Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

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Born as Visvambar Misra, under a Neem tree (hence the alias Nimai) to Sri Jagannath Misra (father) and Sachi Devi (mother) on the full moon night of phalguna month of Indian lunar calendar (Feb-Mar per western solar calendar) in Nabadvip, Mayapur village of Bengal in 1486, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (as he would later come to be known as) was the combined avatar (incarnation) of Srimati Radharani and Sri Krishna. He was the founder of the Gaudiya parampara (tradition) of the Vaishnavism. He was the founder of the community devotional singing & dancing (aka Sankirtan) movement. Since he was the combined incarnation of Radha & Krishna, he had a golden complexion and flowing hair. His golden complexion was the reason for him being known as Gauranga (Gaur = Golden fair, anga = bodied) in Bengali or simply as Gaura. Another name for Sri Chaitanya is Sachinandana which carries from the fact he was dear son of his mother (Sachi devi).

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From an early age Nimai displayed a keen acumen for Sanskrit language and grammar and quickly earned wonderful mastery and command of the language and vedic literature that he became accepted as a learned teacher or acharya. Along with the command of Sanskrit he displayed a unique ability to sing melodiously and dance ecstatically for the pleasure of the Lord. He was to find his Guru Sri Iswara Puri on way to Gaya town (in present day Bihar state of India) to perform the last rites of his departed father and this sparked his serious spiritual journey. At the age of 24 he renounced householder life and accepted Sannyasa and travel and preach. In order to do this traveling preaching mission, over the next several years he traveled the length and breadth of India from Bengal to South India to west India, back to Bengal to Varanasi, to Vraj and back to Bengal. At each place he introduced this novel form of devotion combining spontaneous Love for Krishna, community devotional singing and ecstatic dancing for the pleasure of the Lord. This came to known as Sankirtan and caught on like a wildfire wherever he went. Hundreds, thousands of devotees will follow him mesmerized and performing sankirtan.

 

Another unique feature of Lord Chaitanya's Sankirtan movement was to break the barriers of caste, religion, gender, language which was hitherto a completely novel concept in the orthodoxically divided society at that time and worked magically to unite devotees from distant places to simply Love God and surrender spontaneously. This is the core of Bhakti yoga -- spontaneous Love for God. And this was the most commensurate spiritual path in the age of quarrel - Kali yuga. 

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Lord Chaitanya spent the last 18 years of his earthly life (of 48 years) in Sri Jagannath Puri dham where he established his matha (congregation) of devotees and spreading the Sankirtan movement. He sent his foremost disciples known as the six goswamis to excavate and rediscover the relics and pastimes of Sri Krishna in Vrajabhumi in Dvapar yuga 5000 years ago. This is very significant because but for Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his disciples,  Vrindavan, Mathura and most of vraj bhoomi where Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna spent the first 25 years of his earthly existence of 125 years would have been lost and forgotten.

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Lord Chaitanya was not a proponent of high flying literature, arcane practices and elitist forms of yogic processes; His method was astonishingly simple -- He left with just 8 main principles known as Siksha Astaka and the supremely simple yet sublime chanting process which is known as the 'Mahamantra' (literally 'Great verse' in Sanskrit)  in the Honor of Sri Krishna. And it goes like this:

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हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे!

हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे!

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"Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

  Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare"

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(Hare = Energy of God.

Krishna = Name of God in personal form.

Rama =  another Name of God as The pleasure potency of God.)

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So literally the mahamantra means "O Lord, O Energy of Lord, O spirit of Lord, please engage me in your service'

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According to the principles of Krishna Consciousness movement, chanting the Mahamantra washes away the affects of Karma on one's mind. In other words if you want to Free yourself from the affects of your Past Karma, then repetition of this mantra will awaken the soul, bring strength, peace and happiness. But only you can verify it when you practice it yourself.

This Mahamantra is a key ingredient of the process of Yoga, more specifically Bhakti Yoga.

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Please visit these pages to study and know more about the life and works of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

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