Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Appearance Day

(Gaura pūrṇimā)

Fasting times

We fast till moonrise on the appearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and break our fast with Ekādaśī prasādam.

Temples to visit

1. The birthplace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is in the confines of Yogapitha, Mayapur. There is a neem tree in the courtyard at Yogapitha that marks the exact spot where Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was born. There are also Deities of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as a child along with His parents, Saci-devi and Jagannātha Miśra.

2. Srivas Angan is the place where Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and his associates used to have kirtan all night long. This is also where Chand Kazi and his men broke the mṛdaṅga. Thus, it is also called Khol Bhanga Danga (the place where the mṛdaṅga was broken). Srivas Angan is about 250 meters away from Yogapitha.

Śrī Caitanya is Lord Kṛṣṇa in His most merciful feature

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is revealed by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, the author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, in Ādi 1.5.

rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād

ekātmānāv api bhuvi purā deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau

caitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā tad-dvayaṁ caikyam āptaṁ

rādhā-bhāva-dyuti-suvalitaṁ naumi kṛṣṇa-svarūpam

“The loving affairs of Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are transcendental manifestations of the Lord’s internal pleasure-giving potency. Although Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are one in Their identity, previously They separated Themselves. Now these two transcendental identities have again united, in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. I bow down to Him, who has manifested Himself with the sentiment and complexion of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī although He is Kṛṣṇa Himself.”

Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa are the divine couple who are eternally engaged in pastimes but have become one in the body of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore, Vaiṣṇavas such as Ramananda Roy sing, śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya: “Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa combined together are Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu.”

Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes the appearance of Kṛṣṇa as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi 2.22 by providing evidence from multiple sources in śāstra.

Reasons for the appearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

Karabhājana, a mendicant preacher of Kṛṣṇa consciousness following the religious precepts of the Bhāgavatam, talks of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in eleventh canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (SB 11.2.32).

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ

sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam

yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair

yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ

Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ indicates that Kṛṣṇa is appearing in the Kali-yuga and introducing the chanting of mahā-mantra, and those who are intelligent are taking up the process. He is Kṛṣṇa but he is not blackish (akṛṣṇam). Very intelligent people who know the essence worship the Kali-yuga because in this age you can get everything desirable by Śrī Kṛṣṇa saṅkīrtana. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu come to spread this yuga-dharma. Compelled to come by loud cries of Advaita Ācārya and Haridāsa Ṭhākura, Mahāprabhu feels great compassion for all the people and feels deep in His heart that they should be saved.

In Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says, ananyāś cintayanto māṁ [9.22]. ‘Feel free to give full attention in serving Me’, says Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa also repeats the message towards the end of Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya [18.66]. He gives an open invitation, ‘fully surrender to Me. I will deliver you. Don’t worry.’ However, not many people took up Kṛṣṇa’s order. So, He came back as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, thinking,

cira-kāla nāhi kari prema-bhakti dāna

bhakti vinā jagatera nāhi avasthāna

“For a long time I have not bestowed unalloyed loving service to Me upon the inhabitants of the world. Without such loving attachment, the existence of the material world is useless.” [Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi 3.14].

Therefore, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu “has appeared in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love.” [Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi 1.4].

anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau

samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam

hariḥ puraṭa-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandīpitaḥ

sadā hṛdaya-kandare sphuratu vaḥ śacī-nandanaḥ

He chases after the conditioned souls and says ‘take this sweet process of devotional service. There is not much consideration of offenses either’. From that the entire world of Goloka opens up. In age of kali, He comes and teaches a kind of devotional service that is rarely taught; a loving, spontaneous devotional service that devotees in Goloka Vṛndāvana are engaged in with Lord. That is the purpose of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He enacts his ācārya-līlā, while showing the process of devotional service and teaching it to Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmī and others.

Another reason for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to appear was the ‘existential crisis’ that He was going through in Goloka Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa was in a conundrum that He cannot enjoy the happiness that his devotees enjoy! In Dvārakā, sometimes Kṛṣṇa would see his reflection and desire to embrace this form. Then he sees how devotees, especially Rādhārāṇī, who is the repository of bhakti, enjoy millions of times more than Kṛṣṇa. This is a contradiction because Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer so how can someone enjoy more than Himself. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa, imbued with the love and effulgence of Rādhārāṇī, comes as a devotee to relish this love His devotees have for Him.

Tenets of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s teaching

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission has been described by one of the ācāryas, Viśvanātha Cakravartī in Caitanya-matta-mañjuṣā, a commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which tells about the various points of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s philosophy that He coveted.

ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa tanayas tad dhāma śrī vrṇdāvanam

ramyā kācid upāsanā vrajavadhū vargeṇa vā kalpitā

śrīmad-bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇaṁ premā pum-artho mahān

śrī-caitanya mahāprabhor matam idaṁ tatrādarāḥ na paraḥ

First, he teaches that Vrṇdāvan and Kṛṣṇa are same. Highest form of devotion was exhibited by gopīs (vrajavadhū). Then he says Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the perfect scripture (amalaṁ purāṇaṁ). We take this as the ultimate truth, the source of understanding Kṛṣṇa. And then premā pum-artho mahān, goal of life is pure love for Krishna.

Significance of Mahāprabhu’s pastime

dhyeyaṁ sadā paribhava-ghnam abhīṣṭa-dohaṁ

tīrthāspadaṁ śiva-viriñci-nutaṁ śaraṇyam

bhṛtyārti-haṁ praṇata-pāla bhavābdhi-potaṁ

vande mahā-puruṣa te caraṇāravindam 

[Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.5.33]

One should fix one’s mind (sadā) on the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. If you do that, the embarrassment of the fact that we are falling apart is removed (paribhava-ghnam). This process takes away the insult of material life. He also fulfills the heart’s desire (abhīṣṭa-dohaṁ). His name is Vancatita, he fulfils the desire beyond we can imagine, by revealing to us the difference between internal and external energy. He is the sum of all the holy places (tīrthāspadaṁ).

Gaura pūrṇimā is about diving in the wave Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu left for all of us. By following His footsteps, we can overcome the embarrassing situation that we have put ourselves into. As much as we devote ourselves to the lotus feet of Śrī Gaurāṅga, we will automatically achieve the nectarine service of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī in Vṛndāvana.

yathā yathā gaura padāravinde, vindeta bhaktiṁ kṛta puṇya rāśiḥ

tathā tathot sarpati hṛdy akasmāt, rādhā padāmbhoja sudhāmbhu-rāśiḥ 

[Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī's Caitanya-candrāmṛta, 88]

Important lessons

1. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s pastimes are charming to the mind and present the intricacies of etiquette of devotional service. Mahāprabhu teaches us how to interacts with other vaiṣṇava. Highest benefit in life comes from association of devotees. It is the root cause, and what sustains our devotional service. Even in perfected stage one is nourished by association of devotees.

2. Most important thing I can do is follow instruction of previous ācāryas and in the process prepare my heart as a temple of Supreme Personality of Godhead. That’s the biggest project in the universe. Anyone who takes to the process of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu can make advancement very quickly.

3. Make arrangements to give Mahāprabhu’s message to as many people as possible. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu left an open order for us to extend ourselves to everyone we see and teach them the process of KC. “This direct order of the Lord is a manifestation of His internal energy, and this particular energy is the means of seeing the Lord face to face.” [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.9.34]. Take that order and do the best you can. All spiritual paraphernalia will become manifest in our life by trying to fulfill that order.