Gaura Purmina (meaning “golden full moon”) is the birthday anniversary of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534). This festival is celebrated in February/March and coincides with the festival of Holi.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu founded Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Gaudiya refers to the region of Gauda (present day Bengal/Bangladesh) and Vaishnavism “the worship of Vishnu or Krishna”.
Gaudiya Vaishnavas believe that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is a direct avatar of Krishna/Vishnu. He came to this world to revive the teachings of Bhagavad Gita, spread the message of bhakti yoga (loving devotional service to God) and establish the sankirtan movement (singing and chanting the names of God).
A New History of India, by Stanley Wolpert, states, “In Bengal the most popular of all bhakti Hindu preachers was the teacher Chaitanya.” In A History of Indian Philosophy, the respected Surendranath Dasgupta writes, “The religious life of Chaitanya unfolds unique psychological symptoms of devotion which are perhaps unparalleled in … history….” And the Encyclopaedia Brittanica refers to Lord Chaitanya’s “profound and continuing effect on the religious sentiments of his Bengali countrymen.” The Brittanica also states that Lord Chaitanya propagated “the community celebration [sankirtan] of Krishna as the most powerful means of bringing about the proper bhakti attitude.”
How do we observe this day?
On this day, which is a full-moon day, everyone fasts till moonrise, and devotees visit the temple to see the Murti/Deities of the Lord in the temple room. The devotees present dramas and classes about Lord Chaitanya’s activities. The Murti/Deities of Gaura-Nitai receive new clothes, and the devotees engage in extra kirtan (congregational chanting). At moonrise we serve a prasad feast (sanctified vegetarian food).
