[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
ARTICLE : Lord Caitanya's advent
Lord Caitanya Mshsprabhu, the great apostle of love of God and the father
of the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord, advented
Himself at Sridham Mayapura, a quarter in the city of Navadvipa in Bengal,
on the Phallguni Purnima evinig in the year 1407 Sakabda (corrosponding to
February 1486 by the christian calendar).
His father, Sri Jaggannatha Misra, a learned brahmana from the district of
Sylhet, came to Navadvipa as a student because at that time Navadvipa was
considered to be the center of education and culture. He domiciled on the
banks of Ganges after marrying Srimati Sacidevi, a daughter of Srila
Nilambara Cakravarti, the great learned scholar of Navadvipa.
Jagannatha Misra had a number of daughters by his wide, Srimati Sacidevi,
and most of them expired at an early age. Two surviving sons, Sri
Visvarupa and Visvambhara, became at last the object of their paternal
affection. The tenth and youngest son, who was named Visvambhara, later
became known as Nimai Pandita and then, after accepting the renounced
order of life, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu exhibited His transendental activities for
forty-eight years and then disappeared in the year 1455 Sakabda at Puri.
For His first twenty-four years He remained at Navadvipa as a student and
householder. His first wife was Srimati Laksmipriya, who died at an early
age when the Lord was away from home. When He returned from East Bengal He
was requested by His mother to accept a second wife, and He agreed. His
second wife was Srimati Visnupriya Devi, who bore the separation of the
Lord throughout her life because the Lord took the order of sannyasa at
the age of twenty four, when Srimati Visnupriya was barly sixteen years old.
After taking sannyasa, the Lord made His headquarters at Jagannatha Puri
due to the request of His mother, Srimati Sacidevi. The Lord remained for
twenty four years at Puri. For six years of this time He traveled
continuously all over India (and especially throughout southern India)
preaching the Srimad Bhagavatam.
Lord Caitanya not only preached the Srimad Bhagavatam but propagated the
teachings of the Bhagavad gita as well in the most practical way. In the
Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna is depicted as the Absolute Personality of
Godhead, and His last teachings in that great book of transcendental
knowledge instruct taht one should give up all the modes of religious
activities and accept Him (Lord Sri Krsna) as the only worshipable Lord.
The Lord then assured that all His devotees woiuld be protected from all
sorts of sinfull acts and that for them there would be no cause for anxiety.
Unfortunately, despite Lord Krsna's direct order and the teachings of the
Bhagavad-gita, less intelligent people misunderstand Him to be nkothing
but a great historical personality, and thus they cannot acept Him as the
original Personality of Godhead. Such men with a poor fund of knowledge
are misled by many nondevotees. Thus the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita
were misinterpreted even by great scholars, After the disapearance of Lord
Sri Krsna there were hundreds of commentraries on the Bhagavad gita by
many erudite dcholars, and almost every one of them was motivated by
self-interest.
Lord Ssri Caitanya Mahapraabhu is the selfsame Lord Sri Krsna. This time,
howerver, He appeared as a great devotee of the Lord in order to preach to
the people in gerneral, as well as to religionists and pilosophers, about
the transcendental position of Sri Krsna, the primeval Lord and the cause
of all causes, The essence of His preaching is that Lord Sri Krsna, who
appeared at Vrajabhumi (Vridavana) as the son of the King of Vraja (Nanda
Maharaja), is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and therefore worshipable
by all, Vrndavana dhama is nondifferent from the Lord becuase the name,
fame, form, and place where the Lord manifests Himself are all identical
with the Lord as absolute knkowledge. Therefore Vrindavana dhama is as
worshipable by all. Vrndavan dhama is as worshipable as the Lord, The
highest form of transcendental worship of the Lord was exhibited by the
damsels of Vrajabhumi in the form of pure affection for the Lord, and Lord
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends this process as the most excellent mode
of worship. He accepts the Srimad Bhagavata Purana as the spotless
literature for understanding the Lord, and He preaches that the ultimate
goal of life for all human beings is to attain the stage of prema, or love
of God.
