Śrīnivas Acarya appearance day

The Divine Birth of Śrīnivāsa Ācārya

Excerpt from Śrī Caitanya: His Life and Associates, Swami B.B. Tirtha, Mandala Publishing

In the year 1530 AD, on the auspicious full moon day of the month of Vaiśākha, a child was born in the quiet village of Cakhandī, just north of Agradvīpa in the Nadia district. This child was Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, destined to become one of the principal torchbearers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission. His father was the noble brāhmaṇa Śrī Gaṅgādhara Bhaṭṭācārya, a learned scholar of the Rāṛha class.

It is said in the Bhakti-ratnākara how this glorious lineage was touched by divine grace. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted sannyāsa in Kaṭwa, Gaṅgādhara was overwhelmed with grief. Tears flowed constantly from his eyes as he cried out, “Hā Caitanya! Hā Caitanya!” Witnessing his intense love and absorption in Mahāprabhu, the devotees affectionately began calling him Caitanya Dāsa—a name that stayed with him forever.

Though Caitanya Dāsa was detached from all worldly desires, a sudden longing awakened in his heart—he wished to have a son. Sharing this desire with his devoted wife Lakṣmīpriyā, she encouraged him to seek the blessings of Mahāprabhu Himself in Purī. Together they set out on pilgrimage, first stopping at Jājigrāma to visit Lakṣmīpriyā’s father, Balarāma Vipra. After a few days, they resumed their journey and finally reached the sacred city of Purī.

As they approached Lord Caitanya, the couple offered full obeisances at His lotus feet. But before they could even express their desire, Mahāprabhu, knowing their hearts, smiled and said, “Jagannātha Deva will surely fulfill all your desires.”

Curious about the Lord’s mysterious statement, the other devotees asked His servant Govinda to inquire further. Yet before Govinda could approach Him, the Lord—immersed in divine trance—called out to him in a deep, prophetic voice:

“Caitanya Dāsa desires to have a child. Indeed, his wife will soon give birth to a jewel of a son who shall be named Śrīnivāsa. He will be the manifest form of My love, nondifferent from Me. He will increase everyone’s enthusiasm for devotion. I shall bring the scriptures into the world through Rūpa, Sanātana and others; through Śrīnivāsa, I shall distribute them. Śrīnivāsa is the embodiment of pure love for Me. All minds will be enthused upon seeing him.”

In this way, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu not only fulfilled Caitanya Dāsa’s desire for a son but also revealed the divine mission of Śrīnivāsa Ācārya before his birth—a mission that would flood the world with bhakti-śāstra and pure devotion.