Kolkata-On Sunday February 15th, more than six thousand people participated

in the "Prema and Bhakti Sammelen," an all-day forum in honor of Sri

Caitanya Mahaprabhu, India’s 16th Century saint and avatara.

The event was organized by the People’s Forum for Mahaprabhu. Invited

representatives from organizations across India participated. The Forum was

the first of many expected activities this year, leading up to 2010. That

year will mark the 500th anniversary of Mahaprabhu’s accepting sannyasa, or

the renounced order of life, when he officially launched his religious

movement.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is worshipped as the incarnation of Lord Krishna for

this current age, or Kali-yuga, by members of the Gaudiya Vaishnava

tradition. The Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya, or lineage, which considers

Mahaprabhu as their primary inspiration, is one of the four historical

Vaishnava traditions. (ISKCON is perhaps the largest of the Gaudiya

organizations today in the world.)

Other Vaishnava orders-and even impersonalist sects that do not accept the

monotheistic conclusions of the Vaishnavas-also admire Mahaprabhu of one of

India’s great modern saints and innovative spiritual teachers. Thus, even

leaders of the Rama Krishna Mission, and other non-Vaishnava organizations,

were in attendance.

The Prema and Bhakti Sammelen was hosted not only a huge crowd, but also

more than five hundred special guests, or sadhus-saintly persons and

spiritual leaders. Honored members included 1008 Sri Sri Soham Baba, head of India’s Naga Sadhus; Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder of the Art

of Living Foundation; Sri Vrindavana Dasa Kathia Baba, Acarya of the

Nimbarka Sampradaya; and Radhanatha Swami, ISKCON Governing Body

Commissioner.

Center stage and the highest seats of honor at the event were reserved for

1008 Sri Sri Soham Baba, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and Radhanatha Swami Maharaja. The

three spoke one after another in glorification of Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s

life, as well as his spiritual and social contributions.

ISKCON’s Radhanatha Swami, like other leaders present, spoke for fifteen

minutes. He explained to the audience that Mahaprabhu’s acceptance of

sanyasa was motivated by his compassion for those souls who have forgotten

their relationship with God. Mahaprabhu is reputed for leaving a comfortable

family life to travel across India inspiring the thousands who thronged to

him wherever he went to chant the names of God, and thus achieve

self-realization, and prema, or love of God.

"We should imbibe the mood and spread the legacy of Mahaprabhu," Radhanatha Swami told the crowd during his mid-day talk. "Mahaprabhu’s instruction was for everyone to chant the names of God, and become happy."

Other speakers emphasized that the teachings of Mahaprabhu are especially

appropriate for the present age.

Following the discourses, at 2 PM the crowd was led in congregational

chanting of the maha mantra, as taught by Lord Caitanya 500 years ago: Hare

Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama

Hare Hare.

Afterwards, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar met privately with Radhanatha Swami. They

discussed the need to help India retain its spiritual culture despite the

pressures of modernity and other global influences.