Beginnings of the Movement
The propagating spirit was strong in the new convert:
The kirtan, for instance, became in his hands something more than the fervent worship of a few devotees; his keen spirit realised its possibilities and he made of it an effective means of spreading the contagion of bhakti.
The nightly sessions in the courtyard of Śrīvāsa could not but attract attention. And once within reach of the spell of such a whirlpool of emotionalism, the fate of many an onlooker was sealed:
We read, for instance, of a Muhammadan tailor in Śrīvāsa’s house, who could not resist the appeal of this nightly scene, and turned a Vaishnava.
Converts multiplied rapidly, and with each new adherent the wave of enthusiastic bhakti rose higher in the community. Chaitanya’s own personality was the secret of this expanding influence. His was a magnetic presence, as we shall see from his later experiences.
We have already spoken of his beautiful appearance with fair skin and luxuriant hair:
Gifted with a noble body and the secret of power over the minds of his fellows, he was possessed not only of emotional capacity to an extraordinary degree, but also of a nature capable of evoking in others similar emotional experiences.
Such a gifted personality, suddenly devoting itself with abandon to the ecstasies of a highly emotional religion, could hardly fail to create considerable stir in a quiet community.
The kirtan soon developed into the nagarkīrtan, i.e. the processional kirtan:
Starting from the centre in the familiar courtyard, the Vaishnavas, divided into bands with banners flying, paraded the streets of the town, chanting lustily the Rādhā-Krishna songs to the accompaniment of drum and cymbal.
Thus the fervour and resounding appeal of the kirtan was carried to the very doorway of every home:
From being a few devout men worshipping in their own premises, the Vaishnavas now became a public movement, and in the eyes of many a public nuisance.
The fame of the growing movement now made Navadvīpa a Vaishnava centre, to which gathered men of that faith from every quarter:
The most venerable and respected figure in this community of believers was the learned Brahman, Advaitācārya, referred to above, whose home was in Śāntipura but who spent much of his time in Navadvīpa:
He came of distinguished ancestry, and was a pandit of acknowledged scholarship as well as a man of very devout and pious life.
As he was some fifty years Chaitanya's senior, he was now becoming an old man. We have said that he was a friend of the family, and must have known the boy Nimāi quite familiarly.
But there developed now a close relationship between the old and the young man. Tradition maintains that the older man saw in the youth an incarnation of Krishna himself.
Be that as it may, he clearly recognised the power of his changed young friend, and, like all others, fell under the spell of his emotional experience.
When Chaitanya would lie in one of his numerous trances or swoons, Advaita was often observed to take the dust from the young man's feet, an act the latter would never permit when conscious.
One of the ascetics who were attracted to Navadvīpa was a young man nine years Chaitanya's senior, who was destined to play an important role in the development of the sect:
His name was Nityānanda:
He was a Mādhva sannyāsī, who had travelled throughout India in his wanderings. He was singularly attracted to Chaitanya and the attachment was mutual.
For two years preceding Chaitanya’s renunciation of the world, Nityānanda lived at the home of Śrīvāsa of the courtyard, and was Chaitanya's right-hand man in all the activities of the expanding movement.
Another follower of great subsequent fame was added at this time: He was a Vaishnava ascetic, named Haridās -Originally a Muhammadan.
Of great humility and piety, he likewise, was drawn to the circle of devoted disciples by the fervent bhakti and irresistible charm of Chaitanya.
These two mendicants became the principals in a house-to-house appeal that Chaitanya now inaugurated, in addition to the kirtan and the street processions at night:
Every morning they sallied forth at Chaitanya's bidding, to sing at every doorway;
instead of receiving the traditional dole of the mendicant they were instructed to ask men to sing the name of Hari and lead holy lives.
This is doubtless the origin of the custom, familiar enough in Bengal today, of Vaishnava mendicants singing from door to door in the early morning hours soliciting alms.
The propagating zeal did not stop with Navadvīpa, but reached out to neighbouring towns and villages as well.
This essentially missionary spirit, that marked the movement in its origin and throughout its best days, is one of the most striking things about it.
According to some accounts, a Vaishnava, by name Tapan Miśra, was sent to Benares by Chaitanya, to become a resident missionary of the faith in that centre of Śiva worship:
This man is mentioned as the host of Chaitanya, when the latter visited Benares during his later journeys.
An interesting glimpse of another side of Chaitanya's life during this period is afforded by the record that he organised and took part in a play: This, of course, was a Krishna yātrā portraying some portion of the familiar Vrindāvan stories.
Chaitanya took the part of Rukmiṇī, Krishna's queen, and played the feminine part so well that his own mother, according to account, failed to recognise him.
This is not to be thought of, however, as amateur dramatics after the fashion of our own day. It was all a part of the religious expression of the Vaishnava community, and probably was directly in line with the propagandist aim of their other activities.
That the one constructive achievement of Chaitanya's life - namely, the recovery of Vrindāvan, the home of Rādhā, and now the great Vaishnava temple city of North India
- was already conceived in his mind at this period, is clear from the fact that he now commissioned some friends to begin the task:
The principal disciple chosen for this work was a schoolmate of his youthful days, who later developed into a sannyāsi of great learning and piety. He was known as Lokanātha Gosvāmī!
In obedience to Chaitanya’s wish, although against his own desires, he left the glowing fellowship at Navadvīpa, and started out with one companion on the arduous journey upcountry to Vrindāvan. There he lived his life, never again seeing the beloved form of his companion and master.
This incident is peculiarly revealing, as showing both the quality of the personal devotion Chaitanya inspired in his followers and the spirit which now animated his life.
In bidding his friend and disciple goodbye, Chaitanya set the ideal of renunciation clearly before them both:
Know this, Lokanātha, that neither you nor I are meant to enjoy the pleasures of the world.