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The Divinity of Sri Chaitanya Mahapabhu

Om Vishnupad 108 Tridandi Swami Sri Srimat Bhakti Sravan Tirtha Goswami Maharaj ki Jai !!

 

According to the authoritative statements of the great purva-acharyas [previous authorized bona fide spiritual masters] such as Srila Rupa Goswami, Srila Sanatana Goswami, Srila Jiva Goswami, Srila Krishna das Kaviraj Goswami, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and many other great Acharyas and pure devotees, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the Yuga-Avatar in the Age of Kali, and the incarnation of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna combined who has appeared to relish the transcendental mellow bliss experienced by Srimati Radharani.

He is the same Supreme Personality of Godhead who appeared as Sri Rama and Sri Krishna. This transcendental conclusion is supported by the statements of the Vedas, the Srimad-Bhagavatam, various puranas, upa-puranas, the Mahabharata, various Samhitas, Tantras and Pancaratric texts.

In the Kapila Tantra an anecdote is narrated which reads:

kvacit sapi krishnam aha
shrinu mad-vacanam priya
bhavata ca sahaikatmyam
icchami bhavitum prabho

mama bhavanvitam rupam
hridayahlada-karanam
parasparanga-madhya-stham
krida-kautuka-mangalam

paraspara-svabhavadhyam
rupam ekam pradarshaya
shrutva tu preyasi-vakyam
parama-priti-suchakam

svecchayasid yatha purvam
utsahena jagad-guruh
premalingana-yogena
hy acintya-shakti-yogatah

radha-bhava-kanti-yuktam
murtim ekam prakasayan
svapne tu darshayam asa
radhikayai svayam prabhuh

"Then Sri Radha said to Lord Krishna: O beloved, please hear My words. I yearn to become one with you. Please show a form where You and I embrace and Our two bodies become one, a form filled with the love I bear for You, a form filled with auspicious and blissful pastimes, a form that brings bliss to the heart, a form that unites Our two natures.'

"Hearing His beloved's words, which were filled with the highest sentiment of love, Lord Krishna passionately embraced Her. Then by the touch of His inconceivable potency Their two forms merged and became one, a single form endowed with Sri Radha's divine love and glorious splendour. In a dream Lord Krishna showed all this to Sri Radha."

Sri Chaitanya's incarnation was a hidden incarnation, thus He buried references to His appearance deep within the ocean of vedic texts. His desire was that His disguise would not be betrayed, so He made sure these references would remain hidden until after His incarnation was complete. These text's were always present, but by the inconceivable yoga-maya of the Lord, He covered His true identity even from the Vedic scholars and panditas. Only the pure devotees understood His actual identity.

Sri Chaitanya is the Kali-yuga avatara, and He descended for the purpose of establishing the yuga dharma, which in this age is the chanting of Lord Krishna's names. He appeared in the guise of a Devotee to perfectly show how the process of devotion should be followed and applied. It is something like a teacher drawing on the black board "A B C". We should not think the teacher is himself learning the alphabets, but he is doing it to show us how to write properly.

The inner purpose of Sri Chaitanya's incarnation was to experience the devotional love that Radharani has for Krishna. He wanted to experience the process of bhakti from the side of the Devotee.

In other ages the Lord incarnates along with His weapons for destroying the demons, but in Kali yuga He shows special mercy to the demons by delivering them with nama-sankirtana. In the Kali-yuga there are practically only demons on this earth, so if the Lord were to kill the demons there would be nobody left. Instead He chose to kill the demoniac tendency within the heart of the demons by giving them Krishna bhakti.

Sri Chaitanya is described in the following verse composed by Sri Rupa Goswami:

namo maha-vadanyaya
krishna-prema-pradaya te
krishnaya krishna-caitanya-
namne gaura-tvishe namah

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Chaitanya, who is the most merciful incarnation. He has appeared in a golden color for the purpose of freely distributing pure love of Krishna."

Lord Chaitanya's incarnation is mentioned and predicted in numerous scriptures. The following are some of the important references.

In the Atharva Veda (Purusha-bodini Upanishad) it is said:

saptame gaura-varna-vishnor ity anena sva-shaktya
caikyam etya prante pratar avatirya saha svaih sva-manum shikshayati

"In the seventh manvantara, the Supreme Lord will, accompanied by His own associates, descend in a golden form. He will teach the chanting of His own Holy Names."

In the eleventh canto of Srimad Bhagavatam the following verse is found:

krishna-varnam tvishakrishnam
sangopangastra-parshadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair
yajanti hi su-medhasah

"In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead, who constantly sings the name of Krishna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons, and confidential companions."

In the seventh canto of Srimad Bhagavatam is the following verse describing the Lord's incarnations:

channah kalau yad abhava tri-yugo 'tha sa tvam

"Because in Kali-yuga You appear in a covered incarnation, you are therefore known as Tri-yuga (one who appears in only three yugas)."

The incarnation of Sri Chaitanya is a hidden incarnation because He appears in the guise of His Devotee. This covered incarnation is confirmed in both the Adi Purana and the Narada Purana in the following verse:

aham eva dvija-shreshtho
nityam pracchanna-vigrahah
bhagavad-bhakta-rupena
lokam rakshami sarvada

"My true identity always concealed, I will assume the form of a brahmana Devotee of the Lord. In this form I will deliver the worlds."

In the Kurma Purana the following statement is found:

kalina dahyamananam
uddharaya tanu-bhritam
janma prathama-sandhyayam
bhavishyati dvi jalaye

"To deliver the conditioned souls burning in the troubles of Kali-yuga, in the first sandhya of that age the Lord will take birth in a brahmana's home."

In the Garuda Purana the Lord Himself states:

kalina dahyamananam
paritranaya tanu-bhritam
janma prathama-sandhyayam
karishyami dvi jatishu

"To deliver the conditioned souls burning in the troubles of Kali-yuga, in the first sandhya of that age I will take birth among the brahmanas."

Elsewhere in the Garuda Purana it is said:

kaleh prathama-sandhyayam
lakshmi-kanto bhavishyati
daru-brahma-samipa-sthah
sannyasi gaura-vigrahah

"In the first sandhya of Kali-yuga, the Lord will assume a golden form. First He will be the husband of Lakshmi, and then He will be a sannyasi who stays near Lord Jagannatha at Puri."

After taking sannyasa He left Navadwipa in Bengal, and resided in the holy city of Puri in Orissa.

In the Devi Purana we find the following statement:

nama-siddhanta-sampatti
prakashana-parayanah
kvacit sri-krishna-chaitanya-
nama loke bhavishyati

"The Lord will again appear in this world. His name will be Sri Krishna Chaitanya and He will spread the chanting of the Lord's Holy Names.

Sri Chaitanya perfectly illuminated the glories of the nama-siddhanta as predicted in this verse.

In the Nrisimha Purana it is mentioned:

satye daitya-kuladhi-nasha-samaye simhordhva-martyakritis
tretayam dasa-kandharam paribhavan rameti namakritih
gopalan paripalayan vraja-pure bharam haran dvapare
gaurangah priya-kirtanah kali-yuge caitanya-nama prabhuh

"The Supreme Lord, who in the Satya-yuga appeared as a half-man half-lion to cure a terrible disease that had ravaged the daityas, and who in Treta-yuga appeared as Rama, a person who defeated the ten-headed Ravana , and who in Dvapara-yuga removed the earth's burden and protected the gopa people of Vraja-pura, will appear again in the Kali-yuga. His form will be golden, He will delight in chanting the Lord's Holy Names, and His name will be Chaitanya."

In the Padma Purana we find the following statement from the Lord:

kaleh prathama-sandhyayam
gaurango 'ham mahi-tale
bhagirathi-tate ramye
bhavishyami shaci-sutah

"In the first sandhya of Kali-yuga I will appear on the earth in a beautiful place by the Gange's shore. I will be the son of Shachi-devi and My complexion will be golden."

In the Matsya Purana the following statement is made by the Lord:

mundo gaurah su-dirghangas
tri-srotas-tira-sambhavah
dayaluh kirtana-grahi
bhavishyami kalau yuge

"In the Kali-yuga I will take birth in a place where three rivers meet. I will be golden color and tall. I will have a shaven head. I will be very merciful, and I will eagerly chant the Holy Names."

The place where three rivers meet is Navadwipa. It is the custom that eka-danda sannyasis completely shave their head when they take sannyasa, and Sri Chaitanya followed this principle.

This same verse is also found in the Vayu Purana with just two words appearing differently. The Vayu Purana verse mentions the Ganges river instead of 'three rivers'.

In the Ananta Samhita we find:

gauri shri-radhika devi
harih krishna prakirtitah
ekatvac ca tayoh sakshad
iti gaura-harim viduh

"The golden Goddess Radha is known by the name Gauri and the dark Lord Krishna is known by the name Hari. Be aware that both of them have combined, the wise call Him as Gaurahari."

In the Ananta Samhita we find this very relevant statement regarding Sri Chaitanya's incarnation:

aprakashyam idam guhyam
na prakashyam bahir mukhe
bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam
bhaktam bhakti-pradam svayam
 
man-maya-mohitah kecin
na jnasyanti bahir-mukhah
jnasyanti mad-bhakti-yuktah
sadhavo nyasino 'malah

"Those who are bewildered by My illusory potency will not understand the great secret of My appearance in this world in My personal form, in My form as the incarnation of a Devotee, in My form bearing the name of a Devotee, in My form as a Devotee, and in My form as the giver of devotional service. This secret is not to be revealed to them. Only the saintly, pure, renounced Devotees, diligently engaged in My devotional service, will be able to understand Me in these forms."

 

 

Nitai Gaur Hari bol !

Jai Sri Radhey!

Jai Gurudev!