I was reflecting on Mahāprabhu’s travels across South India. I was amazed of how many places He visited and how detailed the Caitanya-caritāmṛta describes His journey. 

Mahāprabhu’s yātrā was not ordinary. It had multiple purposes:

1. To give His munificent mercy to everyone—those who saw Him, and all those whom He glanced at.

2. To set a personal example through His own conduct – Apani āchari’ prabhu jīvere śikhāya. Mahāprabhu taught the world by acting Himself. A sannyasi is meant to travel. 

Mahāprabhu travelled without arrangements, completely dependent on Krishna. Wherever He went, He transformed the atmosphere. People became devotees simply by His glance. He would bathe in all the holy rivers, and He would visit Viṣṇu temples also nearby Śiva temples. 

Why Did Krishna Go to See Krishna?

One might ask, “Why did Mahāprabhu, Krishna Himself, visit temples of Krishna? Why did He take darśAna of Himself?”

Two things came to my mind: 

• Mahāprabhu appeared in the mood of Rādhārāṇī, and Her mood is always to see Krishna, to relish His beauty, to serve Him, and to taste the sweetness of His form.

• He came to set an example for all living entities – how sacred, how important, how purifying is a pilgrimage to holy places.

This is why one of the five most potent limbs of bhakti is living in Mathurā, or broadly speaking, spending time in any holy dhāma.

Pilgrimage with the Right Consciousness

When we perform a pilgrimage with the right consciousness, our heart gets transformed.

Today, we bathed in the sacred Tāmraparṇī river, where Mahāprabhu Himself bathed. We visited the Nava Tirupati temples, where Mahāprabhu had walked, sung, cried, and danced in ecstasy.

I was reflecting how glorious the pathways are through which Mahaprabhu danced, how blessed the trees were, who received the glance of Mahaprabhu. Just remembering how Mahāprabhu might have been there, walking all alone, with just one assistant, totally absorbed in ecstatic love, can purify our hearts.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta states:

kathañcana smṛte yasmin duṣkaraṁ sukaraṁ bhavet vismṛte viparītaṁ syāt śrī-caitanyaṁ namāmi tam

“Simply by remembering Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the most difficult task becomes easy. But if one forgets Him, even the easiest task becomes impossible.”

Such is the power of His remembrance. Such is the grace of Mahāprabhu.

The Four Phases of Mahāprabhu’s Life

Mahāprabhu lived for 48 years. His life can be divided into four phases:

1. First 20 years: Scholarly pastimes in Navadvīpa.

2. Next 4 years: The intense saṅkīrtana movement, beginning at the home of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and spreading all over Navadvīpa.

3. Next 6 years: After taking sannyāsa, He began preaching and traveling to various places. Out of these, the first two years of His sannyāsa life were spent traveling in South India – His first major preaching tour.

4. Last 18 years: Absorbed in ecstatic love for Krishna in Jagannath Puri. 

The Ripple Effect That Continues

Even today, South India maintains a strong spiritual culture. It is one of the ripple effects of Mahāprabhu’s visit. He didn’t establish any temples, nor did He write books. But He empowered others to do it, especially His dear disciples, the Six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana.

This ripple effect took the form of an ocean through one of the most powerful channels of Mahāprabhu’s expansive branches through Śrīla Prabhupāda, His senapati-bhakta, His perfect representative.

Śrīla Prabhupāda – The Bearer of Mahāprabhu’s Treasure

The Pañca-tattva broke open the treasure house of love of godhead and distributed its contents. It is as though Mahāprabhu and the Pañca-tattva handed over the treasure key of divine love into Śrīla Prabhupāda’s hands and told him, “Distribute this to whoever you want, however you want, and as much as you want.” 

And Śrīla Prabhupāda did just that.

• Broke all boundaries of caste, creed, and nationality.

• Opened 108 temples around the world.

• Took Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy across oceans and continents.

When we chant:

namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te
kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ

we are glorifying the most munificent incarnation, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. 

And when we chant:

namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

– We are glorifying His dearmost empowered servitor who preached Mahaprabhu’s message (gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe).

Śrīla Prabhupāda lifted not just India, but the entire Western world from the pangs of impersonalism and voidism. This is Mahāprabhu’s mission in motion – Adyapiha Nitya lila kare Gaura-rāya…

A Sacred Responsibility

How beautiful is the grace of Śrīla Prabhupāda! How fortunate are we to be recipients of this mercy. And how deep should our desire be to share this gift with others?

We have received the greatest treasure. Now we have the sacred responsibility to distribute it.

This is the one of the prime purpose of our lives.