Six Years of Śrī Caitanya's Travelling Throughout India
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's life after accepting the renounced order is divided into two distinct periods: six years of extensive traveling and eighteen years of fixed residence in Jagannātha Purī. This article explores the initial six-year period where the Lord, driven by compassion for the fallen souls, traversed the Indian subcontinent. From the jungles of Jharikhaṇḍa to the temples of South India and the sacred forests of Vṛndāvana, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains how Lord Caitanya's travels were a model for preaching the bhakti cult and delivering the holy name to every town and village.
Purpose of His Travels
Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that the Lord's acceptance of sannyāsa was not for His own salvation but solely for the upliftment of human society. By traveling without fear or hesitation, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu set the perfect example for a preacher, demonstrating that one must take all risks to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to every corner of the land.
- For the benefit of the whole human society Caitanya Mahaprabhu renounced His family life and took sannyasa and extensively traveled all over the tract of land called now India.
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally traveled to different regions of India to spread the bhakti cult throughout the country. He also personally relished transcendental activities. By His personal behavior He has given an example for devotees to follow.
- A sannyasi is duty-bound to take all these risks without fear, and the most typical sannyasi of the present age is Lord Caitanya, who traveled in the same manner through the central Indian jungles, enlightening even the tigers, bears, snakes and deers.
Timeline and Scope
The Lord's pastimes in the renounced order spanned twenty-four years, with the first quarter dedicated to constant movement. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that although the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not bound by time or space, He engaged in these six years of continuous travel to teach us the necessity of active preaching before eventually settling in Jagannātha Purī to demonstrate the internal depth of chanting.
- After taking sannyasa at the age of twenty-four, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu lived another twenty-four years. For six of these years, He traveled extensively throughout India, sometimes going to Jagannatha Puri and sometimes leaving.
- For six years of the last twenty-four, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu traveled all over India, from Jagannatha Puri to Bengal and from Cape Comorin to Vrndavana.
- Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to teach us a lesson He traveled all over India continuously for six years and only then retired at Jagannatha Puri. Even at Jagannatha Puri the Lord chanted the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.
Tour of South India
One of the most significant portions of these six years was the Lord's tour of South India. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights that during this journey, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu not only delivered many souls and met great devotees but also recovered essential Vaiṣṇava scriptures like the Brahma-saṁhitā, which He personally hand-copied and distributed to His followers.
- During the month of Vaisakha, He (Lord Caitanya) began to tour South India. When He proposed to travel to South India alone, Sri Nityananda Prabhu gave Him a brahmana assistant named Krsnadasa.
- It is understood that these verses (Brahma-samhita) were written by Brahma, and when Lord Caitanya was traveling in South India He picked up this book from a temple, hand-written, and He delivered to His devotees. So it is very authorized book.
- While traveling in southern India, Caitanya Mahaprabhu met Prabodhananda Sarasvati, who had two brothers, Venkata Bhatta and Tirumalaya Bhatta, who were Vaisnavas of the Ramanuja-sampradaya.
Ecstasy in Vṛndāvana and Jharikhaṇḍa
While traveling through the dense forests of Jharikhaṇḍa and the holy land of Vṛndāvana, the Lord exhibited unique transcendental symptoms. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how the very presence of Lord Caitanya induced wild animals to dance and chant, and how His arrival in Vṛndāvana overwhelmed Him with such ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa that He would often lose external consciousness.
- When He (Lord Caitanya) was traveling through the forests of Jharikhanda in central India for spreading His sankirtana movement, the tigers, the elephants, the deer and all the other wild animals joined Him and were participating, in their own ways.
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu traveled all over Vrndavana and pleased all living entities, moving and nonmoving, with His glances. The Lord took much personal pleasure in seeing everyone. In this way Lord Gauranga traveled in Vrndavana.
- When proceeding toward Vrndavana, Caitanya was overwhelmed with ecstatic love for Krsna, He lost all remembrance of the external world. In this way He traveled continuously for three days in Radha-desa, the country where the Ganges River does not flow.
Conclusion
The six years of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's travels serve as a foundational era in the history of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism. Through His relentless movement across India, He established the saṅkīrtana movement in diverse cultures and geographies, proving that the holy name is the universal remedy for the age of Kali. After fulfilling this dynamic phase of widespread distribution, the Lord settled in Jagannātha Purī, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire His followers to broadcast the message of Godhead globally.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Caitanya's Travelling. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.