Who Is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?

Krishna's Compassionate Appearance in Kali-Yuga

Lord Krishna gave this message at the end of Dvapara-yuga, and gradually Kali-yuga began. In this Kali-yuga people were not so qualified to understand and implement this message of surrender. So, the Lord compassionately appeared 500 years ago in Bengal as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and practically taught how to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Krishna. In other words, Lord Krishna, by His own demonstration, in the form of Chaitanya, taught people how to surrender unto Him.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared on 18th February, 1486, during the night of a full lunar eclipse. Historically He is known as the founder of the "bhakti movement" in Bengal. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave the simplest way of surrendering unto Lord Krishna by introducing the process of chanting of Krishna's holy names. He is the inaugurator of the sankirtana movement, which spread like wild fire in Bengal and Orissa. Later Lord Chaitanya personally propagated it in other parts of the country. Sankirtana refers to congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord.

Philosophy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is to remain in whatever position we are and simply chant the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra. This will not only liberate us from the mires of material existence but also give us the rarest and highest perfection of human life, "Love of Krishna".

His Appearance

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared at Sridhama Mayapura, in the city of Navadvipa in Bengal, on the Phalguni Purnima evening in the year 1486 AD. His father, Sri Jagannatha Mishra, a learned brahmana from the district of Sylhet, came to Navadvipa as a student. He lived on the banks of the Ganges with his wife Srimati Sachidevi, the daughter of Srila Nilambara Chakravarty, a great learned scholar of Navadvipa. Their youngest son, who was named Vishvambhara, later became known as Nimai Pandita and then, after accepting the renounced order of life, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

His Pastimes

The wonderful pastimes performed by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the city of Navadvipa and in Jagannath Puri are recorded by His biographers. The early life of the Lord is most fascinatingly expressed by the author of Chaitanya-bhagavata (Sri Vrindavana Dasa Thakura), and as far as the teachings are concerned, they are more vividly explained in the Chaitanya-Charitamrita (by Sri Krishna Dasa Kaviraja Gosvami). Now they are available to the English-speaking public in our Teachings of Lord Chaitanya. Read the full biography and each of these pastimes in detail in our Acharyas biography section:

• Childhood Pastimes
• The Debate with Kashmiri Pandita
• Inaugurating the Sankirtana Movement
• Deliverance of Jagai and Madhai
• Accepting Sannyasa Order of Life

His Teachings

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu preached the Srimad-Bhagavatam and propagated the teachings of the Bhagavad-Gita in the most practical way. The essence of His teachings is recorded in Chaitanya Manjusha as follows:

• Lord Sri Krishna, who appeared as the son of the King of Vraja (Nanda Maharaja), is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is worshipable by all.
• Vrindavana-dhama is non-different from the Lord and hence is as worshipable as the Lord.
• The highest form of transcendental worship of the Lord was exhibited by the damsels of Vrajabhumi.
• Srimad-Bhagavata Purana is the spotless literature for understanding the Lord.
• The ultimate goal of human life is to attain the stage of prema or love of God.

His instructions to Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana Gosvami, His discussions with Ramananda Raya, the debate with the Mayavadi sannyasi Prakashananda Sarasvati and the Vedanta Sutra, and the discussion between Him and Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya are excellent sources through which we understand His teachings in detail.

The Lord left only eight slokas of His instructions in writing, and they are known as the Siksastaka. All other literatures based on His teachings were extensively written by the Lord's principal followers, the six Gosvamis of Vrindavana, and their followers.

His Mission

His mission was to preach the importance of chanting the holy names of the Lord in this age of Kali (quarrel). In this present age quarrels take place even over trifles, and therefore the shastras 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 the poor, the Hindus and the Muslims, the Englishmen and the Indians, and the chandalas and the brahmanas — can all hear the transcendental sounds and thus cleanse the dust of material association from the mirror of the heart. To confirm the Lord's mission, all the people of the world will accept the holy name of the Lord as the common platform for the universal religion of mankind.