Five Stars
[Adi 5-7]
Having described Shri Chaitanya in the first four chapters, the next three focus on His four prominent associates. Together, they are known as the Pancha Tattva :
• Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu – Bhakta rupa (original form of a devotee)
• Shri Nityananda Prabhu – Bhakta svarupakam (expansion of a devotee)
• Advaita Acharya – Bhaktavataram (incarnation of a devotee)
• Shrivas Thakur – Bhaktakhyam (pure devotee)
• Shri Gadadhara Pandita – Bhakta saktikam (devotional energy)
Lord Nityananda – Bhakta svarupakam (expansion of a devotee) – When Krishna appeared as Shri Chaitanya, His brother (Balaram) descended as Shri Nityananda Prabhu. Balaram is the first expansion of Krishna; all subsequent divine expansions come from Him, and Their main function is to create and maintain the material universes. Just as Balaram lovingly serves Krishna in Vrindavana, Nityananda’s identity is also one of sevak- bhagavan: although He is non-different to Shri Chaitanya, He comes in the mood of service. Sometimes He serves Lord Chaitanya as a guru figure, sometimes as His friend and sometimes as His servant . To gain the favour of Shri Chaitanya one must serve Nityananda. To stress this point, Krishnadasa narrates the story of Mineketana Ramadas, a great devotee of Nityananda who was mistreated and offended in Krishnadasa’s home. After this unsavoury incident, Nityananda appeared to Krishnadasa and ordered him to leave home and take up residence in the holy village of Vrindavana.
Advaita Acharya – Bhaktavataram (incarnation of a devotee) – Advaita Acharya is an incarnation of both Maha Vishnu and Sadashiva. His identity is visnu-tattva; the self-same Supreme Personality of Godhead. Taking birth in the Navadvip area fifty-two years prior to Shri Chaitanya, Advaita was a well-established leader of the Vaishnava community. Heartbroken by the godlessness of the world he lived in, he fervently beseeched Shri Krishna to incarnate, performing simple but dedicated worship which attracted the Lord’s attention. Shri Chaitanya deeply respected Advaita Acharya, since the Acharya was the godbrother of Ishvara Puri (Shri Chaitanya’s spiritual master). Advaita, however, naturally subordinated himself before Shri Chaitanya, being fully aware of His divine identity.
Gadadhara Pandita – Bhakta saktikam (devotional energy) – Gadadhara Pandita is the manifestation of Shrimati Radharani in Shri Chaitanya’s pastimes. When Krishna assumes the position of Radharani, She comes to watch how He does it! Thus, Gadadhara Pandita is identified as sakti- tattva, the internal pleasure potency of the Lord. The strikingly beautiful Gadadhara was a close childhood companion of Shri Chaitanya, and lived very close to the house of Jagannatha Mishra.
Shrivas Thakur – Bhaktakhyam (pure devotee) – Shrivas is the only member of the Pancha Tattva who is jiva-tattva (a living entity). He assisted Shri Chaitanya in organising the daily sankirtan in Navadvip, and was well-known for his exceptional singing. Shrivas Thakur is an incarnation of Narada Muni, the pure and saintly preacher who constantly traverses the universe to reawaken spirituality in people’s lives.
When these five personalities joined forces in Navadvip, their influence was incredible. The Pancha Tattva instigated an unprecedented spiritual revolution by breaking open the treasure house of divine love. They experienced and relished that love themselves, and liberally distributed it without discrimination. With hands uplifted and eyes upturned, they chanted, danced, laughed and exhibited unbounded spiritual happiness. They were able to touch the hearts of even unwilling and averse people as if by divine spell, causing miraculous transformation in everyone they met. This transcendental epidemic of divine love became highly contagious and effortlessly spread in all directions through the empowered representatives of Shri Chaitanya.
Many were sceptical. The impersonalist renunciants of Varanasi, headed by Prakashananda Saraswati, were probably the most stubborn of all. For them, the path of spirituality was one of discipline, austerity, strictness and study. They openly criticised Shri Chaitanya and His followers as fanatical, emotional and sentimental. Though Shri Chaitanya was indifferent to their comments, He responded to the plea of His devotees and went to meet the camp of impersonalist sannyasis.
Upon seeing Him, the staunch renunciants were awestruck by his effulgent appearance and saintly disposition. Shri Chaitanya humbly narrated how He received the Hare Krishna mantra from His guru and had subsequently become spiritually intoxicated. Shri Chaitanya refuted the misleading interpretations of Shankaracharya and his followers, and instead established the real conclusion of Vedanta philosophy: to have a loving relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Shri Krishna.
Prakashananda Saraswati and his followers were amazed at the explanations and their hearts were conquered. They wholeheartedly joined the sankirtan movement – a huge breakthrough and momentous preaching achievement for Shri Chaitanya. As a result, His fame grew, and thousands of people became His followers.
Once, when asked to elucidate the goal of life, Shrila Prabhupada emphatically replied: “To enjoy!” The reporter was taken aback until Prabhupada further clarified: “But you have to know how!” The Pancha Tattva exhibited this blissful life of spiritual immersion on the streets of Navadvip. While strictness, regulation and austerity are surely necessary, the emphasis of bhakti-yoga is on achieving the “higher taste”. Spiritual life is natural and joyful.
The singing, dancing and blissful emotion does not render a bhakti-yogi incapable of serious philosophical thinking. On the contrary, it is the devotee’s deep understanding and apprehension of reality that spontaneously moves his heart and mind towards Krishna. Song and dance, two of the most powerful forms of emotional expression, are an integral part of that spiritual experience. We use these mediums to express our deepest feelings in the relationships of this world, so why not in the ultimate relationship with God? Although bhakti-yoga may externally appear simple and sentimental, when practiced with sincerity and purity it actually combines and synthesises all other disciplines, bringing one to the summit of spiritual perfection.
The first seven chapters of Chaitanya-Charitamrita summarise the identity of Shri Chaitanya and His principal associates. Krishnadasa now offers some general background information to complete the invocation to his biographical work.
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