Joys of Bhakti in Purī
During the two years of Chaitanya’s absence from Purī, interest in him seems to have become quite general among the leading personages connected with the temple.
This was doubtless a result of the prestige which the new type of religion gained through Sārvabhauma’s conversion.
Returning to Puri after his extended travels, Chaitanya met with a rapturous welcome from the little group of his disciples, and also found the leading men of Purī assembled with Sārvabhauma, eager to pay him honour.
Another distinguished citizen of Purī who was consumed with desire to see the strange young sannyāsi was no less a personage than Pratāpa Rudra, the king of Orissa himself:
He was a man of devout tendencies, whose natural interests led him to honour the scholar, Sārvabhauma, and to seek a man like Rāmānanda Rāy for prime minister.
Hearing of Chaitanya through these disciples, the king wished to meet him and acquaint himself at first hand with the strange power which, in so youthful a devotee, had proved more than sufficient to master the veteran scholar and the accomplished officer of State.
The king’s desire, however, met an obstacle in Chaitanya himself:
The ideals of the ascetic life were ever dear to him, although for its rules, oftentimes, he seemed little concerned.
Since, for the true ascetic, kings were banned, Chaitanya would not consent to see Pratāpa Rudra, and it was only through a ruse that the king won his way into the presence and acknowledged discipleship of the Nadia saint.
Upon the return of Chaitanya, his disciples despatched a messenger to Navadvīpa, in Bengal, bearing the joyful tidings to his Mother and to the community of the faithful.
In their eagerness to see Chaitanya, the Bengal Vaishnavas now organised the first of those annual pilgrimages to Purī that came to mean so much to the disciples in Bengal.
Two hundred of them came to Purī at the time of the car festival of Jagannāth, and spent a considerable period in Chaitanya's company, in delightful fellowship and daily worship in the temple.
A great deal of space in the biographies is taken in describing the welcome of the Bengal pilgrims, and the various joyful events of their stay.
Their vociferous entrance into the city was watched by the king from the roof of the palace:
The chanting of the Bengali songs by two hundred lusty throats, together with the joyful abandon of the pilgrims as they neared the presence of Chaitanya, filled the king with amazement; nor did the sight lessen his own desire to see the object of so much devotion.
One of the exploits of these days was the cleansing of a temple by Chaitanya and the Bengal pilgrims, in preparation for the car festival. This lowly act, assuming as they did for the time being the status of sweepers, was done as an act of devotion.
On the day of the great festival, when the car of Jagannāth conveys the image of the god from the main temple to another temple at some distance, Chaitanya with his followers performed great feats of sankirtan.
This is the greatest day of the year at Puri, with huge crowds in attendance. The Vaishnavas were divided into seven bands, and performed continuous kirtan, encircling the car as it advanced.
Chaitanya, in a perfect transport of emotion, went from one band to another, stimulating his followers to greater ecstasies:
With a roar the Master danced violently, whirling about in a circle like a fire-brand, till the very earth, with ocean and mountains trembled at his tread.
Stupefaction, perspiration, horripilation, tears, trembling, pallor, helplessness of an sorts, pride, exultation, humility-all these were seen.
Stumbling he fell to the ground, and rolled there like a golden mountain.
In the midst of the wild dance a strange delirium came upon the Master:
At the same moment all eight kinds of sāttvic emotion were stirred within him. His hair stood on end, with flesh and skin all bristly like a Śimul tree full of thorns. People were struck with fear to see such clashing of his teeth, thinking they would surely fall out.
From his whole body ran sweat mixed with blood, while with choked voice he stammered incoherently. His tears fell like water from a fountain until the bystanders were wet.
The beauty of his fair-complexioned body was now like saffron, now like the lustre of the Mallikā bloom.
At one moment he seemed stupefied, the next he rolled on the ground; now his hands and feet were motionless like dried sticks, again he lay prone on the ground almost bereft of breath.
Seeing this the disciples were weak with fear. At times water fell from eyes and nose, and froth from his mouth, just as a stream of nectar flows from the arc of the moon...
As he gazed at the lotus face of Jagannāth - it’s beautiful eyes sparkling in the sunlight, its garland, cloth, ornaments and perfumes - there welled up in the Master's heart an ocean of delight.
A storm of frenzy seized him there, and waves of feeling arose in him in mad delight. Like to an army was the warfare of his varied emotions...
All hearts and minds were attracted by the sight, and the Master's love-nectar bedewed the minds of all.
All the attendants of Jagannāth, the king and his official pilgrims, the Purī residents, all alike were amazed at the sight of the Master's dance and love. Love to Krishna flooded the hearts of all.
It is not strange that when the great car reached its destination, Chaitanya and his companions were exhausted with their exertions, nod lay “overcome with love," as the biographer puts it.
After 4 months had elapsed, Chaitanya sent the Bengal pilgrims home, expressly commissioning Advaitācārya and Nityānanda to preach the religion of bhakti in Bengal, even to the lowest castes.
For 3 years this annual migration took place, Chaitanya's life at Purī otherwise being an uneventful round of daily worship at the temple.