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EDITORIAL March 1, 1999 VNN3203 The Golden Avatar BY GAURIDASA PANDITA DASA EDITORIAL, Mar 1 (VNN) — Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared during a lunar eclipse on the full moon night of March in 1407 of the Saka Era, during the constellation of simhalagna. During eclipses in India it is the custom of the people to go to the holy rivers and chant mantras to invoke auspiciousness. Thus at the time of Lord Chaitanya's birth most of India was engaged in chanting the Holy Names of the Lord congregational. This would prove to be the mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This great history is told by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in one of his great literary works, the Chaitanya Caritamrta, a 17 volume collection of the glories of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, originally composed in Bengali by Sri Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami. It is stated in the Chaitanya Caritamrta, "In jubilation everyone was chanting the Holy Name of the Lord - Hari-Hari - and Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu then appeared, after first causing the appearance of the Holy Name. At His birth, in His childhood, in His early and later boyhood, as well as in His youth, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, under different pleas, induced the people to chant the Holy Names especially the Hare Krishna Mahamantra; Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare." In different times or ages there are different methods of self- realization such as meditation, temple worship and various yoga practices to control the breath, body mind and senses. This is the age of Kali in which the people are short lived and prone to quarrel over trifles. Although this age of Kali is considered the worst of the four; Satya, Treta, Dwarpa and Kali, it has some greater benefits also. That is that by chanting the Holy Names of the Lord, especially the Mahamantra as given by Lord Chaitanya for this golden age, we can develope our love for God, Krsna, and go Back to Him in the spiritual world. Lord Chaitanya is described in the encyclopedia as a great saint who traveled all over India and destroyed the caste system; uniting all people as children of God. Of course He is much more than that! Lord Chaitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is an incarnation of Lord Krsna and Srimati Radharani so He can taste the nectar that Radha tastes by serving Him. He performed miracles by curing diseases and converting sinful people into saints, such as the most degraded men Jagai and Madai. This program of saving the most fallen people was also followed by Swami Srila Prabhupada who came to New York in 1965 and started the Hare Krishna Movement. It is the most fortunate who take advantage of the mission of Sri Sri Guru and Gouranga though. When I first met Srila Prabhupada in San Francisco in 1974 he told me and the other devotees from the Radha Damodar traveling Sankirtan party, "So you are all very bright-faced and fortunate to come to Lord Chaitanya's movement. Now that you are fortunate, make others fortunate. Preach this message of Lord Chaitanyas all over the world" Srila Prabhupada departed this world in 1977 but remains present in his books, lectures, pictures and murtis, which will benefit aspiring souls for generations to come. Swami Prabhupada initiated thousands of disciples personally and set up an initiation system whereby initiations would continue after his departure by his disciples on his behalf. Due to the prayers of Sri Advaita Acarya, Lord Chaitanya appeared within this world. When Lord Chaitanya appeared within the womb of mother Sacidevi, her husband Jagannatha Misra, said, "I see wonderful things! Your body is effulgent and it appears as if the Goddess of Fortune were now staying personally in my home. Anywhere and everywhere I go, all people offer me respect. Even without my asking, they voluntarily give me riches, clothing and paddy." Mother Sacimata replied, "I also see wonderfully brilliant human beings appearing in outer space, as if offering prayers." Jagannatha Misra then replied, "In a dream I saw the effulgent abode of the Lord enter my heart. From my heart it entered your heart. I can therefore understand that a great personality will soon take birth." "After this conversation, both husband and wife were very jubilent, and together they rendered service to the household salagrama-sila." Srila Prabhupada explains in the purports to these verses that Mother Sacimata was impregnated spiritually. He compared it with the birth of Lord Krsna, "The incarnation of the Lord entered the mind of Vasudeva and was thus transferred to the mind of Devaki...At the time of His appearance Lord Krsna came out of the mind of Devaki." Thus the appearance of the Lord is always transcendental in all ways. The Lord was due, "In this way the pregnancy approached its thirtieth month, but still there was no sign of the delivery of the child. Thus Jagannatha Misra became greatly apprehensive. Nilambara Cakravarti [the grandfather Of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu] then did an astrological calculation and said that in that month, taking advantage of an auspicious moment, the child would take birth. According to the Jyotir Veda, or Vedic astronomy, when the figure of the lion appears both in the zodiac and the time of birth [lagna], this indicates a very high conjunction of planets, an area under the influence of sad-varga and asta-varga, which are all-auspicious moments. When the spotless moon of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu became visible, what would be the need for a moon full of black marks on its body? Considering this, Rahu, the black planet, covered the moon, and immediately vibrations of 'Krsna! Krsna! Hari!' inundated the three worlds. All people thus chanted the Hare Krsna maha-mantra during the lunar eclipse, and their minds were struck with wonder. When the whole world was thus chanting the Holy Name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna in the form of Gaurahari advented Himself on the earth. While all the ladies vibrated the Holy Name of Hari on earth, in the heavenly planets dancing and music were going on, for the demigods were very curious. In this atmosphere, all the ten directions became jubilant, as did the waves of the rivers. Moreover, all beings, moving and non-moving, were overwhelmed with transcendental bliss. Sri Advaita knew something special was happening as he saw the lunar eclipse. He started to dance along with Haridasa Thakura and they loudly chanted Hare Krsna. Sri Advaita gave charity in his mind to the brahmanas. Devotees of all types began to bring gifts for the newborn child whose form resembled natural glaring gold. "Dressing themselves as wives of brahmanas, all the celestial ladies, including the wives of Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Lord Nasimhadeva, King Indra and Vasistha Rsi, and Rambha, a dancing girl of heaven, came there with varieties of gifts. Whatever gifts Jagannatha Misra received he gave to the back to the devotees and gave more from his house to celebrate the appearance of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The whole world became an ocean of bliss due to the appearance of the Lord. Today we celebrate the appearance of Lord Chaitanya all over the world by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, who brought the mercy of Lord Chaitanya to every town and village. The biggest festival happens at the headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in Mayapura India. It is very near to the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the most merciful incarnation! Devotees come from all over the world to join in the celebration. Srila Prabhupada often said that this mission of Lord Chaitanya's could bring real peace to the world and was indeed the real "United Nations." Compiled from the 13th chapter of the Sri Chaitanya Caritamrta About the Author | Other Stories by this Author Comment on this Story This story URL: http://www.vnn.org/editorials/ET9903/ET01-3203.html
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