Appearance of the Most Munificent Incarnation of Godhead

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Appearance day of the Most Munificent Incarnation of Godhead

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Going 'Back to Godhead' was never so easy until Lord Chitanya came and

made this path so easy that anyone can take part in it and go back home,

'Back to Godhead'. Rupa goswami described Him thus:

 

"O most munificent incarnation! You are Krishna himself appearing as

Sri Krishna Caitanya. You have assumed a golden color (that of Srimati

Radharani), and you are widely distributing pure love of Krishna. We

offer our respectful obeisances unto you."

 

Krishna has many incarnations, each with a specific and magnificent

purpose, but most glorious is the incarnation of Lord Chaitanya. He

appears in this most degraded age to teach us how to love the most

lovable object, Sri Krishna. In this incarnation, the Lord appears as a

devotee of Himself, with the loving sentiments of His most special

devotee, Sri Radha.

 

Lord Chaitanya is known as the Golden Avatar, because His bodily

complexion was like molten gold. He was the direct incarnation of Lord

Sri Krishna and appeared on earth at the holy place known as Navadvipa

in West Bengal in 1486. The purpose of His divine appearance on earth

was to reveal to the world, the yuga-dharma, or the religion for this

age. He also rediscovered the most sacred places of Vrindavana which

had been lost in time.

 

It was in the year 1515 that Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited

Vrindavana, with the purpose of locating the lost holy places

associated with Lord Sri Krishna's transcendental pastimes. Lord

Chaitanya wandered through the different sacred forests of Vrindavana

in a spiritual trance of divine love, sometimes laughing, sometimes

crying, sometimes dancing in ecstasy and constantly chanting the holy

names of Krishna. By His divine spiritual power, He was able to locate

all the important place of Lord Krishna's pastimes in and around

Vrindavana.

 

After a few months, Lord Chaitanya left for Jagannatha Puri and

directed two of His dear-most followers, Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis to

proceed immediately to Vrindavana, not only to excavate the places of

Lord Krishna's pastimes but also to write books on the science of

bhakti-yoga, in order to establish the teachings of Lord Chaitanya for

the benefit of all future generations.

 

The religious that Lord Chaitanya revealed to the world is known as the

sankirtana-yajna or the congregational chanting of the Lord's holy

names:

 

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

 

This is the easiest and most sublime process for God realization and

even a child can follow it. In this dark age of Kali-yuga, intelligent

men of the world can get true knowledge about God simply by

performance of this sankirtana-yajna (sacrifice). This is indeed the

verdict of all the Vedic literatures.

 

"Those who are actually advanced in knowledge are able to appreciate

the essential value of this age of Kali. Such enlightened persons

worship Kali-yuga because in this fallen age all perfection of life

can easily be achieved by the performance of sankirtana." (Srimad

Bhagavatam 11.5.36)

 

"The most important factor in this Age of Kali, which is an ocean of

faults, is that one can be free from all contamination and become

eligible to enter the kingdom of God simply by chanting the holy

names. The self-realization that was achieved in the Satya millennium

by meditation, in the Treta millennium by the performance of different

sacrifices, and in the Dvapara millennium by worship of Lord Krsna can

be achieved in the Age of Kali simply by chanting the holy names."

(Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.51-2)

 

"The supreme goal which was attained in Satya-yuga by years of

prolonged meditation; in Treta-yuga by performing extensive yajnas; in

Dvapara-yuga by opulent and scrupulous Deity worship; in Kali-yuga the

same results are easily had simply by the chanting of the holy name."

(Visnu Purana)

 

"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is

chanting of the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is

no other way. There is no other way." (Brhad Naradiya Purana)

 

"The hallmark of a mahabhagavata - the most elevated devotee in

Kali-yuga is that he chants the holy name of the Lord constantly.

(Skanda Purana)

 

"The sixteen words--Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare.

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare--are especially meant for

counteracting the contaminations of Kali. To save oneself from the

contamination of Kali, there is no alternative but the chanting of these

sixteen words." (Kali Santarana Upanisad)

 

The Vedic scriptures of India had long predicted His birth, in mayapur,

a quarter of the city of Navadvipa.

 

** In the Kurma-Purana, it is stated:

 

The Supreme Person will appear in the first part of the age of Kali

[janma prathama sandhyayam]. He will appear in the home of a Brahmana

[bhavisyati dvijalaye], to save the embodied conditioned souls

[uddharaya tanu-bhrtam] burning in the troubles of Kali-Yuga.

 

** In the Garuda-Purana, the Supreme Person says:

 

In the first part [prathama sandhya] of the age of Kali, I will come

among the brahmanas [karisyami dvijatisu] to save the fallen souls,

[paritranaya tanu-bhrtam] who are being burned by the troubles of the

age of Kali [kalina dahyamananam].

 

** In the Garuda-Purana, the Supreme Lord says:

 

I will take birth as the son of Sachi [bhavisyami sachi sutah], in

Navadvip-Mayapur [mayapure navadvipe]. I will come in my complete

spiritual form in the first part of Kali-Yuga.

 

** In the same Garuda-Purana, it is Also stated:

 

In the first part of Kali-Yuga, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will

come in a gold-like form. First He will become the husband of Lakshmi

[srimati Lakshmi Devi, Lord Chaitanya's first wife]. Then He will become

a sannyasi, near Lord Jagannatha who will appear in a divine wooden

form.

 

** In the Nrsimha-Purana, it is said:

 

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead 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 the Treta-Yuga appeared as a person named Rama [Lord

Ramachandra], the person who defeated the ten-headed Demon Ravana, and

who in the Dvapara-Yuga removed the earth's burden, and protected the

Gopa [cowherd men] 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, it is said:

 

The Supreme Personality, Janardana, who is the object of the yogis'

meditation [yogi-chintyo- janardanah], who saves the devotees from

various sufferings, and who is the master of all yogic practices

[yogesvarah], who is always full of divine transcendental ecstasy and

bliss [sandra-ananda-atmakah], will advent in His own divine form of Sri

Chaitanya [Chaitanya-vapah].

 

** In the Padma-Purana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself

states:

 

I shall appear on this earth [mahi-tale] in the first part of Kali-Yuga

[kaleh prathama sandhyayam] in a beautiful place on the bank of the

Bhagirathi [bhagirathi-tate ramye]. I shall have a golden form

[gaurangah], and I shall take birth as the son of Sachi [bhavisyami

sachi-sutah].

 

** In the Narada-Purana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says:

 

O Vipra, in the age of Kali, I will come disguised [nityam prachanna

vigraha] as a devotee [bhagavad-bhakta-rupena] and I will save all the

worlds [lokan raksami sarvada].

 

** The Supreme Personality of Godhead states in the Narada-Purana:

 

O Divija (demigods), please come and advent as devotees on this earth

[bhuvi jayadhvam jayadhvam] in the age of Kali-Yuga. I will incarnate as

the son of Sachi [bhavisyami sachi-sutah] to inaugurate the

congregational chanting of the name of Krishna [kalau sankirtana

arambhe].

 

** In the Brahma-Purana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says:

 

I will reveal my eternal golden form [gaurangotham mahi-tale] in the

first part of Kali- Yuga [kaleh prathama sandhyayam]. I will advent on

the earth on the bank of the Bhagirathi [bhagirathi-tate bhumni] as son

of Mother Sachi [bhavisyami sachi-sutah].