Gurus & Saints of India
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born in Mayapur in the town of Nadia just after sunset on the evening of the 23rd Phalguna 1407 Sakabda, answering to the 18th of February, 1486, of the Christian Era. The moon was eclipsed at the time of his birth, and the people of Nadia were then engaged, as was usual on such occasions, in bathing in the Bhagirathi with loud cheers of Haribol. His father, Jagannatha Misra, a poor brahmana of the Vedic order, and his mother, Sacidevi, a model good woman, both descended from brahmana stock originally residing in Sylhet.
Mahaprabhu was a beautiful child, and the ladies of the town came to see him with presents. His mother's father, Pandit Nilambara Chakravarti, a renowned astrologer, foretold that the child would be a great personage in time; and he, therefore, gave him the name Visvambhara. The ladies of the neighborhood styled him Gaurahari on account of his golden complexion, and his mother called him Nimai on account of the nimba tree near which he was born. Beautiful as the lad was, everyone heartily loved to see him every day.
Childhood
As he grew up he became a whimsical and frolicsome lad. After his fifth year, he was admitted into a pathashala where he picked up Bengali in a very short time.
Most of his contemporary biographers have mentioned certain anecdotes regarding Chaitanya 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 he used to stop. Thus there was a continuation of the utterance of Haribol in the house, foreseeing the future mission of the hero. It has also been stated that when his mother once gave him sweetmeats to eat, he ate clay instead of the food. His mother asking for the reason, he stated that as every sweetmeat was nothing but clay transformed, he could eat clay as well. His mother, explained that every article in a special state was adapted to a special use. Earth, while in the state of a jug, could be used as a water pot, but in the state of a brick such a use was not possible. Clay, therefore, in the form of sweetmeats was usable as food, but clay in its other states was not. The lad was convinced and admitted his stupidity in eating clay and agreed to avoid the mistake in the future. Another miraculous act has been related. It is said that a brahmana on pilgrimage became a guest in his house, cooked food and read grace with meditation upon Krishna. In the meantime the lad came and ate up the cooked rice. The brahmana, astonished at the lad's act, cooked again at the request of Jagannatha Mishra. The lad again ate up the cooked rice while the brahmana was offering the rice to Krishna with meditation. The brahmana was persuaded to cook for the third time. This time all the inmates of the house had fallen asleep, and the lad showed himself as Krishna 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 lad from his father's door with a view to purloin his jewels and gave him sweetmeats on the way. The lad exercised his illusory energy and deceived the thieves back towards his own house. The thieves, for fear of detection, left the boy there and fled. These anecdotes relate to his tender age up to the fifth year.
In his
eighth year, he was admitted into school close by the village of Mayapur. In
two years he became well read 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 pandita
himself.
Now, after the tenth year of his age, Chaitanya became a passable scholar in
grammar and rhetoric. It was after this that his elder brother Vishavarupa
left his house and accepted the ashram (status) of a sannyasi (ascetic).
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.
It was at the age of 14 or 15 that Mahaprabhu was married to Lakshmi Devi, the daughter of Vallabhacarya, also of Nadia. He was at this age considered one of the best scholars of Nadia, the renowned seat of nyaya philosophy and Sanskrit learning. The learned scholars were all afraid of confronting him in literary discussions. Being a married man, he went to Eastern Bengal on the banks of the Padma for acquirement of wealth. There he displayed his learning and obtained a good sum of money. It was at this time that he preached Vaishnavism at intervals. After teaching him the principles of Vaishnavism, he ordered Tapana Mishra to go to and live in Benares. During his residence in East Bengal, his wife Lakshmi Devi left this world from the effects of snakebite. On returning home, he found his mother in a mourning state. He consoled her with a lecture on the uncertainty of human affairs. It was at his mother's request that he married Vishnupriya.
It was
at the age of 16 or 17 that he traveled to Gaya with a host to sing 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 brahmanas became jealous of Nimai Pandita's success and
complained to Chand Kazi against the character of Chaitanya as un-Hindu. The
Kazi came and broke a mridanga (khola drum) there and declared that unless
Nimai Pandita ceased to make noise about his queer religion he would be
obliged to enforce Mohammedanism on him and his followers. This was brought
to Mahaprabhu's notice. He ordered the townspeople to appear in the evening,
each with a torch in his hand. This groups, and on his arrival in the Kazi's
house, he held a long conversation with the Kazi and in the end communicated
into his heart his Vaishnava influence by touching his body. The Kazi then
wept and admitted 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 sankirtana party. The
world was astonished at the spiritual power of the Great Lord, and hundreds
and hundreds of heretics converted and joined the banner of Visvambhara
after this affair.
It was after this that some of the jealous and low-minded brahmanas of Kulia
picked a quarrel with Mahaprabhu and collected a party to oppose him. Nimai
Pandita was naturally a soft-hearted person, though strong in his
principles. He declared that party feelings and sectarianism were the two
great enemies of progress and that 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.
Mahaprabhu then resolved to be a citizen of the world by cutting his
connection with his particular family, caste and creed, and with this
resolution he embraced the position of a sannyasi at Katwa, under the
guidance of Keshava Bharati of that town, on the 24th year of his age. His
mother and wife wept bitterly for his separation, but our hero, though soft
in heart, was a strong person in principle. He left his little world in his
house for the unlimited spiritual world of Krishna with man in general.