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ARTICLE : Lord Caitanya, the preacher of Srimad Bhagavatam
Many devotees of Lord Caitanya like Srila Brindavana dasa Thakura, Sri
Locana dasa Thakura, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, Sri Kavikarnapura,
Sri Prabodhananda Sarasvati, Sri Rupa Gosvami, Sri Sanatana Gosvami, Sri
Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Sri Jiva Gosvami, Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami,
Sri Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, and in this later age within two hundred
years, Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti, Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana, Sri
Syamananda Gosvami, Sri Narottama dasa Thakura, Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakura
and Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and at last Srila Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada and many other great and renowned scholars and devotees
of the Lord have prepared voluminous books and literature on the lofe and
precepts of the Lord. Such loteratures are all based on the sastras like
the Vedas, Puranas, Upanisads, Ramayana, Mahabharata and other histories
and authentic literatures approved by the recognized acaryas. They are
unique in composition and unrivaled on presentation, and they are full of
transcendental knowledge. Unfortunately the people of the world are still
ignorant of them, but when these literatures, which are mostly in Sanskrit
and Bengali, come to light the world and when they are presented before
theinking peole, then India's glory and the message if love will overflood
this morbid world, which is vainly searching after peace and prosperity by
various illusory methods not approved by the acaryas on the chain of
disciplic succession.
The readers of this small description of the life and precepts of Lord
Caitanya will profit much to go through the books of Srila Vrndavana dasa
Thakura (Sri Caitanya-bhagavata) and Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja dasa Thakura
(Sri Caitanya -caritamrta). The early life of the Lord is most
fascinatingly expressed by the author of Caitanya-bhagavata, and as far as
the teachings are concerned, they are available to the English speaking
public in our Teachings of Lord Caitanya.
The Lord's early life was recorded by one of His chief devotees and
contemporaries, namely Srola Murari Gupta, a medical practitioner of that
time, and the latter part of the life of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was
recorded by His private secretary Sri Damodara Gosvami, or Srila Svarupa
Damodara, who was practically a constant companion of the Lord at Puri.
These two devotees recorded pracically all the incidents of the Lord's
activities, and later on all the books dealing with the Lord, which are
above mentioned, were composed on athe basis of kadacas (notebooks) by
Srila Damodara Gosvami and Murari Gupta.
So the Lord advented Himself in the Phalguni Purnima evening of 1407
Sakabda, and it was by the eill of the Lord that there was a lunar eclipse
in the evening. During the hours of eclipse it was the custom of the Hindu
public to take bath in the Ganges or any other sacred river and chant the
Vedic mantras for purification. When Lord Caitanya was born during the
lunar eclipse, all India was roaring with the holy sound of Hare Krsna,
Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare
Hare. These sixteen names of the Lord are mentioned in many Puranas and
Upanisads, and they are described as the Taraka-brahma nama of this age.
It is recommended in the sastras taht offenseless chanting of these holy
names of the Lord can deliver a fallen soul from material bondage. There
are innumerable names of the Lord in India and outside, and all of them
are equally good because all of them indicae the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. But because these sixteen are especially recommended for this
age, people should take advantage of them and follow the path of the great
acarys who attained success by practicing the rules of the sastras
(reaveld scriptures).
The simultaneous occurance of the Lord's appearance and the lunar eclipse
indicated the distinctive mission of the Lord. This mission was to preach
the importance of chanting the holly names of the Lord in this age of Kali
(wuarrel). In this present age quarrels take place ecen over trifles, and
therefore the sastras have recommended for this age a common platform for
realization, namely chanting the holy names of the Lord. People can hold
meetings to glorify the Lord in their respective languages and with
melodious songs, and if such performances are executed in an offenseless
manner, it is certain that the participants will gradually attain
spiritual perfection without having to undergo more rigorous methods. At
such meetings everyone, the learned and the foolish, the rich and poor,
the Hindus and the Muslims, the Englishmen and the Indians, and the
candalas and the brahmanas, can all herar the transcendental sounds and
thus cleanse the dust of manterial association from the mirror of the
heart, To confirm the Lord's mission, all the people of the worldwill
accept the holy name ofa the Lord as the common platform for the universal
religion of mankind. In other words, the advent of the holy name took
place along with the advent of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.