A historical analysis on Sri Chaitanya's holy and sad demise

There is still a mystery in history about sad and holy departure of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu from this physical world, because now-a-days very less historical evidences are found about Sri Chaitanya’s departure with a vivid description. The famous biography of Mahaprabhu “Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita” by Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami is completely silent about it. Only one book (Manuscript) has been discovered on this topic named “VAISNAV LEELAMRUTA” whose author Madhav Pattanaik was a great devotee of Sri Chaitanya and was one of the eye-witness for Sri Chaitanya’s holy life in Puri has described a clear and vivid description on Sri Chaitanya’s holy and sad demise. “Vaisnav Leelamruta” written in Odia Language by Odishan poet Madhav Pattanaik in 1535 A.D. Along the entire life Sri Chaitanya spent on Purusottama Dham (Puri), Madhav Pattanaik was present with Him and also actively involved Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Sankritan propagation. This is the only book which is most authenticated than the other books.

Madhav Pattanaik’s birthplace was at Khandapada (presently in Nayagarh district), Odisha. Madhav’s Guru was Sri Gadadhar Pandit. Madhav was also deeply connected with Panchasakha (Five saints) of Utkaleeya Vaishavism (Odishan Vaisnavism) and involved in preaching holy Jagannath culture on ideology of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who is said to be founder of Goudiya Vaisnavism. Sri Chaitanya was founder of holy Vaisnavism based on divine Love of Radha and Krishna. In Neelachal (Puri), Chaitanya was in mood of Radha while Lord Jagannath was Krishna for him and He ((Chaitanya) used to call Lord Jagannath who is Krishna himself) in a ecstatic and transcendental love what Srimati Radharani had in Brindavan. This practice of Sri Gouranga (Sri Chaitanya) was accepted both in Goudiya and Utkaliya Vaisnavism.

Here, it can be noted that historians have also founded the family root of Sri Chaitanya at Jajur (Odisha). During rule of King Kaplendradev in Kalinga (Odisha) Sri Chaitanya's grand father migrated to Srihatta (Presently Sylhet in East Bengal) with his family. Madhav Pattanaik in his book Vaishnav Leelamruta has also written this historical truth. Later, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's father Sri Jagannath Mishra migrated from Srihatta to Nawdeep in West Bengal.

Before Sri Chaitanya came to Odisha from Bengal, panchasakha (Five saints) namely Jagannath Dash, Balaram Dash, Achyutananda Dash, Ananta Dash, Jasobanta Dash had already started their unique way preaching of Vaisnavism making void (Shunya) as topmost form of God and Lord Jagannath is “Shunya Brahm” himself but when Sri Chaitanya came to Odisha all Panchasakhas accepted his theory of devotion as Krishna is the supreme personality of Godhead and Lord Jagannath is Krishna’s most condensed form in divine Love. Both Goudiya and Utkaleeya Vaisnavism were made into one on holy ideology of Sri Chaitanya but still there was jealousy between few devotees. Due to this jealousy Sri Chaitanya’s holy demise is now a mystery. Vaisnav Leelamruta has described the same in detailed. Another eminent Bengali writer of 16th Century Jayananda’s Bengali manuscript named “Chaitanya Mangala” also describes on Sri Chaitanya’s holy demise but not so detailed like Madhav Pattanaik . Jayananda was one of the Goudiya devotee, belonged to Bengal and a great follower of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu . Jayananda’s description is quite similar as that of Madhav Pattanaik. 

VAISNAV LEELAMRUTA book was composed in year 1535 A.D just after 2 years of departure of Sriman Mahaprabhu (Sri Chaitanya) while other most of biographies including “Chaitanya Charitamrita” of Mahaprabhu were written after many years of His (Sri Chaitanya) holy demise. Along with the description about Sri Chaitanya’s holy demise, this book(VAISNAV LEELAMRUTA) describes eye viewed truth about Sri Chaitanya's holy meeting with Jagannath Das while he was composing Bhagavatam in Odia.It is described in 4th chapter of Vaisnav-leelamruta and also in 6th chapter it has been described why and how Jagannath Das (the composer of Odia Bhagavatam) was rejected by few Goudiya devotees of that time and did not consider him as an Acharya of Vaisnavism due to jealousy, while Sri Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself honored him with a title "Ati Badi" which means the "highest great devotee" due to his great love and devotion for Lord Krishna. Jagannath Das’s pure and great love towards supreme personality of Godhead “Lord Krishna” has been reflected in each stanza of Bhagavatam, so Mahaprabhu (Sri Chaitanya) honored him with a such great title. Vaisnav Leelamruta also describes a interesting topic that how the devotees were having a vivaad (quarrel) on Hare-Krishna Mahamantra, which “Name” would be chanted first either “Hare Krishna” or “Hare Rama” and after that how Mahaprabhu himself solved the problem and each and every devotee got delighted on His great solution. Hare Krishana, Hare Rama is a cyclic process, no matter which is recited first either Hare Rama or Hare Krishna.

The most important thing is that here, the author of this book Madhav pattanaik has described the hidden truth about the sad demise (Maha-Prayan) of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu from this material world . This is the only eye viewed truth what Madhav pattanaik had seen on his own eye. Apart from this and very few other books , most of the books are totally silence about Mahaprabhu's holy demise just by telling that Mahaprabhu entered into the Lord Jagannath's Sri vigrha (Idol) or Tota Gopinath's Sri Vigraha (Idol) in Puri. All about the sad demise of Mahaprabhu (Sri Chaitanya)has been described 9th chapter of Vaisnav-leelamruta.

There were several controversies were raised over the passing away of Sri Chaitanya at Puri. Mahaprabhu (Sri Chaitanya) was at Puri continuously for eighteen years till his sad and holy demise. The opinions vary between historians .Few Bengali scholars say that he was murdered by his religious enemies who were no other than Brahmins of Puri, but this kind of allegations towards Odishan Brahmins is baseless. No proof has been found so far for this kind of murder incident. Because Sri Chaitanya was deeply loved by people of Odisha than to people of Bengal itself.In fact, due to Muslim rule, Hare Krishna movement or Vaisnavism was completey banned in Bengal and when Chaitanya came to Odisha Vaisnavism was declared as National religion of Kalinga (Odisha) as Odisha is the land of Lord Jagannath who is none other than Lord Vishnu or Lord Krishna. As most famous Bengali biography Chaitanya Charitamrita says during holy stay of Lod Chaitanya at Puri, every morning he used to visit Sri Jagannath temple and head priest would give him Tulsi (Basil leaf) Mahaprasad and offered flowers of Lord Jagannath, all priests love him and allowed him to do sankritan (congressional chanting) of holy name in temple premises. Not only that, most of the temple priests had become the devotee and disciple of Sri Chaitanya, Kaviraj Krishnadas have specified all their names in “Chaitanya Charitamrita”. During stay in Puri, Sri Chaitanya made his own resident at home of Kashi Mishra (Gambhira) who was royal priest of king Prataprudra. Sri Chaitanya was also most dearer to King Prataprudra and Minister Ray Ramananda Pattanaik. Sri Chaitanya was most beloved to all common people to high class society of Odisha in 16th A.D. So murder claims by Bengali scholars towards Odia Brahmins is just a false allegation. Some scholars believe that, Sri Chaitanya jumped into the sea in a ecstatic emotion thinking that Blue color of ocean as bodily complexion of Lord Krishna and disappeared forever, but there is no historical proof on this account. Utkaleeya vaisnav devotees believe that he merged into the image of Lord Jagannatha, while Goudiya Vaisnav devotees believe that he merged into idol of Lord Tota Gopinath (Lord Krisha) at Puri .

 Mainly true devotees usually do not they entertain any talk about Sri Chaitanya's death because it is most sorrowful for them to narrate their Lord’s passing away. However, historical research says disappearance of Mahaprabhu took place in Saka 1455 or A.D. 1533, still demise of Sri Chaitanya has remined mystery for many years.Being a devotee although it’s sorrowful, Odishan devotee Madhav Pattanailk narrates the passing away of Sri Chaitanya in detailed. It was composed in the 48th Anka year of King Prataprudra which corresponds to A.D. 1535, just Two years after the passing away of the Mahaprabhu. 

As Baisnab leelamruta states Sri Chaitanya was continuously in the satate of Divya-Unmad (highly divine emmotions) on love of Lord Krishna. In the mood of Radha, being separated from Krishna he was searching his beloved with highly divine madness. Several times he used to senseless and went into trans by chanting and crying with name of Hari (Krishna). On search of his beloved Lord he used to run here and there, cried and danced on named of Krishna. During a Kirton, on the day of Rukmini Amabashya, while dancing in ecstatic divine love, his left toe was pierced by a piece of brick lying on the road and he suffered a sprain in foot and due to that he suffered a painful bleeding. Due to this severe injury, He became unconscious and fell down on ground. By that time, his kirton associates were Jagannath Dash, (composer of Odia Bhagavat), Josobant Das, Ananat Dash, Kashi Mishra, Sribatscha, Ananta Das. Among Pancha sakhas, only Balaram Dash and Achutananda Dash were absent by that time because Balaram Das was no more in his physical form (already demised) and Achyutananda Dash was at Nemal. All who were present that time they took him to Northern Mandap inside the Jagannatha temple. After water dropped on His face and after some treatment, sometime later, Chaitanya responded to the call of his associates. All became relaxed. All started chanting the name of Krishna in joy. When Sri chaitanya could able to talk freely without pain with everyone, all left the temple thinking that it was a minor injury that Mahaprabhu had. but no-one could able to know that the injury which Chaitanya met on his toe and the sprain which he incurred on the joint of the foot were the causes of his demise. 

Due to the little wound on the left toe and the sprain on his foot, his whole body suffred with a high temperature. During Sri Chaitanya’s last days, only Jagannath Dash was present with him and tried his best to recover him from this severe illness. Jagannath Das used to serve him like a faithful devotee does for his master, but everything went in-vain and finally in an early sad morning on the day of Akshaya Tritiya Sri Chaitanya left his mortal frame and departed from material world by his physical form inside Lord Jagannath temple itself by chanting holy name Hari. Losing all the hopes for Sri Chaitanya’s recovery and life, Jagannath Das cried like a son lost his parents or like a chaste wife lost her husband. Later it was informed to Minister Ray Ramananda and King Prataprudra. On instruction Ray Ramananda, the dead body was buried at Koili Baikuntha inside Jagannath temple.

But still as two groups (Utkaleeya and Goudeeya Vaisnav groups) had some conflicts, just to avoid any kind of undo situation, it was announced by king Pratap Rudradev that Sri Chaitanya was merged into Lord Jagannath’s idol during Kirton. Everything in detailed was mentioned by Madhav Pattanaik so clearly about sad and holy demise of Sri Chaitanya as he was the eye-witness of same incident. No other contemporary writer has narrated the same incident so clearly and in-detailed. Few other biographers of Mahaprabhu in same period of 16th century also has written that the cause of his death due to severe injury in toe and sprain in foot which brought a high temperature (fever) in his body and made him to breath his last, but they have failed to mentioned in detailed series of happenings that Sri Chaitanya met in his last days in this material world. It is because none of them were eye-witness like Madhav Pattanaik.

Although, it is very sorrowful and tearful to describe Lord’s departure, but history should be recorded as it is for future generation. Today, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu not present in his physical mortal frame but his holy divine blessings and presence can be experienced only through by pure devotional love and that can be achieved by chanting of holy name as propagated by Sri Chaitanya:-

“Hare-Krishna Hare-Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare-Rama Hare-Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare”