Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: Encyclopedia II - Chaitanya Mahaprabhu - Chaitanya's life

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu - Chaitanya's life

The story of Chaitanya's life is at times biographic and at times mythic, often associating him with stories of Krishna.

According to Chaitanya Charitamrita, Caitanya was born as Visvambhar Mishra in 1486 as the second son of Jagannath Mishra and Sachi Devi in the town of Navadvipa in Nadiya, West Bengal, India. In his youth, Chaitanya was an erudite scholar, whose learning and skills in argumentation were next to none. Though religious at heart, Chaitanya did not display an active interest in the Vaishnava religion in his younger years.

A significant change in Chaitanya's life came about as he traveled to Gaya to perform the shraddha ceremony for his departed father. There he met his guru, the ascetic Ishvara Puri, from whom he received initiation with the Gopala Krishna mantra. Upon his return to Bengal, the local Vaishnavas, headed by Advaita Acharya, were stunned at his sudden change and soon recognized Chaitanya as the eminent leader of the Vaishnavas of the land of Nadiya.

After leaving his homeland in Bengal and becoming an ascetic, Chaitanya journeyed throughout the length and breadth of India for several years, chanting the names of Krishna constantly.

He spent the last 24 years of his life in Puri, Orissa, the great temple city of Jagannath. The king of Orissa, Maharaja Prataparudra, regarded him as Krishna incarnate and was an enthusiastic patron and devotee of the religion of Sri Chaitanya. It was during these years that Chaitanya sank deep into various meditational trances and performed pastimes of divine ecstasy.

It has been speculated by nonbelievers that Chaitanya suffered from epilepsy to explain various extreme fits and comatose states he experienced. Vaishnavas recognize his ecstasies as divine in accordance with spiritual literature (scriptures).

It is also rumored among the Pandas (hereditary priests) of Jagannatha temple that Chaitanya was murdered by them within the temple walls because of disagreements regarding Chaitanya's acceptance of Muslims and outcastes as disciples.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Chaitanya's life", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki