Page 13 - Viveka Satakam - Eng

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About the Author

By Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī
1
In the beginning of the Śaka year of 1433 (1511 AD), on the
pretext of a pilgrimage, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu
distributed His mercy to the devotees. Starting in Nīlādri
in Odisha, He first went to the Godāvarī confluence and
then travelled through many holy places in the Madras
area. On the Ekādaśī day of the bright fortnight of Āṣāḍha
month, Śrīmān Mahāprabhu was present in Śrīraṅgam.
Seeing that the Cāturmāsya period had arrived, Lord
Caitanya decided to stay in Śrīraṅganātha Kṣetra to
observe the rules and regulations pertaining to the
daśanāmi-sannyāsīs. That was a residential place of the
Śrī Vaiṣṇavas. The Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas in South India
maintain strong faith in religious observances. In South
India there are villages inhabited by transcendentalists
who worship Lord Viṣṇu, and smārta brāhmaṇas overlook
all inconveniences to live there. In those days, Śrīraṅgam
was a holy place inhabited only by Śrī Vaiṣṇavas.
Therefore, Śrīmān Mahāprabhu spent four months in
the company of those virtuous Vaiṣṇavas, so surrendered
and devoted to Lord Viṣṇu, and by having darśana of Lord
Raṅganātha and preaching the transcendental topics
on Lord Kṛṣṇa, He instructed the souls there. At that

1. This article was originally published as an introduction to the
Caitanya-candrāmṛta and Navadvīpa-śatakam, Gauḍīya Maṭha,
Kolkata, date unknown.
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