common people by their purest character and learning, firm religious principles and spiritual love of RÄdhÄ-Kṛṣṇa. 

SvarÅ«pa DÄmodara, who had been known by the name of Puruá¹£ottamÄcÄrya while MahÄprabhu was in Nadia, joined Him from Benares and accepted service as His secretary. No production of any poet or philosopher could be laid before MahÄprabhu unless SvarÅ«pa had passed it as pure and useful. RÄya RÄmÄnanda was His second mate. Both he and SvarÅ«pa would sing while MahÄprabhu expressed His sentiment on a certain point of worship. ParamÄnanda PurÄ« 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. MahÄprabhu 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 Vá¹›ndÄvana, 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 mahÄ-prasÄda 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 NityÄnanda as the missionary in charge of Bengal. He dispatched six disciples (GosvÄmÄ«s) to Vá¹›ndÄvana 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 HaridÄsa. He never lacked in giving proper instructions in life to those who solicited them. This was seen in His teachings to RaghunÄtha dÄsa GosvÄmÄ«. His treatment of HaridÄsa (senior) showed how He loved spiritual men and how He defied caste distinction in the cause of spiritual brotherhood.