SRIVASANGA
Artist: Pandu
Dasa
Before Lord Chaitanya's acceptance of
the renounced order of life, He was known as Nimai Pandit and lived in the town of Navadvipa in what is today West Bengal.
He was the son of Jagannatha Mishra, a renowned and respected brahmana (learned priest)
of the town. Navadvipa was a center of learning for all India at the time. Many famed scholars came to to Navadvipa, and Nimai
Pandit defeated them all in debate. No one could defeat the Lord at debate since He is the source of debate. Daily He would
go the house of Srivas Pandit and perform Sankirtan with His associates. They would spend all day chanting and discussing
Lord Krishna's pastimes from the Srimad-Bhagavatam, absorbed in ecstacy of Krishna
prema (love of God). During this part of the Lord's life, He was a teacher of
Sanskrit grammar, but His main business was Hari Nama Sankirtan (congregational chanting of Krishna's holy names). The
life and precepts of Lord Chaitanya are mentioned in the authorized biography, Chaitanya-charitamrita,
by Krishna das Kaviraja Goswami.
