(Dhanashi Raga – Madhya chhanda)
Oki aare oki aare haya (refrain)
Heno adbhuta katha , sravana mangala nama
Ara shuno gauraguna gatha
Translation –
O! O! O! O! Such wonderful amazing pastimes. Please hear the auspicious holy names of the Lord, please listen more of Lord Gauranga’s glories.
Yata yata avatara saba haite sar
Kabhu nahi dekhi heno premar bhandar
Safal janam din, safal nayan
Ki dekhilun Gaura rupa , prasanna bayan
(Chaitanya Mangala , 2.121-122)
Translation –
(Narada muni says) ‘Of all the Lord’s incarnations , Lord Gauranga is the best. I have never ever seen such a reservoir of pure ecstatic love. My life has become successful, my eyes have borne fruit, as today I have been able to behold the beautiful form of Lord Gauranga with His pleasant, blissful, smiling face’.
Sri Chaitanya Mangala is an expression of Sri Locana das Thakura’s transcendental ecstasy. It is a spontaneous outflow of the intense feelings of love and devotion he possesses for Lord Gauranga, the supreme personality of Godhead. It has been composed with such ecstasy and poetic rhythm ,that simply reading it is sufficient to evoke within one the emotions of divine love and attachment for Sri Krishna Caitanya.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, is none other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who had appeared in this world out of His causeless mercy to establish the yuga dharma of congregational chanting of the names ,glories and pastimes of the supreme Lord (Himself).
Krishna-varnam tvishakrishnam sangopangastra-parshadam,yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah
(Srimad Bhagavatam, 11.5.32)
– In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead (Gauranga) who constantly sings the holy name of Krishna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, weapons , servants, and confidential companions.
Lord Chaitanya had descended to flood this world and its people with an intense ecstasy of love of God, that shall be instrumental in mitigating all sufferings and elevating one to the state of ultimate perfection. This was one of the primary reasons why Lord Gauranga had appeared in this world (500 years ago, 1486 AD). The mood and mission of Lord Chaitanya has been summarized in the below verses :
mana re! kaha na Gauranga katha
O mind, please constantly speak about the glories of Lord Gauranga !!! This is my advice to you.
Gaurara nama amiyara dhama,
piriti murati data
Gauranga’s Holy Name is the supreme abode of all nectar and the personified bestower of unalloyed love and attachment to the supreme Lord.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead ,had mercifully appeared here at Yogpeeth (in Mayapur) about 500 years ago (in the year 1486 AD), to bless us with the most wonderful,deep and ecstatic pastimes of Gaura lila. The word ‘Yoga’ means ‘connection’ and the term ‘Yogpeeth’ represents the place where the Supreme Lord connects with or descends into this material world. The identity of Lord Caitanya as the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be verified in a number of Vedic scriptures like Srimad Bhagavatam,Mahabharata, Garuda Purana,Nrsimha Purana, Padma purana,Bhavishya Purana, Narada Purana etc. We are quoting just two of such references below, for the pleasure of the devotees.
aham purno bhavisyami yuga sandhyau visesatah
mayapure navadvipe bhavisyami saci sutah
(Garuda Purana)
Translation – In the future, in first part of Kali yuga, I shall appear in my complete spiritual form at Mayapura, Navadvipa and become the son of Saci.
The mission of the Lord, along with a description of His golden complexion and how He descends along with His confidential associates in this age of Kali ,to inaugurate the Sankirtana Yajna is revealed in Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata purana) –
Krishna varnam tvishakrishnam sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah
(Srimad Bhagavatam 11.5.32)
Lord Caitanya though, except for a few rare occasions, had never revealed His identity as the Supreme Lord.He forever remained absorbed in the mood of a devotee.There were several reasons for Lord Caitanya to appear in this world which have been revealed in detail by Srila Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami in his nectarian composition, Sri Caitanya Caritamrta. He writes that Sri Krishna after enacting the sweet pastimes of Vrindavana, pondered over how He had not bestowed the science of unalloyed devotion unto the Supreme, for a long long time.The entire world worships Him in a mood of reverence, strictly following the rules and regulations ordained in the scriptures.However such a worship does not please Him very much ,as spontaneous loving attachment, which is the very essence of a relationship, is absent in such a worship.
Aishwarya jnanete saba jagat misrita
Aishwarya sithila preme nahi mora prita
(Caitanya Caritamrta, adi -3.16)