Viswarupa Mahotsav
Today is a very sacred day in our line. Once Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu began to search for his brother Viswarupa, On this day He found out that his brother Viswarupa was in Pandarapur, Maharashtra, and had taken samadhi on the bank of the river Bhima. Although greatly distressed to hear about it, Mahaprabhu immediately arranged for a big festival to be organized in memory of his elder brother. Since that day forth this auspicious Purnima tithi in the month of Bhadra came to be known as Viswarupa Mahotsav. Mahaprabhu used to observe Chaturmasya-Vrata very strictly for four months. He never shaved for these four months, nor did He cut his nails.
He observed all the rules and regulations of Chaturmasya. But on this day, Mahaprabhu shaved his hair for offerings to his departed brother.

It is said that Sankararanya was the sannyasa name of Srila Viswarupa, who was the elder brother of Visvambhara (the previous name of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu). Sankararanya left this material world and entered in his divine pastimes in 1432 Sakabda (A.D. 1510) near Sholapur, where there is a place of pilgrimage known as Pandarapura in Maharashtra. This is referred to in the Madhya-Lila of Chaitanya Charitamruta.



Viswarupa was the elder brother of Gaurahari (Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu). When arrangements were
being made for the marriage of Viswarupa, He left home and took sannyasa. He took the sannyasa name of Sankararanya. In 1431 Sakabda Era (A.D. 1509), He disappeared in Pandarapura, in the district of Sholapur in Maharashtra. As an incarnation of Sankarshana, He is both the ingredient and immediate cause of the creation of this material world. He is nondifferent from Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as the part and the whole are not different. As an incarnation of Sankarshana, Viswarupa belongs to the quadruple manifestation of chatur-vyuha. In the
Gaura-Chandrodaya it is said that Viswarupa, after His so-called demise, remained mixed within Sri Nityananda Prabhu.