Birthplace of Kirtan

On the day of Śrī Hari-vāsara, which is observed by chanting the names of Hari, the Lord, who is the life of the entire world, began to dance. The auspicious inauguration of chanting the names of Gopāla and Govinda took place in the courtyard of the most pious Śrīvāsa. Viśvambhara began dancing from the time of sunrise, and the devotees sang sweetly in various groups. One group was headed by Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, and another group was headed by the chanting of Mukunda. Another group was headed by Govinda Ghoṣa. All the devotees chanted during the dancing of Gauracandra. As the powerful Nityānanda caught hold of the Lord, Advaita secretly took the dust from the Lord’s feet. The eyes of the devotees headed by Gadādhara filled with tears as they became overwhelmed with ecstasy in the Lord’s kīrtana. Now hear the next forty verses, which describe how the Lord, who is the life and soul of the entire universe, danced in ecstasy during kīrtana.
(CB Madhya-khaṇḍa 8.138 – 8.145)

The name of Govinda vibrated in all directions as the son of Śacī became overwhelmed while dancing in ecstasy with His associates. Whenever the Lord cried, He cried for three hours. His hair became untied and scattered on the floor. Only a person whose heart is made of wood would not become overwhelmed and fall to the ground upon seeing the Lord’s crying. When the Lord laughed loudly in ecstasy, He would continue laughing for three hours. The Lord forgot His own glories as He became absorbed in the mood of a servant. He repeatedly exclaimed, “I have conquered! I have conquered!” When Mahāprabhu chanted in great ecstasy “I have conquered! I have conquered!” the devotees also imitated Him by chanting, “I have conquered! I have conquered!” Sometimes the Lord sang so loudly that the sound vibration pierced the covering of the universe. Sometimes His body became as heavy as the universe, then none of His followers could hold Him still. Sometimes He would become as light as cotton, and His followers would happily carry Him on their shoulders. The pure devotees happily carried the Lord on their shoulders and wandered around the courtyard. Whenever the Lord fell unconscious to the ground out of ecstasy, the devotees became frightened and chanted the name of Hari in His ear. Sometimes His entire body shook vigorously like a boy’s teeth chattering due to excessive cold. Sometimes His body perspired in such a way that it appeared that the Ganges was flowing from His body. Sometimes His body became as hot as a blazing fire, and when sandalwood pulp was smeared on His body, it dried immediately. Sometimes the Lord would sigh heavily, and everyone would move out of the way of His breath. Sometimes He tried to catch everyone’s feet, and the Vaiṣṇavas ran away out of fear. Sometimes He would sit, leaning against Nityānanda, and sometimes He lifted His feet, looked at everyone, and smiled. Understanding the intention of the Lord, all the devotees stole the wonderful jewel-like dust from the Lord’s lotus feet. Ācārya Gosāñi said, “My dear thief, we have broken into Your hidden treasury. Viśvambhara rolled on the ground in ecstasy as all the devotees sang the glories of Kṛṣṇa on all sides.
When Lord Viśvambhara danced madly, the earth shook and everyone became frightened. Sometimes Viśvambhara danced so sweetly it resembled the enchanting dance of Nanda’s son. Sometimes His roaring resembled that of millions of lions, yet by His mercy, everyone’s ears were saved from harm. Sometimes when He walked, He walked above the ground. Some persons saw this, while others could not. In His ecstasy, whoever the Lord looked at with His red eyes would first become frightened and then run away laughing. Viśvambhara became agitated in ecstasy and danced forgetful of His self and others. In ecstasy, He would catch the feet of someone and then climb on his head. Sometimes He would cry while embracing someone around their neck, and then the next moment He would climb on his shoulders. Sometimes He would become extremely restless in the mood of a child and make various childish noises in His mouth. Sometimes He shook His feet and laughed exuberantly. Sometimes He crawled on His knees like a small child. Sometimes Viśvambhara became absorbed in the mood of Kṛṣṇa, in His beautiful threefold bending form. He remained in that state for three hours. Sometimes He would become absorbed in meditation and play a flute. Then He appeared exactly like Kṛṣṇa, the moonlike Lord of Vṛndāvana. On regaining His external consciousness, He would cry in the mood of a servant. He would hold straw between His teeth and beg for the service of the Lord’s lotus feet. Sometimes He whirled in a circle for three hours, and sometimes He danced in such way that His feet touched His head. Whatever mood the Lord exhibited was most wonderful. The son of Jagannātha Miśra danced in the ecstasy of chanting His own holy names. Sometimes He roared so loudly that His entire body trembled. Unable to remain steady, He then fell to the ground. Although the Lord’s complexion was golden, He sometimes appeared in various colors. Sometimes His two eyes doubled in size.
In this way, the Lord became absorbed in the transcendental mood of a Vaiṣṇava and spoke in words that did not befit Him. Previously, whenever the Lord saw a Vaiṣṇava He addressed him as “Prabhu,” but now He would grab them by the hair and announce, “This fellow is My servant.” Previously, whenever the Lord saw a Vaiṣṇava He would catch hold of his feet, but now He would climb on their chest and offer His feet to them. On seeing the Lord’s ecstasy, the devotees wept as they embraced each others’ necks. All the devotees were decorated with sandalwood pulp and flower garlands as they chanted in the ecstasy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The sound of mṛdaṅgas, whompers, conches, and karatālas mixed with their congregational chanting of the holy names. The sound of saṅkīrtana filled the sky and pierced the covering of the universe. All inauspiciousness in the four directions was vanquished. This was not so wonderful, for by even the dancing of the Lord’s servants all obstacles are destroyed and the entire world is purified.
When the Lord Himself dances to the chanting of His own names, who can say what benefit is there? Can even the Purāṇas describe this? The son of Jagannātha Miśra danced in the midst of the auspicious congregational chanting of Lord Hari’s holy names, which vibrated in the four directions.
(CB Madhya-khaṇḍa 8.146 – 8.214)

While listening to the kīrtana, Advaita Ācārya sometimes lost consciousness. He took straw in His hands and approached the Lord. He covered His entire body with grass and kept some on His head as He frowned while dancing. Everyone was frightened on seeing Advaita Ācārya’s devotional service, but Nityānanda and Gadādhara simply laughed. In this way, Śrī Gaurasundara, the life of the entire universe, danced. He repeatedly expressed unlimited varieties of moods. The son of Śacī manifested many wonderful transformations of ecstatic love that are not found or heard of in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Sometimes His entire body was stunned in such a way that no one could even slightly bend His body. Sometimes that same body became slackened in such a way that it became as soft as butter, without any bones. Sometimes His body appeared to double or triple in size, and sometimes it appeared to shrink. Sometimes He was intoxicated in such a way that He tottered like a drunkard, and sometimes He swayed back and forth while laughing.
(CB Madhya-khaṇḍa 8.2125 – 8.223)

It was at the age of 16 or 17 that He travelled to Gaya with a host of His 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 wellread 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.
….
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 feelings in different quarters. The bhaktas were highly pleased. The smarta, caste-conscious Brahmins, became jealous of Nimai Pandit’s success, and complained to Chand Kazi against the character of Chaitanya as un-Hindu. The Kazi came to Srivas Pandit’s house and broke a mridanga (drum used in samkirtan) there, and declared that unless Nimai Pandit ceased to make noise about His queer religion, he should be obliged to enforce Mohamedanism on Him and His followers.
(Teachings of Lord Chaitanya Prologue)