The South Indian Tour
[Madhya 7-9]
Sannyasa offers one the unique opportunity to travel and preach without restriction. Taking full advantage, Shri Chaitanya decided to embark upon a tour of South India which would last for two years, span 4000 miles, and mark the beginning of His mass propagation of nama-sankirtan. Although surrounded by His loving associates, Shri Chaitanya left Jagannatha Puri on the pretext of finding His brother, accompanied only by His servant, Kala Krishnadasa. The distraught devotees followed the young sannyasi to nearby Alalanatha, after which Shri Chaitanya swiftly departed, throwing them into pangs of separation.
As He travelled, Shri Chaitanya jubilantly chanted Krishna’s names and greeted everyone with genuine love. His influence was extraordinary! Anyone who encountered Shri Chaitanya would immediately become infused with spiritual happiness, and everyone that they subsequently contacted would develop the same ecstatic emotion. Shri Chaitanya thus ignited the revolution of nama-sankirtan. Entire villages and provinces adopted the process of congregational chanting, and Vaishnavism spread like wildfire across South India. The extent of Shri Chaitanya’s tremendous devotional potency was becoming more and more apparent.
Some highlights from Shri Chaitanya’s South India tour are as follows:
Kurma Brahmana - In Kurma-sthana, Shri Chaitanya was warmly greeted with respect and devotion by a local brahmana. Feeling his worldly duties to be a weighty burden, the Kurma brahmana proposed to renounce his family life in order to become fully immersed in devotional service. Shri Chaitanya unequivocally told the brahmana to remain steadfast in his obligations, and instead place Krishna in the centre of his household life: “Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Shri Krishna as they are given in the Bhagavad- Gita and Shrimad-Bhagavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land. If you follow this instruction, your materialistic life at home will not obstruct your spiritual advancement.”
Vasudeva the Leper – Vasudeva was a gentle and saintly devotee who suffered from leprosy. Hearing that Shri Chaitanya had left the locality, Vasudeva fell unconscious, lamenting the missed opportunity to see his beloved Lord. Just then, Shri Chaitanya unexpectedly arrived and embraced Vasudeva, causing all of his bodily illnesses to miraculously disappear! Vasudeva became spiritually ecstatic, and Shri Chaitanya advised him to constantly chant the holy name and share it with others.
Ramananda Raya – Prior to leaving Jagannatha Puri, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya had insisted that the Lord meet Ramananda Raya on His travels. Shri Chaitanya had noted this, and upon reaching the banks of the river Godavari, He saw Ramananda Raya arrive with a large royal entourage. Although an influential and powerful Governor, Ramananda was also a great devotee. Seeing the effulgent sannyasi, he eagerly stepped forward and received a loving embrace from Shri Chaitanya. It resembled the emotional meeting of two old friends. They conversed with great eagerness, and resolved to meet that very evening for further discussion. Shri Chaitanya posed various questions to Ramananda, extracting the essence of Vaishnava theology and urging the royal devotee to go deeper and explain further. Through that encouragement, Ramananda was able to present the most profound and esoteric conclusions of spiritual love between Radha and Krishna in Vrindavana. A river of unprecedented nectar flowed from Ramananda’s mouth, which Shri Chaitanya relished for ten consecutive nights. Shri Chaitanya then requested Ramananda to relocate to Jagannatha Puri, where they could continue discussing topics of Krishna. Before departing, the Lord offered a final blessing to Ramananda by revealing His combined form of Radha and Krishna.
Holy places, temples, devotees & non-devotees – South India was filled with stalwart impersonalists, ritualistic brahmanas and mundane scholars; all of whom were uninterested in bhakti. However, by the influence of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, all these individuals abandoned their own opinions and became Vaishnavas, devotees of Krishna. Shri Chaitanya met people from various disciplic lines and guided them to a more intimate understanding of God. He conversed with Buddhists, Jains and tattvavadis, concretely establishing the Vaishnava perspectives through logic and argument. On His travels, He paid His obeisances at the Shiva temples, exhibiting the Vaishnava culture of respect towards demigods. Later, Shri Chaitanya discovered two books which were of great importance to the Vaishnava tradition – the Brahma-Samhita and Krishna-Karanamrita.
Despite these spiritually inspiring events, Shri Chaitanya’s servant, Kala Krishnadasa, fell victim to the romantic allurements of some tribal women, and had to be personally rescued by the Lord.
Illiterate Brahmana - In the temple of Ranganatha, Shri Chaitanya encountered an illiterate brahmana who was struggling to recite the Bhagavad-Gita. Although he could hardly read, when he remembered how Krishna had become a humble charioteer in service to His devotee, it brought tears of happiness to his heart. Shri Chaitanya declared that this illiterate brahmana had actually grasped the essence of the book, and was indeed the most fortunate and learned Vaishnava. His devotional fervour was the mature fruit of philosophical understanding, and Shri Chaitanya blessed him to continue with the same spirit.
Vyenkata Bhatta - Being a Vaishnava in the Ramanuja-sampradaya, Vyenkata Bhatta worshiped the Deities of Lakshmi and Narayana. After some friendly talks, Shri Chaitanya began posing serious philosophical questions before Vyenkata. He asked why Lakshmidevi, the chaste consort of Narayana, desired to enter the rasa dance with Krishna. This ignited an in-depth discussion on transcendental mellows, contrasting the personality of Krishna and Vishnu. Vyenkata eventually conceded that since Krishna exhibits a variety of qualities and relationships that cannot be found in any other manifestation of God, He is indeed the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus, he concluded that devotional service to Krishna is the ultimate form of worship.
Shri Chaitanya instigated a wave of spiritual ecstasy in South India and thousands became Vaishnavas. However, one may naturally question why that influence has seemingly disappeared. Why don’t we find masses of Gaudiya Vaishnavas in South India today?
Although He travelled widely, Shri Chaitanya never started an organised movement in South India. He never established a structured institution, erected temples or scribed books. Thus, as decades passed, the awareness and understanding gradually diminished. Only later, when Shri Chaitanya sent the Six Goswamis to Vrindavana, did He formally establish the sankirtan movement which would continue on for generations to come.
Nevertheless, the South India tour was significant in other ways. Firstly, the individual meetings with Ramananda Raya and Gopal Bhatta (son of Vyenkata Bhatta) were of paramount importance. Ramananda became one of Shri Chaitanya’s closest associates and Gopal Bhatta became one of the Six Goswamis. Secondly, the philosophical discourses on that tour established cardinal principles of Gaudiya Vaishnava theology, and the discovery of important scriptural writings further enriched Shri Chaitanya’s mission. Thirdly, the South India tour demonstrated the unparalleled potency of nama-sankirtan, which could transform the hearts of even spiritually-averse individuals. If it could work there, it could work anywhere!
After two years of continuous travelling, Shri Chaitanya returned to Jagannatha Puri for the next phase of His preaching. Arriving at the Jagannatha Temple, waves of trembling, perspiration, tears and jubilation swept His body. The Vaishnavas overflowed with happiness to see Shri Chaitanya again. It was as though their very life had returned to them. (See Appendix: Shri Chaitanya’s Travels)
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