Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in Navadvīpa
Navadvīpa is the holy dhāma where the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that for the first twenty-four years of His life, the Lord resided in this district of West Bengal, exhibiting His pastimes as a scholar and inaugurating the saṅkīrtana movement. Navadvīpa is considered non-different from Vṛndāvana, as it is the place where the Lord freely distributed the treasure of love of God.
Śrīla Prabhupāda describes the Lord's appearance in Navadvīpa as the arrival of a lion. With shoulders like a lion and a voice like a lion, He descended to deliver the living entities of the universe. During His youth, He performed the pastimes of a brāhmaṇa and a scholar, famously defeating the Digvijayī Paṇḍita, Keśava Kāśmīrī, who later realized that the boy scholar was none other than the Supreme Lord.
- Thus the lionlike Lord Caitanya has appeared in Navadvipa. He has the shoulders of a lion, the powers of a lion, and the loud voice of a lion.
- Unfortunately he (Kesava Kasmiri) could not conquer the learned scholars in Navadvipa, for he was defeated by the boy scholar Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Later he understood that Caitanya Mahaprabhu is none other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is the very same Lord Sri Krsna in the form of a great devotee, appeared at Navadvipa, a district in West Bengal, and excavated the holy places of Lord Sri Krsna's transcendental pastimes.
Inundating the Town with Chanting
The central mission of the Lord in Navadvīpa was to introduce the yuga-dharma. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Lord Caitanya ordered the citizens to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in every home. He did not manifest His mood of the Supreme Lord as openly as He did the mood of a devotee, encouraging everyone to merge in the ocean of love of Kṛṣṇa through the congregational chanting of the holy names.
- The Lord ordered all the citizens of Navadvipa to chant the Hare Krsna mantra, and in each and every home they began performing sankirtana regularly.
- Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu lived in the Navadvipa area for twenty-four years, and He induced every person to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and thus merge in love of Krsna.
- When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was a student, He asked whomever He met to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. In this way He inundated the whole town of Navadvipa with the chanting of Hare Krsna.
Divine Pastimes and Associates
Navadvīpa was the gathering place for the Lord's eternal associates. Śrīla Prabhupāda mentions that Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Ācārya, and others joined the Lord there. One unique pastime mentioned is the Lord dressing Himself as the Goddess Lakṣmī and dancing in the streets, with Śrīmān Paṇḍita carrying a torch. These activities revealed the spiritual variety and joy inherent in the saṅkīrtana movement.
- When Lord Caitanya dressed Himself in the form of the goddess Laksmi and danced in the streets of Navadvipa, Sriman Pandita carried a torch to light the way.
- Nityananda Prabhu traveled on many pilgrimages with the sannyasi. It is said that for many days He lived at Mathura with him, and at that time He heard about Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes in Navadvipa. Therefore He came down to Bengal to see the Lord.
- From Advaita's old paternal house (nijalaya) in Santipura, Sita came to Navadvipa to present gifts to the newborn child, Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Return to Kuliya
After accepting sannyāsa and traveling, Lord Caitanya returned to the Navadvīpa area to visit the village of Kuliya (modern-day Navadvīpa town). Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that He did this to keep a promise to His mother and to deliver the local people who had committed offenses. During this visit, He stayed at the house of Mādhava dāsa and excused the offenses of Devānanda Paṇḍita, showing His boundless mercy.
- As stated in the Caitanya-mangala: After bathing in the river (Ganges), He (Lord Caitanya) crossed it and went to Kuliya. Because He had promised His mother He would return to Navadvipa, He went to Varakona-ghata, a village near His house.
- From there He (Lord Caitanya) went to the western side of Navadvipa, to the village called Vidyanagara. From Vidyanagara He went to Kuliya-grama and stayed at Madhava dasa’s house. He stayed there one week and excused the offenses of Devananda and others.
- The Lord (Caitanya) took a boat to the other side of Navadvipa, to a place called Kuliya, where He stayed seven days at the house of Madhava dasa. He then proceeded along the banks of the Ganges.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that Navadvīpa is the foundational ground of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It was here that the Lord planted the garden of devotion and began distributing its fruits. By understanding the Lord's pastimes in Navadvīpa, devotees can appreciate the origin of the saṅkīrtana mission and the merciful nature of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
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