By : Smt. Sarojini Devarajulu
Sai Baba considered Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as an Avatar of Maha Vishnu. When Das Ganu Maharaj started his first ‘Pravachan’ Sai Baba blessed him in the name of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and advised him to keep him as his role model for ‘Nama Smaran’.
Can a human being be regarded as an avatar, in the present day and age? Sanatana Dharma clearly specifies three minimum conditions for someone to be regarded and revered as God-incarnate: First, references from scriptures; second, specific auspicious symbols and third, bodily characteristics found in such an individual.
Sri Narasimha Swamiji in his Sai-Prachar work in Calcutta and other areas of Bengal has extensively referred to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Vaishnavites regard Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who appeared in West Bengal at Mayapur, Nabadwip in 1486, on the day of Falguni Purnima as incarnation of God. He is regarded as a great saint from Bengal who inaugurated the Sankirtana Movement and propagated the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
“In the first part of Kali Yuga, the Supreme with golden complexion, will become the husband of Lakshmi. Then he will become a sanyasi and reside near Jagannatha.” Sri Narasimha Swamiji has paid reverential salutations to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in his work ‘Life of Sai Baba’. He also made a pilgrimage to Mayapur, Nabadwip
It is quite possible that this evidence can be refuted if it is only coming from one Purana. But more than 10 clear references are there about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s birth, parentage, activities, and philosophy in the Srimad Bhagavatam. His mother Sachi saw that her son leaves footprints containing impressions of auspicious symbols such as lotus, conch shell and disc. Struck with wonder, she shared this information with her husband, Jagannath Mishra. Right from childhood he was regarded as Divine.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has established ‘Nama Smaran’ as a panacea to obtain God-realization.
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