Is appearance and divinity of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu foretold in Garuda Purana?

Question

Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is regarded as incarnation of Lord Krishna by Gaudiya Vaishnava sect. Lord Chaitanya was born in Navadvipa Mayapur in west Bengal state of India in 15th century.

He spread the Sankirtan movement;Congregational chanting of Holy Name of Krishna:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare.

This site mentions a lot of scriptural refernces confirming the divinity of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

I'm interested in knowing the exact source(chapter and verse number with reference) of these following verses.

aham purno bhavisyami

yuga-sandhyau visesatah

mayapure navadvipe

bhavisyami sachi sutah

meaning:

I will take birth as the son of Sachi [bhavisyami sachi sutah], in Navadvip-Mayapur [mayapure navadvipe]. I will come in my complete spiritual form in the first part of Kali-Yuga.

---

kaleh prathama sandhyayam lakshmi- kanto bhavisyati daru-brahma-samipa-sthah sannyasi gaura-vigrahah

meaning:

In the first part of Kali-Yuga, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will come in a gold-like form. First He will become the husband of Lakshmi [Srimati Lakshmi Devi, Lord Chaitanya's first wife]. Then He will become a sannyasi, near Lord Jagannatha who will appear in a divine wooden form.

Which Section of Garuda Purana has these above verses? I could not find them in Garuda Purana.

Answer 1

The authentic biographies of Sri Chaitanya have not accepted any proofs other than from Srimadbhagavatam and Vishnusahashranaama, as pointed out by Sri Mahanamabrata Brahmachari. Perhaps these slokas mentioning Mahaprabhu were inserted later. The only two proofs they accepted are: 1. Krishnavarnam twishakrishnam etc from the Bhagabatam and 2. Suvarnavarno hemango etc from the Vishnusahasranaama.

Sri Santadas Babaji, the renowned saint of the (Vaishnava) Nimvarka sect has not accepted the meaning of the sloka starting with krishnavarnam etc from the bhagavatam. In his biography of Sri Sri Ramdas Kathiababa, he logically explained it clearly that this sloka refers to Sri Krishna and none else. Its well known that sanskrit words can be explained in different ways. But his logic seemed to me to be very convincing.

The slokas from Vishnysahasranama mentioned above are not also beyond question. The first line used by the Gaudiyas comes much later than the second line. That is, they have constructed a couplet chosing two different lines from two different places of the Vishnusahasranama and have formed a couplet. In their first line, they write निष्ठाशान्तिपरायणः whereas most sources read as निष्ठा शान्तिः परायणम्, which changes the meaning drastically. Also, सन्न्यासकृत् according to most translations mean 'the one who has framed the rules of sannyasa' and not the one one who has taken sannyasa.

So after all all the scriptural proofs reduce to beliefs of individuals or sects.

Also, Srila Radharamana Charandas Babaji and his famous disciple Srila Ramdas Babaji, who constucted temples at all places Sri Chaitanya visited in Bengal, did not accept Mayapur as the birthplace of Mahaprabhu. After much research, found archeological evidence and established a temple there in Navadwip. The name Mayapur according to them came from the word Miyapur, as it was a place of muslims or miyas. This I read in the biographies of the two saints by Abha Sarkar.