The Life of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu offers a brief history of the
15th-century Vedic spiritual revolutionary, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who
expounded Bhakti yoga, popularized the chanting of Hare Krishna, and is
an incarnation of Lord Krishna.
In this abridged biography of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Swami B. B. Bodhayan
informs how Sri Krsna appeared in the form of Lord Chaitanya to deliver
all fallen souls by distributing His love without discrimination. He
taught his devotees how to surrender by His own example and how
surrender is the soul of devotional practice.
Many scriptures describe Lord Chaitanya as non-different from Lord
Krsna; although Lord Chaitanya is Krsna Himself, He took the role of
being His own devotee to deliver the people of the world. To spread the
chanting of the holy name of the Supreme Lord, which will ultimately
give us the taste of divine love, Lord Chaitanya took the renounced
order (sannyasa). Thus, He gave the order to everyone to spread His
name: Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare.
We have seen Lord Chaitanya, Himself, preach and inspire people to chant
the Hare Krsna mahamantra. But personally, He did not give initiation.
He also did not establish any temples. He taught us to spread sankirtana
without having any ulterior motives. Our spiritual lineage all follow in
the footsteps of Lord Chaitanya. If anyone follows the principle of
"first preserve then propagate," then one shall definitely be delivered
from this material world.
