Scholastic Prowess

At the age of fourteen or fifteen, Caitanya married Laksmidevi, the daughter of Vallabhacarya, also of Nadia. At this age Caitanya was considered one of the best scholars of Nadia, the renowned seat of logic and Sanskrit learning. All the scholars and logicians were afraid of confronting Him in literary discussions. At this time he would preach devotional service at intervals. During Caitanya's residence in East Bengal, His wife, Laksmidevi, left this world from the effects of snakebite. On returning home, He found His mother in a mourning state. This time He consoled her with a lecture on the uncertainty of human affairs. Later, at His mother's request, He married Visnupriya, the daughter of Sanatana Misra.

Caitanya was now so renowned that He was considered to be the best scholar in Nadia. At this time Kesava of Kashmir came to Nadia to discuss philosophy with the scholars there. Afraid of this scholar, the professors of Nadia left town on the pretense of an urgent invitation. Thus Kesava met Lord Caitanya on the banks of the Ganges in Mayapur, but after a very short discussion he was defeated by the boy and obliged to decamp out of shame. Nimai was now the most important scholar of His time.

At the age of sixteen or seventeen Caitanya traveled to Gaya with a host of His students, and there He took spiritual initiation from Īsvara Puri, a renounced devotee and a disciple of the renowned Madhavendra Puri. Upon His return to Nadia, Nimai turned religious preacher. Indeed, His religious nature became so strongly represented that Advaita Prabhu, Srivasa, and others, who had before the birth of Caitanya already accepted the path of devotion were astonished at the change of the young man. He was now no longer a contending logician, a wrangling debater, and a criticizing rhetorician. Now He swooned at the name of Krsna and behaved as an inspired man under the influence of His religious sentiment. His secretary Murari Gupta has given an eyewitness account of how He showed His heavenly powers in the house of Srivasa in the presence of hundreds of His followers, who were mostly well-read scholars.

At this time He and His sincere followers opened a nocturnal school of chanting in the compound of Srivasa. There the Lord preached, there He sang, there He danced, and there He expressed all sorts of religious feelings. Nityananda Prabhu, a renowned preacher of devotional service who had just completed His travels all over India, joined Caitanya at that time. In fact, a host of preachers of devotion, all sincere at heart, came and joined Him from different parts of Bengal. Nadia now became the regular seat of many exalted devotees of Krsna, whose mission was to spiritualize mankind with the highest influence of the devotional creed.