About Sri Chaitanya

About Sri Chaitanya

Lord Chaitanya is the Supreme Lord Krishna; He is the combined form of Lord Krishna and Srimati Radharani. He appeared in this age of Kaliyuga to experience the same love which Srimati Radharani has for him. By His own example He also showed the people as how to reawaken love for Krishna and how to completely surrender to Krishna. He propagated the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare”, chanting of this maha-mantra revives one’s dormant love for Krishna.Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in Nadia, Mayapur (West Bengal), India on 18th Feb, 1486. His father was Jagannath Mishra and mother Saci Devi. He was named as Visvambhara which means “maintainer of the worlds". He was also called Gaurahari due to His golden complexion and Nimai because of being born near a neem tree. He began his schooling at the age of 5. By the time He was 14 or 15 years old, He became one of the most renowned and erudite scholar of Sanskrit and nyaya philosophy.At the age of 16 or 17 He took spiritual initiation from a great Vaisnava Sannyasi, Isvara Puri in Gaya. After initiation He became a religious preacher,His teachings transformed the hearts of many. People in large numbers from different parts of the country started coming to Nadia to meet Caitanya Mahaprabu. Mahaprabhu wanted to distribute Krishna Bhakti to each and every individual without any discrimination and so He instructed two of his intimate associates Lord Nityananda and Haridasa "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 you then come and report to me every evening the result of your preaching." Mahaprabhu’s preaching transformed many including Jagai and Madhai, the two most wretched and abominable personality of the town. People started taking up Krishna Bhakti very sincerely; devotees started performing sankirtana (congregational chanting of the holy name) in the towns and villages. When Chand Kazi, the then chief magistrate of Navadvipa, tried to stop Mahaprabhu’s sankirtana movement then Mahaprabhu led a huge procession of the devotees to the residence of Chand Kazi. Mahaprabhu divided his sankirtana into 14 groups; each devotee had a torch in his hand. Upon reaching Kazi’s house with His entourage, Mahaprabhu had a philosophical discussion with the Kazi and finally Mahaprabhu instilled Krishna Prem in the heart of Kazi. Kazi lamented bitterly upon realizing his grave mistake and he too decided to join the sankirtana party. Mahaprabhu used to feel immense pain seeing the suffering souls. He wanted ever individual to take up Krishna Consciousness very sincerely and seriously. So, He decided to take sannyasa, so that He can travel extensively and preach Krishna Bhakti to these impoverished souls. He took Sannyasa from Kesava Bharati and got the name Sri Krishna Caitanya which means "one who infuses Krishna Consciousness into others".
After accepting sannyasa He travelled throughout the length and breadth of India. On His way He instilled Krishna Prem in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people. He preached Tukaram who became a great saint. He preached to Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami and instructed them to go to Vrindavan to relocate and renovate the lost places of Krishna’s pastimes and write books which would scientifically explain pure Bhakti and Prema. From the age of 31, Mahaprabhu resided in Jagannath Puri where He performed many wonderful pastimes. The king of Orissa, Prataprudra became one of His ardent disciples. Several learned brahmanas surrendered to Him. Innumerable devotees would flock to Puri to have darshan of the Lord. Every night Mahaprabhu performed sankirtana in Puri and thousands of people enthusiastically participated. The King Prataprudra had ensured that devotees of Lord Caitanya get sumptuous Jagannath prasada. During the famous Rath Yatra festival of Puri, Mahaprabhu Himself used to oversee all the arrangements. Millions of people would participate in the Rath Yatra festival. Mahaprabhu disappeared from this world at the age of 48 while performing sankirtana in the temple of Tota Gopinath in Puri; Mahaprabhu departed by merging in the deity of Gopinatha.