By Giriraj Swami
As many of you know, Lord Caitanya is Krsna Himself in the role of a devotee. He is Krsna, but with the complexion and mood of Srimati Radharani. There are different purposes for the Lord's advent. The internal reason for Lord Caitanya's appearance was that He wanted to experience the glory of Srimati Radharani's love for Him, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She experiences the sweetness of His love for Her--which only She can experience. The external reason (not that it was any less significant) was to propagate the yuga-dharma, the recommended method for God realization in each particular age (yuga). To assist the Lord in His pastimes, four principal associates descended with Him--Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, Srivasa Thakura, and Gadadhara Pandita. Together with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu they comprise the Panca-tattva.