The scriptures have stated the main reason for the appearance of Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu:
śrī-rādhāyāḥ praṇaya-mahimā kīdṛśo vānayaivā- svādyo yenādbhuta-madhurimā kīdṛśo vā madīyaḥ saukhyaṁ cāsyā mad-anubhavataḥ kīdṛśaṁ veti lobhāt Tad-bhāvāḍhyaḥ samajani śacī-garbha-sindhau harīnduḥ
Desiring to understand the glory of Rādhārāṇī’s love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realises the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appeared from the womb of Śrīmatī Śacī-devī, as the moon appeared from the ocean.” -Srila Svarupa Damodara Goswami
1. What is so mysterious about Sri Radha’s love?
2. What is My (Krishna’s) all attractive transcendental sweetness, as experienced by Sri Radha?
3. What kind of pleasure does Sri Radha experience by My (Krishna’s) sweetness?
When the intense greed to understand these three desires arose in the heart, Sri Krishna appeared as Gauranga Mahaprabhu from the womb of mother Sachi just like the moon rises from the horizon across the sea.
(yadi) gaura nā hoito, tabe ki hoito,kemane dharita de’? rādhāra mahimā, prema-rasa-sīmā,jagate jānāta ke?
“If Lord Gaura had not appeared then what would have become of us? How could we have tolerated living? Who in this universe would have ever learned about the topmost limits of loving mellows that comprise the glories of Sri Radha?”
To understand the answers to these questions, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went to Sri Jagannath Puri after accepting the renounced order (Nilachal is representative of Dwarka Dham). Here, Radharani is not present outwardly with Lord Krishna. Sister Subhadra Devi is present between Lord Krishna and Balarama here. Therefore, this is the right place to cherish the glory of Sri Radha’s love. What was the state of Sri Radha’s mind after Sri Krishna left Vrindavan and went to Mathura? Whilst staying at Gambhira in Jagannath Puri, Krishna of Vrindavan tasted that very mellow. Again, in order to realise this taste more deeply, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to be absorbed in the mood of Sri Radha (while She was surrounded by her maiden friends) during the Ratha Yatra festival – which is organised on the second day of the full moon in the month of Ashadha. When Sri Krishna went to Kurukshetra (on the occasion of solar eclipse), Srimati Radharani told Him:
anyera hṛdaya mana, mora mana vṛndāvana, mane’ ‘vane’ eka kari’ jāni tāhāṅ tomāra pada-dvaya, karāha yadi udaya, tabe tomāra pūrṇa kṛpā māni
“Speaking in the mood of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “For most people, the mind and heart are one, but since My mind is never separated from Vṛndāvana, I consider My mind and Vṛndāvana to be one. My mind is already Vṛndāvana, and since You like Vṛndāvana, will You please place Your lotus feet there? I would deem that your full mercy.”
The main purpose of Sri Jagannath Dev’s Ratha Yatra is to take Lord Krishna from Kurukshetra to Vrindavan. The pilgrims, who have come for the darshan of Ratha Yatra, are all in the mood of separation. They all said, “O the master of our vital air (Prananath)! If You have mercy for us, then take off your turban and leave Your elephants, horses, and soldiers behind. Come with us. Let us go to Vrindavan.”
prāṇa-nātha, śuna mora satya nivedana vraja āmāra sadana,tāhāṅ tomāra saṅgama, nā pāile nā rahe jīvana
“My dear Lord, kindly hear My true submission. My home is Vṛndāvana, and I wish Your association there. But if I do not get it, then it will be very difficult for Me to maintain My life.”
CC Madhya 13.138
Whilst Sri Jagannath (who is Sri Krishna Himself) was on the way to Vrindavan, Sri Krishna (in the form of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu) danced ecstatically in rapture. He was absorbed in the mood of Sri Radha. Therefore, the Gaudiya Vaishnavas must give effort to instil this mood of Sri Radha in their hearts. Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to attain Sri Vrindavan, the blissful abode of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. This is the ultimate goal of all Gaudiya Vaishnavas. The Gaudiya Vaishnavas are constantly trying to achieve this goal and are propagating this spirit throughout the world.
After Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, “the practice of worshipping Krishna in the mood of Sri Radha” got distorted. After Sri Baladeva Vidyabhushana, who was the Gaudiya commentator on Vedanta, there were thirteen groups that diverged from Gaudiya school. The following statement is found in Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s writing:
“āula, bāula, kartābhajā, neḍā, daraveśa, sāñi sahajiyā, sakhībhekī, smārta, jāta-gosāñiativāḍī, cūḍādhārī and gaurāṅga-nāgarī totā kahe ei terar sañga nāhi kari” Tota, a great vaishnava saint says that he would not associate with āula, bāula, kartābhajā, neḍā, daraveśa, sāñi, sahajiyā, sakhībhekī, smārta, jāta-gosāñi, ativāḍī, cūḍādhārī and gaurāṅga-nāgarī groups.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu desired to engage everyone in the path of Krishna bhajana. For this reason, He brought Sri Nayanamani Manjari, one of the eternal maid servants of Radharani to Sri Jagannath Kshetra Dham. His father named him Sri Bimala Prasad. He was named Sri Varashabhanavi Dayita Das after initiation. After taking sannyas, his name became Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati. Again, in the same year he received the title “Srila Prabhupada” by the Vaishnav scholars and became known as “Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur”.
ratharudho gacchan pathi milita-bhudeva-patalaihstuti-pradurbhavam prati-padam upakarnya sadayahdaya-sindhur bandhuh sakala jagatam sindhu-sutaya jagannathah svami nayana-patha-gami bhavatu me – When Lord Jagannath moves along the road on His Ratha Yatra cart, at every step large assembly of brahmanas loudly chant prayers and sing songs for His pleasure. Hearing their hymns, Lord Jagannath becomes very favourably disposed toward them. He is the ocean of mercy and the true friend of all the worlds. May Jagannath Swami be the object of my vision.”
Six months after Srila Prabhupada’s birth, Sri Jagannath’s Rath Yatra festival took place. At this time, Lord Jagannath waited for three days near Narayana Chata because He wanted to shower His grace by giving His darshan to His beloved associate Srila Prabhupada. When Mother Bhagavati Devi approached the chariot with child Prabhupada to have the darshan of Lord Jagannath, suddenly a garland fell from the Lord’s neck to the ground. A Panda, priest of Jagannath, put that garland around Srila Prabhupada’s neck. Immediately the chariot started moving. All the pandas shouted “Hari Hari” in joy. Everybody said to Bhagavati Devi “Mother! Your child will be a great person. Sri Jagannath gave this blessing. This child will spread the glories of Sri Jagannath to the world.” Today, the prediction of the Padma Purana came true: “hyutkale Purushottamat”.
To make the statement of the Padma Purana true, Sri Jagannath inspired his eternal associate to take birth in this own land, Puri Dham. Not only that; to attend Srila Prabhupada’s Annaprasana (rice-feeding ceremony), He stayed in the chariot for three days and showered his full grace before going to Vrindavan. It is as if Sri Jagannath, who is non-different to Sri Krishna, said to Srila Prabhupada, “Get ready to inspire all living beings to come back to My abode, Vrindavan”. To fulfil this order of Lord Jagannath, Srila Prabhupada—despite facing various obstacles, taught everyone to perform Krishna bhajan in the mood of Sri Radha. Throughout his entire life, he himself followed all the principles of the Gaudiya bhajan system that facilitates obtaining Sri Vrindavan for all living beings.
If we strictly follow Srila Prabhupada’s teachings, we will surely be freed from the attraction of this suffering material world and will be able to eternally reach the blissful abode of Sri Sri Radha Govinda—Sridham Vrindavan. The main motto of Gaudiya Math is to go “Back Home, Back to Godhead”. Our existence in this world is like living in a hotel. According to our karma, for as long as God keeps us here, we stay in a hotel-like house in this suffering world. The hotel owner will keep us in his hotel for as long as we pay the rent. After that we will be forcibly thrown out of the house. Our karma is the price of the hotel. When the reactions of karma are over, we must give up this body i.e. the house where we reside. Srila Prabhupada wanted us to go back to Goloka Vrindavan, which is the eternal home of Sri Sri Radha-Govinda, as well as ours. He established Sri Gaudiya Math for us to attain this eternal bliss. Our lives will be meaningful and joyful only if we follow the principles of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission of love following the footsteps of Srila Prabhupada.