After taking sannyasa, Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu made His headquarters in Jagannatha Puri at the request of His mother, Sri Sacidevi, and was based there for remaining 24 years of His manifest pastimes. However, Mahaprabhu’s first visit was cut short because He immediately left for a South India yatra which lasted 2 years (1510-12).
Ages 24-30: All India Preaching
Gauranga Mahaprabhu continuously travelled to and from Jagannatha Puri. He toured South India, Vrindavan and Bengal distributing love of God by ecstatic dancing and chanting the Holy Names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare | Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare ||
He met all big religious teachers, debating with them and established Krishna-prema as the sublime goal of human life. He based His arguments based on Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam and He firmly established His Hari-prema-Nama Sankirtana movement throughout the sub-continent.
Ages 30-36: Puri Preaching
After travelling to and from Jagannatha Puri for 6 years, Gauranga Mahaprabhu fixed His residence at Jagannatha Puri for remaining 18 years of His life. Every year, the devotees visited Puri and stayed with Him for 4 months (catur-masya) enjoying Lord’s company. Lord relished various pastimes including cleansing the Gundica Temple, Rathayatra, ecstatic kirtans in Jagannatha Temple, water sports in Narendra Sarovara and Deity festivals like Dola Yatra. He spent these 6 years mainly chanting Holy Names and dancing with His many devotees, thus inducing everyone to love Krishna by this simple process.
Through His personal behaviours, Lord instructed all living entities in the science of Bhakti. A person advanced in Krishna Consciousness always feels separation from Krishna. Lord Caitanya taught how, with a feeling of separation one can develop his dormant love of Krishna. These feelings develop in time when a person seriously engages in devotional service.
Ages 36-48: Gambhira & Internally relishing Krishna
For last 12 years of His life, Gauranga Mahaprabhu was continuously overwhelmed, night & day by separation from Krishna. Associating mainly with Svarupa Damodara Gosvami and Ramananda Raya, Mahaprabhu tasted the blissful divine songs and verses from Krishna Karnamrita, Gita Govinda, Srimad Bhagavatam and Jagannatha Vallabha Nataka. Mahaprabhu relished Sri Krishna’s sweet beauty, fragrance and mellow as if He were touching Krishna hand to hand.
In the mood of Vraja-gopis, Sri Caitanyadeva was always experiencing the pastimes of Krishna in separation within His heart. When Krishna left the gopis and went to Mathura, they cried for Krishna the rest of their lives, torn by the pangs of separation from Him. Gopis’ ecstatic feelings of separation were specifically advocated by Lord Caitanya through His actual demonstrations. Tossed by the waves of separation, Mahaprabhu appeared mad day and night. Sometimes He laughed, sometimes cried, sometimes danced, and sometimes He chanted in great sorrow. Mahaprabhu saw Jagannatha Swami with the same feelings of separation that Vraja-gopis experienced when they saw Krishna at Kurukshetra after long separation.
Lord Caitanya now taught everyone to taste the transcendental mellow ecstasy of Krishna-prema by tasting it Himself. Advanced devotees always feel separation from Krishna. Gauranga taught how, with a feeling of separation one can develop his dormant love Krishna. Such feelings develop in time when a person seriously engages in devotional service.
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