The Disappearance of Lord Gauranga—Harmony or Discord
There are four popular stories about Mahaprabhu’s disappearance; Lord Caitanya entered the Gundica Mandira and did not come out; entered the sea and disappeared; entered the Jagannatha Deity or Mandira and was never seen again; Sri Caitanyadeva entered the Deity of Tota Gopinatha.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and our Srila Prabhupada accept that Lord Gauranga entered the divine form of Tota Gopinatha.
In the Teachings of Lord Caitanya prologue, Srila Prabhupada said, “Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s disappearance was in his forty-eighth year at the time of saṅkīrtana in the temple of Ṭoṭā-gopīnātha.” At least once, Srila Prabhupada also said that Caitanya Mahaprabhu left this world by entering Lord Jagannatha. In 1967, while discussing the different scenes of a Lord Caitanya play with a disciple, Srila Prabhupada said that Sri Caitanyadeva merged in the transcendental body of the Jagannatha Deity in Puri.
Prabhupāda: “Third scene. In the same way, one day when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was 48 years old, He entered the Jagannātha temple.” Hayagrīva: “And disappeared?”
Prabhupāda: “Disappeared. His friends outside waited and waited and He never came back. That is all.”
Hayagrīva: “They never knew what happened to Him. They never found...”
Prabhupāda: “Yes, they knew that Mahaprabhu was Kṛṣṇa. He has merged into the existence of Jagannātha.” (folio 6704051c.sf)
When asked about the different disappearance pastimes, Balarama Dasa, the head pujari of Tota Gopinatha, said, “What’s the problem? Gauranga is God! Sri Caitanyadeva’s different followers perceive Lord Caitanya on different levels. Therefore, to satisfy all of His loving devotees, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu simultaneously left this world in four different ways in four different places in Puri. Yes, Gauranga did enter Tota Gopinatha; yes, Gauranga did enter Jagannatha Swami; yes, Gauranga did disappear in the Gundica; and yes, Gauranga did merge in ocean, never to be seen again. Everything is possible for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!”
The conclusion is that apparent contradictions are automatically harmonized in a most perfect and beautiful way by the inconceivable power of the Supreme Lord Gauranga.
(An excerpt from the book Jagannatha Puri Guide Book by Mahanidhi Swami)
