"When Caitanya Mahāprabhu took sannyāsa, His wife, Viṣṇupriyādevī, although only sixteen years old, also took the vow of austerity due to her husband’s leaving home. She chanted her beads, and after finishing one round, she collected one grain of rice. In this way, as many rounds as she chanted, she would receive the same number of rice grains and then cook them and so take prasāda. This is called austerity. Even today in India, widows or women whose husbands have taken sannyāsa follow the principles of austerity, even though they live with their children." [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Srimati Vishnupriya Devi
The appearance day of Vishnu-Priya devi dasi
Commentary from HH Narayana Maharajah Swami
Evam-vratah sva-priya-nama kirtya
Jatanurago druta-citta uccain
Hasaty atho roditi gayaty
Unmade-van nrtyati loka-bahyah
[“ In the stage of love of Godhead, the devotee is fixed in his vow as an eternal servant of the Lord, and he became very much attached to a particular name and form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As his heart melts with ecstatic love, he laughs very loudly or cries or shouts. Sometimes he sings and dances like a madman, for he is indifferent to public opinion.’ (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2.40)]
Caitanya Mahaprabhu was always acting in this way, and continually weeping. If you want to develop love for Krsna you will have to follow Caitanya Mahaprabhu and always weep for Krsna. We see that He was weeping through out His life, from the beginning. This increased further after He met with Raya Ramananda.
Although Vishnu-priya devi was married to Mahaprabhu in His family life, He hardly ever spoke with her, especially when He returned from Gaya where He took Harinam and diksa initiation from His gurudeva, Sri Isvara-puripada. His personality changed at that time. He was no longer known as Nimai Pandit. Now He became known as Bhavuka Nimai, Nimai who is always absorbed in His ecstatic moods of krsna-prema. At this time however, some of the inhabitants of Navadvipa, specially the students and His former teachers in the school became somewhat unfavorable towards Him and wanted to control Him. Mahaprabhu thought, “ I came to give the Supreme medicine for everyone’s material disease, but these persons quarrel with Me and insult Me. I should take sannyasa, for then they will weep for Me*[See Endnote 2], and thus I will immerse the whole world-including mayavadis like Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and Prakasananda Saraswati-in Krsna-prema.” This is one of the reasons Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa, the renounced order of life.
On the day He decided to take sannyasa, Vishnu-priya devi, went to bathe in Ganges, while she was on the way there, she accidentally stubbed her toe on a stone, and it was injured and started bleeding.. Then, while she was in the midst of bathing there, the nose-ring she had received on her marriage day and which is very auspicious for a wife, fell in the Ganges. Although she searched for it with great endeavor, She could not find it. She began to weep bitterly. “ Why are all these things happening today?” Later, when she returned home, Saci mata asked her, ‘o my daughter, why you are weeping so?” She replied, “Today I went to bathe in the Ganges. My foot was injured, and I lost the nose-ring of my marriage day. I don’t know what is to be my fate.“ Her mother tried to console her in this condition.
Although Caitanya Mahaprabhu had previously paid practically no attention to her, that night, after taking some prasadam, He decorated her hair and placed betel nuts in her mouth. That morning He had gone to visit and meet all His associates. He had procured some milk. He had also gotten a loki vegetable from Sridhara, with whom He would always jokingly quarrel. When He returned home in the evening he told Saci Ma, “Mother, please make a lak laki preparation from these, adding sugar, ghee, camphor and other ingredients, and offer it to Krsna. “ He later honored that prasada, after which He entered the room of Vishnu-priya devi like a luxurious person in very fine dress, as one would dress for a wedding ceremony. Then, with love and affection He asked her, “O, how are you? He decorated her, gave her a beautiful garland, placed betel nuts in her mouth, and engaged in loving conversation with her. Vishnu-priya began thinking , What am I seeing? A hurricane light, that burns with kerosene oil, burns brightly when it is just about to be extinguished. It makes the sounds ‘buk-buk’, then ‘tuk’, and then it becomes dark; it’s finished. I see now that my fate may be like this. Considering what happened this morning, and seeing how He is decorating me so lavishly, giving me betel nuts and saying with flattering words, ‘My dear-most beloved’, I wonder what is my fate. Why is He doing this?”
In the meantime, as Vishnu-priya thought thus, Yogmaya came and entered her eyes in the form of sleepiness. She did not want to fall asleep, but by the power of Yogmaya she was forced to do so. Caitanya Mahaprabhu glanced at her once, and then stood up to leave home and take sannyasa.
Without giving up everything in this world, how can one love Krsna totally? If your love and affection is divided between many persons, situations and objects, how can you love Krsna? We have seen that in India, exalted devotees like Srila Raghunath dasa Gosvami, and also Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself, quickly gave up their positions, wealth, reputation, father, mother, wife and children. Weeping for Krsna, they left their home took sannyasa, not remembering their homes or families at all, and always remembering. “Krsna! Krsna! Krsna!”
After accepting the sannyasa order, Mahaprabhu went to Jagannatha Puri, and from Puri He returned to Navadvipa on the way to Vrindavana. While there, all the residents of Navadvipa came from here and there, by boat and other conveyances, to take darsana of Sacinadana Gaurahari. Even dogs and blind persons came and Saci Maiya also came. Every one was present except Vishnu-priya. Why was she not allowed to come? This is the symptom of love and affection for Krsna. If you will give up your dear-most object for Krsna, this is the symptom that you have some love and affection for Him. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught this by His own example, and for this reason Vishnu-priya was not there. Everyone else was allowed to come, but she was not.
What she was doing? She was weeping continuously. She was more attached to Caitanya Mahaprabhu than anyone else was and she was more detached from worldly things than even Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself. She maintained her life by taking some grains of rice, one by one and using them as counting beads as she continually chanted. “Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare.” Every time she completed the utterance of these sixteen words, she picked up one grain of rice and placed it on a pile. She would wash the rice grains one by one, with the water of her tears as she chanted until midday, and then she would cook that rice with some vegetables. She would then give the bhoga to Mother Saci, who would offer it to her Deity, Narayana. After that, she would eat very little of it, remembering the pastimes of Sacinandana. Her life was totally absorbed in Krsna and Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and she chanted Hare Krsna day and night. After sometime Mahaprabhu somehow gave her a deity of Himself, made from neem wood, and that deity is worshiped in Navadvipa up to the present day. Vishnu-priya used to worship that Deity, weeping bitterly and talking with Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and He would also speak to her in the form of that Deity.
Saci Maya also remembered Caitanya Mahaprabhu always. She used to offer Him prasadam, and He used to come to her house to eat it. He was bound to come-bound by the love and affection of Saci Maiya and Vishnu-priya devi. If one wants to serve Mahaprabhu or Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, he must be like Vishnu-priya. She was much more renounced than anyone else, including Mahaprabhu. He was renounced, but not like her. Also, He was always surrounded by so many bhaktas who console Him, but she had none to console her.
Today is birthday of Vishnu-priya, who is the embodiment of Prema-bhakti itself.
Vishnu-priya devi ki jaya!
[Question:] Gurudeva, you said Vishnu-priya devi is Bhu-sakti. So is she like Laxmi?
[Srila Narayana Maharaj] No, she is like Satyabhama.
[Question:] But we hear that Navadvipa-dham is non different from Vraja.
[Srila Narayana Maharaj:] Yes
[Question”] How can Styabhama be in Vrija-Lila?
[Srila Narayana Maharaj:] Radhika has come as Gadadhar pandita, and Sri Svarupa Damodara and Sri Raya Ramananda have come as Lalita and Visakha. The associates of Nrsimhadeva, Ramacandra, and all other incarnations have also come to Navadvipa, because Sacinadana Gaurahari includes all incarnations. All incarnations are within Him. So Satyabhama may also come to Navadvipa-lila and have the association of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
[Question:] Is this also true in Svetadvipa (Navadvipa in Goloka Vrindavana? [See Endnote 3]
[Srila Narayana Maharaj:] Yes they all can be there also. Everything exists in Krsna, as stated in the Vedanta Sutra: Viruddha dharmam tasmin na cittram- all mutually contradictory characteristics exist harmoniously in Krsna’s pastimes, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu is krsna himself.
[Question:] We worship Vishnu-priya devi and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the path of arcane-following the principles of sravanam kirtanam, visnu-smaranam, pad sevanam (hearing, chanting, remembering and praying, etc.) in a regulative way, in awe and reverence?
[Srila Narayana Maharaj:] Yes, one serves Vishnu-priya devi and Mahaprabhu in arcane-marga (the path of regulative worship), and he serves Gaura-Gadadhar in bhava-marga, that is hearing, chanting, etc. in spontaneous love following in the footsteps of the gopis.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
Scholastic Career
In His eighth year. He was admitted into the Tol of Gangadas Pandit in Ganganagar 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 Pandit himself. It appears that He read the Smriti on His own, and the Nyaya also, in competition with His friends who were then studying under the celebrated Pandit Raghunath Siromani.
Now, after the tenth year of His age, Chaitanya became a passable scholar in Grammar, Rehotiric, the Smrti and Nyaya. It was after this that His elder brother Vishwarup left home and accepted the asram (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 usually contented appearance, consoled His widowed mother.
Nimai pandit was now the most important Pandit of His timIt was at the age of fourteen or fifteen that Mahaprabhu was married to Laksmhi Devi, the daughter of Ballabha Acharya, also of Nadia. He was at this age considered as one of the best scholars of Nadia, the renowned seat of Nyaya philosophy and Sakskrit learning. Not to speak of the smarta pandits, the naiyaiks 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 Tapan Misra to go 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, the daughter of Rakj pandit Sanatan Misra. es.
His comrades joined Him on His reutrn from pravas, or sojourn. He was now so renowned that He was considered to be the best pandit in Nadia. Keshab Misra of Kashmere, who has called himself the Great Digvijayi, came to Nadia with a view to discuss with the pandits, of that place. Afraid of the so-called conquering pandit, the tol professors of Nadia left their town on pretence of invitation. Keshab met Mahaprabhu at the Barokonaghat in Mayapura, and after a very short discussion with Him he got defeated by the boy and mortification obliged him to decampt.
It was at the age of sixteen or seventeen that He travelled to Gaya with a host of His students, and there took His spiritual inititation from Iswar Puri, a Vaishnava sannyasi, and a disciple of the renowned Madhavendra Puri. Upon His return to Nadia, Nimai Pandit turned out a religious preacher and His religious nature became so strongly represented that Avdaita Prabhu, Sribas and the others who had before the birth of Chaitanya already accepted the Vaishnava faith, were astonished at the change of the young man.
He was then no more a contending naiyaika, a wrangling smarta and a criticising rhetorician. He swooned at the name of Krishna and behaved as an inspired man under the influence of His religious sentiment. It has been described by Murari Gupta, an eye witness that, He showed His heavenly powers in the house of Srivas Pandit in the presence of hundreds of His followers who were mostly well-read scholars. It was at this time that He opened a nocturnal school of Kirtan in the compound of Srivas Pandit with His sincere followers. There He preached, there He sang, there He danced and there He expressed all sorts of religious feelings. Nityananda Prabhu who was then a preacher of Vaishnavism and who had then completed his travels all over India, joined Him by that time. In fact, a host of Pandit preachers of Vaishnavism all sincere at heart, came and joined Him from different parts of Bengal. Nadia now became the regular seat of a host of Vaishnava Acharyas whose mission it was to spiritualize mankind with the highest influence of the Vaishnava creed.
Preaching and Sankirtan
The first mandate that He issued to Prabhu Nityananda and Haridas was this: "Go friends, go preaching and through the streets of the town, meet every man at his door and ask him to sing the Name of Hari with a holy life and you then come and report to Me every evening the result of your preaching." Thus ordered, the two preachers went on and met Jagai and Madhai the two most abominable characters. They insulted the preachers on hearing Mahaprabhu's mandate but were soon converted by the influence of Bhakti inculcated by their Lord. The people of Nadia were now surprised. They said, Nimai Pandit is not only a gigantic genius but He is certainly a Missionary from God Almighty." From this time to His 23rd year, Mahaprabhu preached His principles not only in Nadia but in all important towns and villages around His city. In the houses of His followers. He showed miracles, taught the esoteric principles of Bhakti and sang His Sankirtan with other Bkaktas. Hi s followers of the town of Nadia commenced to sing the Holy Name of Hari in the streets and bazars. This created a sensation and roused different feelings in different quarters. The Bhaktas were highly pleased.
The Smarta Brahmins became jealous of Nimai Pandit's success and complained to Chand Kazi against the character of Chaitanya as un-Hindu. The Kazi came to Srivas Pandit's house and broke a Mridanga {khol) there and declared, that unless Nimai Pandit would cease to make noise about His queer religion, he should be obliged to enforce Mohammedanism on Him and His followers. This was brought to Mahaprabhu's notice. He ordered the town people to appear in the evening, each with a torch in his hand. This they did, and Nimai marched out With His Sankirtan divided in fourteen groups, and on His arrival in 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 Sankirtan par ty. The world Was astonished at the spiritual power of the Great Lord and hundreds and hundreds of heretics converted joined the bannar of Visvambhar after this affair.
Sannyasa
It was after this that some of the jealous and low minded Brahmins of Kulia picked up a quarrel with Mahaprabhu and collected a party to oppose Him. Nimai Pandit was naturally a soft hearted Person though strong in His principles. He declared that party feeling and sectarianism were the two great enemies of progress, and 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. He then resolved to be a citizen of the world by cutting off His connection with a particular family, caste and creed and with this resolution He embraced the position of a Sannyasi at Katoa under the guidance of Keshav Bharati of that town, on that 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 mankind in general.
After His Sannyas He was induced to visit the house of Sri Advaita Prabhu in Santipur. Sri Advaita managed to invite all his friends and admirers from Nadia and brought Sachi Devi to see her Son. Both pleasure and pain invaded her heart when she saw her Son in the attire of a Sannyasi. As a Sannyasi, Sri Krishna Chaitanya put on nothing but a kaupin and a bahirvas (outer covering). His head was without hair and His hands bore a danda (stick) and a kamandalu (hermit's water pot). The Holy son fell at the feet of His beloved mother and said, "Mother! This body is yours and I must obey your orders. Permit Me to go to Vrindavan for My spiritual attainments". The Mother in consultation with Sri Advaita and others asked her Son to reside in Puri (town of Lord Jagannatha) so that she might obtain some information about Him now and then.
Mahaprabhu agreed to that proposition and in a few days left Santipur for Orissa. His biographers have described the journey of Sri Krishna Chaitanya (that was the name He got after His Sannyas)from Santipur to Puri in great detail.
He traveled along the side of the Bhagirathi as far as Chhatrabhog situated now in Thana Mathurapur Diamond Harbour, 24 Parganas. There He took a boat and went as far as Prayag Ghat in the Midnapore District. Thence He walked through Balasore and Cuttack to Puri, seeing the temple of Bhubaneswar on His way. Upon His arrival at Puri He saw Lord Jagannath in the temple and put up with Sarvabhauma at the request of the latter.
Lord Baladeva Raya, Srimati Subhadra Devi Rani, Lord Jagannatha Swami Jiu
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