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Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is known as mahavadanya avatar – an incarnation of compassion. On the eve of Gaur Purnima, let us take few minutes to reflect on the breadth, depth and intensity of compassion of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the legacy of compassion left by him.
Breadth of compassion
uchalila prema-vanyä caudike vedäya
stri, vrddha, bälaka, yuvä, sabäre dubäya
The flood of love of Godhead swelled in all directions, and thus young men, old men, women and children were all immersed in that inundation (CC Adi 7.25).
Lord Chaitanya has distributed the message of love of God to one and all. He has delivered great brahmanas like Rupa Goswami and Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya to the lowly pathan soldiers near Mathura. He delivered pure Vaishnavas like Venkata Bhatta to staunch impersonalists like Prakasananda Saraswati. He distributed his compassion in all directions – north, west, south and east of Indian subcontinent. He has even delivered the animals of Jharikanda forest. Lord Chaitanya did not discriminate based on caste, purity and even ability to receive the message of love of God.
Depth of compassion
anarpita-carim cirät karunayävatirnah kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasäm sva-bhakti-sriyam
harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandipitam
sadä hrdaya-kandare sphuratu vah saci-nandana
May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Çrématé Çacé-devé be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love (CC Adi 1.5).
Lord Chaitanya’s compassion is directed towards the deepest core of the individual i.e. it is meant for spiritual awakening. The spiritual awakening is through devotion to Bhagavan which is the most superior manifestation of the Absolute Truth. And that too, it is towards Krishna, the highest manifestation of Bhagavan. The means of relationship is conjugal love which is the most intimate relationship with Krishna. In this way, Lord Chaitanya gifted everyone to become most intimate with the most intimate form of God, Krishna and experience unlimited and happiness through uninterrupted remembrance and service.
Intensity of compassion
pürvavat pathe yäite ye päya dasana
yei gräme yäya, se grämera yata jana
sabei vaisñava haya, kahe ’krsna’ ’hari’
anya gräma nistäraye sei ’vaisnava’ kari’
As previously stated, all the residents of the villages visited by Lord Caitanya became Vaiñëavas and began to chant Hari and Krsna. In this way, in all the villages visited by the Lord, everyone became a Vaiñëava, a devotee [CC Madhya 7-8].
The magnitude of Lord Chaitanya’s compassion is beyond imagination. He delivered hundreds of villagers at once through his harinam sankirtan. These villagers in turn delivered many other villagers. Lord Chaitanya delivered village after village without any break. He delivered the great impersonalist sannyasi Prakasanada Saraswati and his ten thousand sannyasi followers through just one meeting. He delivered the greatest philosopher of Advaita, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya within a week. He delivered Chand Kazi also within one meeting. Lord Chaitanya uninterruptedly and profusely distributed love of God.
Legacy of compassion
eka eka säkhära sakti ananta mahimä
’sahasra vadane’ yära dite näre samä
Each and every branch of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu’s devotees has unlimited spiritual power and glory. Even if one had thousands of mouths, it would be impossible to describe the limits of their activities.[Ädi 10.163]
Lord Chaitanya himself set the highest standard of compassion and instilled the same spirit of compassion in his assosciates who are thousands in number and thus the spirit of compassion was transmitted from one generation to another. Thus, he established a legacy of compassion. He also instructed the six Goswamis of Vrindavan to establish temples and write devotional scriptures so that the education and culture behind the spirit of compassion can be systematically transmitted from one generation to another. As an ocean is broad, deep and is dynamic, similarly the ocean of compassion unleashed by Lord Chaitanya is broad, deep and intense. Let us take full advantage of this legacy of compassion and then contribute to it.