Krishna Chaitanya: An Introduction
During the fifteenth century, an Indian mystic, leader, and revolutionary Sri Krishna Chaitanya (1486–1533) who thought about reaching out with his message of peace and inner prosperity to the farthest corners of the world. Another Indian thinker, Sri Kedar Nath Dutt (also known as Bhaktivinoda, 1838–1914) wrote a short book explaining the fundamental teachings of Chaitanya, also known as Mahaprabhu. The following is Part 1 of 5 of his Life and Precepts of Sri Caitanya slightly updated to match 21st century English. The original book can be downloaded for free here.
Part 1 or 5. Parts two, three, four, and five are coming soon.
Reading Level: Intermediate.
A Few Words in English
By Bhaktivinoda
The object of this little book is to bring the holy life of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his teachings to the attention of the educated and the religious people [to the English speaking world]. Most of the books on these subjects have so far been published in the Bengali language. Hence the life and teachings of Sri Chaitanya have barely passed beyond the limits of Bengal. This book has therefore been printed in Sanskrit types for circulation all over India. Lately, our educated colleagues of Europe and America have taken, to the study of the Sanskrit language, and it is our belief that this brochure will reach them in a very short time.
This book contains 104 verses with extensive commentaries. It succinctly mentions of all the anecdotes of the life of Mahaprabhu as related in the famous book, the Chaitanya Charitamrita by Krishnadas Kaviraj. The slokas from 75 to 86 inclusive will give an outline of the teachings of that great person. With the intention to help our English-knowing readers in going through the book, we have summarized the contents of the work in English.
The Life of Krishna Chaitanya
Sri Krishna Caitanya (also called Mahaprabhu) was born in Mayapur in the town of Nadia just after sunset on the evening of the 23rd Phalguna in 1407 according to the Saka calendar, which was on 18th of February, 1486 of the Christian Era. There was a lunar eclipsed at the time of his birth, and the people of Nadia (where he lived) were then engaged, in bathing in the Bhagirathi with loud cheers of Haribol, as was usual on such occasions. His father, Jagannatha Misra, a poor scholar and thinker within a Vedic order and his mother, Sachi Devi, a role-model and they both had descended from brahmana ancestors who were originally resident in Sylhet, present-day Bangladesh.
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Mahaprabhu was a beautiful child, and the ladies of the town came to see him with many presents when he was born. His mother’s father, Pundit Nilambara Cakravarti was a renowned astrologer who foretold that this child would be a great person in due course of time and thus he gave him the name Visvambhara (world conquerer). The ladies of the neighborhood styled him Gaurahari on account of his golden (fair-wheatish) complexion, and his mother called Him ‘Nimai’ because he was born near a Neem (Margosa) tree. Beautiful as he was, everyone happily loved to see him every day. As he grew up he became a whimsical and frolicsome lad. After his fifth year, he was admitted to a local 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 (holy names) he used to stop. Thus they continually uttered Haribol in the house, foreshadowing the future mission of the hero. It has also been stated that when his mother once gave him sweets to eat, he ate clay instead of food. When she asked for a reason, he stated that sweets were nothing but transformed clay, and he could eat clay as well. His mother, who was also the wife of a pundit, explained that every specific thing in the world was adapted for special use. Earth, while in the state of a jug, could be used as a water pot, but in the state of brick, such use was not possible. Clay, therefore, in the form of sweets was usable as food, but clay in its other states was not. The boy was convinced and admitted his stupidity in eating clay and agreed to avoid the mistake in the future.
His biographies relate to another wonderful anecdote. It is said that a brahmana traveling on a pilgrimage across India became a guest in his house, cooked food, and said his grace before eating, meditating on Krsna. In the meanwhile, the boy came and ate up all of his cooked rice. The brahmana, astonished at what he did, cooked another meal again at the request of Jagannatha Misra. The boy again ate up the cooked rice while the brahmana was offering the rice to Krsna with meditation. Thus, he was persuaded to cook his meal for the third time. And this time all the inmates of the house had fallen asleep, but the boy showed himself as Krsna to the traveler and blessed him.
The brahmana 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 boy from his father’s door with the intention of stealing his jewels and gave him sweets. The lad exercised his energy to create illusions and deceived the thieves and brought them back towards his own house. The thieves, for fear of detection, left the boy there and fled. Another miraculous act that has been described is the lad’s demanding and getting from Hiranya and Jagadisa all the offerings they had collected for worshiping Krsna on the day of Ekadasi. 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.
During his eighth year, he enrolled at the local school (tola) of Gangadasa Pandita (a well-known teacher) at Ganganagara close by the village of Mayapur. In two years he became well-versed 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 pundit himself (and had passed away). It appears that he read smrtis (secondary Vedic literature) in his own studies, as well as Nyaya (logic), in competition with his friends who were then studying under the celebrated pundit Raghunatha Siromani.
Now, after his tenth year, Chaitanya became a passable scholar in grammar, rhetoric, Smriti and Nyaya. It was after this that his elder brother Vishwarup left his house and accepted the ashram (social status) of a sannyasi (itinerant ascetic monk). Chaitanya, 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 Mahaprabhu, with his usual contented appearance, consoled his widowed mother.
At the age of fourteen or fifteen when Mahaprabhu was married to Laksmi Devi, the daughter of Ballabha Acharya, also from Nadia. At this age, he was considered one of the best scholars of Nadia, the renowned seat of Nyaya philosophy and Sanskrit learning (in India). The logicians (Naiyayikas) were all afraid of confronting him in literary discussions, what to speak of the smarta pundits, the orthodox priests. Being a married man, he went to Eastern Bengal on the banks of the Padma for acquiring some wealth. There he displayed his learning and obtained a good sum of money. It was at this time that he preached Vaisnavism at intervals. After teaching him the principles of Vaisnavism, he ordered Tapana Misra to go to and live in Benares. During his residence in East Bengal, his wife Laksmidevi left this world due to the effects of snakebite.
On returning home, he found his mother in a state of mourning. He consoled her with a talk on the uncertainty of human affairs. It was at his mother’s request that he married Vishnu Priya, the daughter of Raja Pandita Sanatana Misra. His comrades joined him on his return from pravasa or ‘living abroad’. He was now so renowned that he was considered to be the best pandita in Nadia. Kesava Misra of Kashmir, who had called himself the Great Digvijayi (an undefeated debate champion), came to Nadia with the intent to discuss with the pundits of that place. Afraid of the so-called conquering pundit, the tola professors of Nadia left their town on the pretense of an invitation somewhere else. Kesava met Mahaprabhu at the Barokona-ghata in Mayapur, and after a very short discussion with him he was defeated by the boy, and being mortified, he became obliged him to camp somewhere else. Nimai Pandita was now the most important pundit of his times.
It was at the age of sixteen or seventeen that he traveled to Gaya with a host of his students and there took his spiritual initiation from Iswar Puri a Vaishnava sannyasi and a disciple of the renowned Madhavendra Puri. Upon his return to Nadia, Nimai Pandit turned out a religious preacher, and his religious nature became so strongly represented that Adwaita Prabhu, Sribasa, and others, who had before the birth of Chaitanya already accepted the Vaishnava faith, were astonished at the change of the young man.
He was then no more a contending naiyaika, a wrangling smarta, or a criticizing rhetorician. He swooned at the name of Krishna and behaved as an inspired man under the influence of his religious sentiment. It has been described by Murari Gupta, an eye witness, that he shewed his heavenly powers in the house of Sribas Pandit 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 kirtan in the compound of Sribas Pandit with his sincere followers. There he preached — there he sang- there he danced and there he expressed all sorts of religious feelings. Nityananda Prabhu who was then a preacher of Vaishnavism and who had then completed his travels all over India joined him by that time. In fact, a host of pundit preachers of Vaisnavism, all sincere at heart, came and joined him from different parts of Bengal. Nadia now became the regular seat of a host of Vaishnava acharyas whose mission it was to spiritualize the world with the highest philosophy of the Vaishnava dharma.
The first mandate that he issued to Prabhu Nityananda and Haridas was this “Go friends, go through the streets of the town, meet everyone at their doorstep and ask him to sing the names of Hari, live a holy life, and you then come and report to me every evening the result of your preaching.” Thus ordered, the two preachers went on and met Jagai and Madhai the two most abominable characters. They insulted the preachers on hearing Mahaprabhu’s mandate but were soon converted by the influence of bhakti inculcated by their Lord. The people of Nadia were now surprised. They said, “Nimai Pandit is not only a gigantic genius but he is certainly a missionary from God Almighty.” From this time to his 23rd year Mahaprabhu preached his principles not only in Nadia but in all 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 sankirtan with other bhaktas. His followers of the town of Nadia commenced singing 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 smarta Brahmins became jealous of Nimai Pandit’s success and complained to Chand Kazi against the character of Chaitanya as un-Hindu. The Kazi came to Sribas Pandit’s house and broke a mridanga (khol) there and declared that unless Nimai Pandit would cease to make noise about his queer religion he will be obliged to enforce Islam on him and his followers.
This was brought to Mahaprabhu’s notice. He ordered the town people to appear in the evening, each with a torch in his hand. This they did and Nimai marched out with his sankirtan divided into 14 groups and on his arrival in Kazi's house, he held a long conversation with the Kazi and in the end communicated to his heart his Vaishnav influence by touching his body. The Kazi then wept and admit ted 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 sankirtan party. The world was astonished at the spiritual power of the Great Lord and hundreds and hundreds of heretics converted joined the banner of Vishwambhar after this affair.
It was after this that some of the jealous and low minded Brahmins of Kulia picked up a quarrel with Mahaprabhu and collect ed a party to oppose him. Nimai Pandit was naturally a soft-hearted person, though strong in his principles. He declared that partisan feeling and sectarianism were the two great enemies of progress and 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 connexion with a particular family, caste, and creed and with this resolution he embraced the position of a sanyasi at Cutwa under the guidance of Keshab Bharati of that town, at 24th years of age. His mother and wife wept bitterly out of separation from him, but our hero though soft in the heart was a strong person in principle.
He left the little world of his home for the unlimited spiritual world of Krishna, and the world of general people. After his sannyasa, he was induced to visit the house of Advaita Prabhu in Santipur. Advaita managed to invite all his friends and admirers from Nadia and brought Sachidevi to see her son. Both pleasure and pain invaded her heart when she saw her son in the attire of a sanyasi. As a sannyasi, Krishna Chaitanya put up nothing but a kaupin (monastic inner garment) and a bahirbas (outer covering). His head was without hair and his hands bore a danda (stick) and a kamandalu (hermit’s water pot). 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 Vrindaban for my spiritual attainments.” The mother in consultation with Advaita and others asked her son to reside in Puri (town) of Jagannath so that she might obtain his information now and then. Mahaprabhu agreed to that proposition and in a few days left Santipur for Orissa.
His biographers have described the journey of Krishna Chaitanya (that was the name he got after his sanyas) from Santipur to Puri in great detail. He traveled along the side of the Bhagirathi as far as Chhatrabhoga situated now in Thana Mathurapur Diamond Harbour, 24 Perghs. There he took a boat and went as far as Prayag ghat in the Midnapur District. Thence he walked through Balasore and Cuttack to Puri, seeing the temple of Bhubaneshwar on his way. Upon his arrival at Puri, he saw Jagannath in the temple and put up with Sarvabhouma at the request of the latter. Sarvabhouma was a towering pandit of the day. His readings knew no bounds. He was the best Naiyaik (logician) of the times and was known as the most erudite scholar in the Vedant Philosophy of the school of Sankaracharya. He was born in Nadia (Vidyanagar) and taught innumerable pupils in the Nyaya Philosophy in his tol there. He had left for Puri sometimes before the birth of Nimai Pandit. His brother-in-law Gopinath Misra introduced our new sanyasi to Sarvabhouma, who was astonished at his personal beauty and feared that it would be difficult for the young man to maintain sannyasa-dharma during the long run of his life.
Gopinath, who had known Mahaprabhu from Nadia, had a great reverence for him and gave out that the sanyasi was not a common human being. On this point Gopinath and Sarvabhouma had a hot discussion. Sarvabhouma then requested Mahaprabhu to hear his recitation of the Vedanta Sutras to which the latter tacitly submitted. Chaitanya heard with silence what the great Sarvabhouma uttered with gravity, for seven days, at the end of which the latter said “Krishna Chaitanya! I think you do not understand the Vedant as you do not say anything after hearing my recitations and explanations.” The reply of Chaitanya was that he understood the sutras very well, but he could not make out what Sankaracharya meant in his commentaries. Astonished at this, Sarvabhouma said “How is it that you understand the meanings of the sutras and do not understand the commentaries which explain the sutras? All well! If you understand the sutras, please let me have your interpretations?”
Mahaprabhu then explained all the sutras in his own way without touching the Pantheistic commentary of Sankar. The keen understanding of Sarvabhouma saw the truth, beauty, and harmony of arguments in the explanations given by Chaitanya and obliged him to utter that it was the first time that he found one, who could explain the Brahma sutras in such a simple manner. He admitted also that the commentaries of Sankar never gave such natural explanations of the Vedant sutras as he had obtained from Mahaprabhu. He then submitted himself as an advocate and follower. In a few days, Sarvabhouma turned out as one of the best Vaishnavas of the time. Report ran out: whole of Orissa sang the praise of Krishna Chaitanya and hundreds and hundreds came to him and became his followers. In the meantime, Mahaprabhu thought of visiting Southern India, and he started with one Krishnadas Brahmin for the journey.
His biographers have given us a detail of the journey. He first went to Kurmakshetra where he did a miracle by curing a leper named Vasudev. He then met Ramananda Rai, the governor of Vidyanagar on the banks of the Godavari and had a philosophical conversation with him on the subject of Prembhakti. He worked another miracle by touching (making them immediately disappear) the seven Tal trees, through which Ramchandra, the son of Dasarath had shot his arrow and killed the great Bali Raj. He preached Vaishnavism and nama-sankirtan throughout his journey. At Rangakshetra he stayed for four months in the house of one Venkat Bhatta in order to spend the rainy season. There he converted the whole family of Venkat from Ramanuja Vaisnavism into Krishna bhakti, along with the son of Venkat, a boy of ten years, named Gopal, who came to Vrindavan afterward and became one of the six Goswamis or Prophets serving under their leader Srikrishna Chaitanya. Trained up in Sanskrit by his uncle Probodhananda Sarasvati, Gopal wrote several books on Vaishnavism.
Chaitanya visited numerous places in southern India as far as Cape Comorin and returned to Puri in two years by Panderpur on the Bhima. In this place he spiritualized one Tukaram who became from that time a religious preacher himself. This fact has been admitted in his abhangas which have been collected in a volume by Mr. Satyendranath Tagore of the Bombay Civil Service. During his journey, he had discussions with the Buddhists, the Jains and the mayavadis in several places and converted his opponents to Vaishnavism.
[The rest is coming soon!]
all the sutras in his own way without touchingKedarnath Datta Bhaktivinoda was a Deputy Magistrate in the British Government when England ruled India. He was the most prolific author on bhakti in Bengal during his time, and his legacy continues through his teachings, music, culture, and followers. To find out more, please visit www.bhaktivinoda.org
