XXX Teachings of Lord Chaitanya

students, and there took His spiritual initiation from Iswara Puri, a Vaishnava
sanyasi and a disciple of the renowned Madhavendra Puri. Upon His return
to Nadia, Nimai Pandit turned religious preacher, and His religious nature
became so strongly represented that Advaita Prabhu, Srivasa and others,
who had before the birth of Chaitanya already accepted the Vaishnava faith,
were astonished at the change in the young Man. He was then no more a
contending naiyaika, a wrangling smarta and a criticizing rhetorician. He
swooned at the Name of Krishna, and behaved as an inspired man under the
influence of His religious sentiment. It has been described by Murari Gupta,
an eyewitness, that He showed His heavenly powers in the house of Srivasa
Pandit in the presence of hundreds of His followers, who were mostly well-
read scholars.

It was at this time that He opened a nocturnal school of kirtan in the
compound of Srivasa Pandit with His sincere followers. There He preached,
there He sang, there He danced, and there He expressed all sorts of religious
feelings. Nityananda Prabhu, who was then a preacher of Vaishnavism, and
who had then completed his travels all over India, joined Him by that time.
In fact a host of pandit preachers of Vaishnavism, all sincere at heart, came
and joined Him from different parts of Bengal. Nadia now became the regular
seat of a host of Vaishnava acharyas, saintly teachers, whose mission it was
to spiritualize Mankind with the highest influence of the Vaishnava, devotional,
creed,

The first mandate that He issued to Prabhu Nityananda and Haridas,
His close associates, was this: “Go, friends, go through the streets of the town,
meet every man at his door and ask him to sing the Name of Hari with a holy
life, and you then come and report to Me every evening the result of your
preaching.” Thus ordered, the two preachers went on and met Jagai and
Madhai, the two most abominable characters. They insulted the preachers
on hearing Mahaprabhu’s mandate, but were soon converted by the influence
of bhakti, inculcated by their Lord.

The people of Nadia were now surprised. They said, “Nimai Pandit is
not only a gigantic genius, but He is certainly a missionary from God Al-
mighty.” From this time to His 23rd year, Mahaprabhu preached His prin-
ciples not only in Nadia but in all important towns and villages around His
city. In the houses of His followers He showed miracles, taught the esoteric
principles of bhakti, and sang His samkirtan with other bhaktas, or devotees.
His followers of the town of Nadia commenced to sing the Holy Name of
Hari in the streets and bazaars. This created a sensation and roused different
