Chaitanya and His Companions

Chaitanya passed away from this world in 1533 A.D. In the eyes of the people he had already become an incarnation of God. The Vaisnava biographers wrote long and erudite memoirs of his life and teachings. The poets sang of his emotional fervour and trances. The sculptors and painters basied themselves in reproducing the beauty of his handsome person and of tllC SaukirlaUa SCCUCS whcrC his trances and songs captivated the soul of the admiring multitude. These were often painted in lacquer on wooden boards used as book covers and produced for the decoration i)i the Bhngavata-literature in Bengali from the 16th to the early 18th centuries. Parents in Bengali homes gave to their children those names by which Chaitanya was called, showing how dearly they loved and cherished his memory. Gauranga, Gaur, Chaitanya and Nimai have since become very common names in this country. Even the beloved city of Nadiya, ronderecl holy by his hirth, contrihutecl its share to the forminc^ of a Beuf^ali’s name. NadevasT, — a resident of Nadiycl, Nagaravasi — a dAvellor of the city (the city is here Nadiyjl), Xader-Chand or the moon of Nadiya and its more elegant form Navadvlpa-chandra now hccame the favourite names in which the Bengalis prided out of their great love and admiration for theNadiya-prophet. From Orissa to Manipur through a large tract of country covering an area of ahout 224750 sq. miles Chaitanya was now worshipped in temples, while the streets of cities and village-paths resounded with his praises in popular songs. The country was full of Radhjl-Ivrsna songs, btit in a Kirtaua, no llfidha-Krsjgia song could he introduced without a preliminary song in liouour of Gauracliaudra (Chaitanya) and this prehmmary song was called Gaurachandrikfi. The love songs of Rfidha-Krsna, which had a deep spiritual significance long before the advent of Chaitanya, became now thoroughly idealised and bore another beautiful symbolic meaning in which the love-ecstasies of Chaitanya formed a charmins: back2:round. In the midst of the loud music of fambonr’uw and the shrill clang of cymhals, the Gaurachandrikfi sounded the keynote of a new j^hase of Vaisnavism in which the incidents of Cliaitanya’s life illustrated in a concrete form tlie high spiritual pliilosophy of the sect. The rustics and the unclean castes particularly showed a frenzied fervour in singing the praises of one who had opened the portals of brotherhood to all men irrespective of caste. Sometimes for whole nights they would be seen dancing in joy and singing his name in the small courtyards facing their straw-roofed huts. The Vaisnava singers visited the house of the rich and the poor alike every morning, and sang that sweet couplet which Nityananda, the great apostle, had himself composed during the life-time of Chaitanya: — “Sini? praises of Chaitanva, brother, and take his name. One who loves him is dear to me as my life.” ^