Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

Vishwambhar, or Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as he was later known, was born at a time when a very large area of northern and eastern India had come under Muslim rule. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu showed a simple path to reach God, which later came to be known as Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Chaitanya not only stemmed the tide of conversion to Islam, but also provided a new life force to Hindu religion. While explaining a number of ways by which devotees can reach Him, Krishna mentions this simple one in the Gita: "Sarvadharman parityajya mamekam sharanam vraja" (Forsaking all dogmas of religion, take refuge in me.). This complete surrender to God, know to Vaishnavites as 'Prapattivada,' leads to Krishna or Rama (incarnations of Vishnu). In the medieval age, a number of ways were suggested to effect this complete surrender. Chaitanya emphasised the 'gopibhava', the method of worship adopted by the damsels (gopis) of Vraja. They expected nothing from Krishna, and yet were deeply in love with him. Chaitanya also preached that all men are equal. "Don't ask a Vaishnava what his caste is," said the Vaishnavites, "because he who worships Vishnu is His". But even while preaching love and brotherhood, Chaitanya taught the people not to yield to injustice and untruth. Perhaps, the first ever non-co-operation movement (satyagraha, as Gandhiji later called it) was launched by Chaitanya. When the Kazi of Nabadwip forbade the singing of bhajans in the open, Chaitanya ordered peaceful mass-singing. What is more, he led a peaceful procession of hundreds who sang all the way to the house of the Kazi. The Kazi, it is said, was converted by Chaitanya. Such was the power of Chaitanya.