Seeing Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Jagannatha Puri (A Pilgrim’s Guide Book)

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The purpose of this small book is to help Vaisnavas; devotees of Krishna better appreciate the transcendental significance and glories of Sri Purusottama Ksetra, Jagannatha Pun. Seeing the Lord’s holy abode through limited material senses is of little value. But seeing by hearing the authorized Vedic scriptures will be one lasting and valuable realizations. True spiritual understanding and deep satisfaction will naturally manifest within the pilgrim, who approaches Lord Jagannatha’s holy abode in this way.

The entire contents of the book is derived from verses and purports from Snila Prabhupada’s English translation of the famous medieval Bengali classic, Sri Chailanya Caritamrta, by Krishna das Kaviraj Goswami. After reading several books about the history and meaning of Jagannatha Pun, we found most of them filled with speculations, wild stories, and bogus philosophical conclusions. Without any doubt, Srila Prabhupada’s writings present the clearest, purest, and most comprehensive descriptions of Jasannatha Pun, and its transcendental importance. All the statements in the Pilgrim’s Guidebook are footnoted to cite their source and provide additional reading.

The chapters discuss places in Jagannatha Pun specifically associated with the transcendental pastimes of the Lord of the universe, Lord Jagannatha, and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

“Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabbu is hon-different from Sri Krishna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although Lord Chaitanya is Sri Krishna Himself, he appeared 500 years ago (1486-1534) in India to teach people in general how to love .God, Lord Sri Krishna.

Lord Chaitanya instructed the mass of people in the philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, which maintains that the Supreme Lord is simultaneously one with and different from His creation. Lord Chaitanya taught this philosophy through the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, specifically the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. He taught that the holy name of the Lord is the sound incarnation of the Lord, and since the Lord is the Absolute whole, there is no difference between His holy name and His transcendental Form. Thus by chanting the holy name of the Lord one can directly associate with the Supreme Lord by sound vibration.

As one practices this sound vibration, he passes through three stages of development: the offensive stage, the clearing stage, and the transcendental stage. In the offensive stage one may desire all kinds of material happiness, but in the second stage one becomes clear of marital contaminations. When one is situated in the transcendental stage, he attains the most coveted position, the stage of loving God.

Lord Chaitanya taught that this is the highest stage of perfection for human beings. And by His personal example He taught the most simple and sublime process for attaining it in this age, namely chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra”: (Srila Prabhupada)

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAM4 HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
SEEING SRI CHAITANYA MARAPRABHU IN JAGANNATHA PURl describes many extraordinary states of spiritual ecstasy caused by intense feelings of separation from Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By His causeless mercy Sri Chaitanya is showing the conditioned souls the unlimited happiness and variety of experiences that can be found on the spiritual platform of pure loving devotion to the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna.

And as the author of Sri Chaitanya Caritamrta, Krishna das Kaviraj explains: “Just try to hear these topics with faith, for there is great pleasure even in hearing them. That hearing will destroy all miseries pertaining to the body, mind, and other living entities, and the unhappiness of false arguments as well.”

This guidebook is meant to accompany the pilgrim when he visits the holy places in Jagannatha Puri After arriving at one, he should offer his respects, sit down nearby and read the particular section describing that place. After hearing attentively one should pray to Sri Guru and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprat-5hu to help him realize even a drop of the unlimited ocean of Lord Chaitanya’s pastimes in Sri Purusottama Ksetra, Jagannatha Pun.

It is our sincere desire to please the devotees of Lord Krishna with this humble and imperfect attempt to glorify Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Jagannatha. We hope this book will help increase one’s appreciation of Jagannatha Purl and attachment for Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.