Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

"Krishna Chaitanya" redirects here. For the Telugu lyricist, see Krishna Chaitanya (lyricist).

"Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu" redirects here. For the 1954 Hindi film, see Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (film).

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Wooden murti of Caitanya as Dhāmeśvara, Nabadwip
Personal
Born	Vishvambhara Mishra (1486-02-18)18 February 1486 Nabadwip, Bengal Sultanate (present-day West Bengal, India)
Died	14 June 1534(1534-06-14) (aged 48) Puri, Gajapati Kingdom (present-day Odisha, India)
Religion	Hinduism
Spouse	Lakshmi Priya (first wife) and Vishnupriya
Known for	Expounded Gaudiya Vaishnavism, kirtan
Organization
Founder of	Gaudiya Vaishnavism Achintya Bheda Abheda
Philosophy	Bhakti yoga, Achintya Bheda Abheda
Religious career
Guru	Swami Isvara Puri (mantra guru); Swami Kesava Bharati (sannyas guru)
Disciples Rupa Goswami, Sanatana Goswami, Gopala Bhatta Goswami, Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami, Raghunatha dasa Goswami, Jiva Goswami, others
Literary works	Shikshashtakam

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Bengali: মহাপ্রভু শ্রীচৈতন্য দেব; Sanskrit: चैतन्य महाप्रभु, romanized: Caitanya Mahāprabhu), born Vishvambhara Mishra (IAST: Viśvambhara Miśra) (18 February 1486 – 14 June 1534), was an Indian Hindu saint from Bengal and the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna with bhajan-kirtan and dance had a profound effect on Vaishnavism in Bengal.

He is considered the chief proponent of the Vedantic philosophy of Achintya Bheda Abheda. However, the concept of inconceivable difference in non-difference, known as achintya-bhedabheda, was developed later by Jiva Gosvami in his book Bhagavat Sandharbha.

Mahaprabhu founded Gaudiya Vaishnavism (a.k.a. the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya). He expounded Bhakti yoga and popularised the chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra. He composed the Shikshashtakam (eight devotional prayers).

Chaitanya is sometimes called Gauranga (IAST: Gaurāṅga) or Gaura due to his molten gold–like complexion. His birthday is celebrated as Gaura-purnima. He is also called Nimai because he was born underneath a Neem tree.

Life

Deity of Shadabhuja Gauranga at Ganga Mata Math in Puri

Chaitanya was born in a Brahmin family as Viśvambhara Mishra aka Nimāi, the second son of Jagannātha Mishra and his wife Śacī Devī, the daughter of Nilambara Chakrabarti, both Brahmins of Sylhet region. Jagannātha Mishra's family were from the village of Dhakadakshin in Srihatta (Sylhet) (now in Bangladesh). The ruins of their ancestral home still survive in present-day Bangladesh.

According to Chaitanya Charitamrita, Chaitanya was born in Nabadwip (in present-day West Bengal) on the full moon night of 18 February 1486, at the time of a lunar eclipse.

While still a student, his father died, and he soon married Lakṣmīpriyā. He travelled to east Bengal to become a scholar and support his family, but his wife died in his absence. He then married Viṣṇupriyā, the daughter of paṇḍit Sanātana Miśra. Viśvambhara, also known as Nimāi Paṇḍit, was a promising Sanskrit scholar and once defeated Keśava Bhaṭṭa of the Nimbārka school in a debate on Sanskrit prosody.

In 1508-1509 he left Nabadvip to go to Gaya to perform śrāddha, a ritual homage to his dead father. There, he met an ascetic named Īśvara Purī, who initiated him using a mantra for Kṛṣṇa worship. After this meeting Viśvambhara abandoned all scholarly and domestic pursuits and had no interest except hearing and speaking of Kṛṣṇa. Within a year he took a vow of saṃnyāsa (renunciation) and changed his name to Kṛṣṇa Caitanya under his guru Keśava Bhāratī. His mother then asked him to at least live in the city of Puri so that he would not be too far from Bengal.

After becoming a renunciate he spent his time converting and instructing followers in the tenets of Kṛṣṇa bhakti and engaging in communal saṁkīrtana. Notably he is said to have debated and converted followers of Advaita Vedānta. He spent two months in Vrindavan in c. 1515 where he instructed Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmi. The last two decades of his life were spent in Puri where he focused on immersing himself in devotional yearning for Kṛṣṇa and his consorts, mainly Rādhā. He died c. 1528-1534.

Biographies

Works on Chaitanya:

• Krsna-Caitanya-Caritamrta (c. 1513 or 1536–1540; Sanskrit)

By Murari Gupta. Known as a kadcha or chronicle. Chaitanya's Navadwipa līla and each panca-tattva presented as a form of the Lord. Caitanya went for the first time to Murari's house at Navadwipa. Murari's standing and reputation for learning gave his biographical materials great weight in the Vaishnava community. This Kadcha (notes) became the guiding lines for other biographers.

• Kadcha or chronicle (Sanskrit)

By Svarupa Damodara. He was the personal secretary of Chaitanya. Details the life of Caitanya.

• Govindadaser Kadcha (Bengali)

By Govinda Dāsa who accompanied Chaitanya on his tour of Deccan. This poem describes their experiences on the journey and some imaginary events in the life of Chaitanya as well as his ideas and philosophy. It is another significant biographical work, but it was regarded as controversial because of the authenticity.

• Chaitanya Bhagavata (c. 1535 or 1546–1550; Bengali)

By Vrindavana Dasa Thakura. Three parts: Adi-Khanda, Mādhya-Khanda, and Antya-Khanda. Chaitanya's earlier life, activities, early movement in Navadwip.

• Krsna-Caitanya-caritra-mahakavya (c. 1535)

By Kavi Karnapura (Paramanand Sen).

• Krsna-Caitanya-candrodaya-natakam (c. 1535 – 1570s)

By Kavi Karnapura. Based on Murari Gupta's Krsna-Caitanya-Caritamrta. When Karnapura was a small child, he interacted with Chaitanya personally.

• Caitanya-candrodaya-natakam (c. 1538 or 1540 or 1572 or 1579; Sanskrit)

By Kavi Karnapura (Paramanand Sen). Dramatic play in ten acts of Chaitanya's life.

• Caitanya-caritāmṛta-kavya (c. 1542 – late 1500s; Sanskrit)

By Kavi Karnapura (Paramanand Sen). A long biographical poem on Chaitanya's life and acts.

• Caitanya-caritāmṛta (c. 1557 or 1580 or 1615; Bengali)

By Krishnadasa Kaviraja. Three parts: Adi-lila, Madhya-lila, and Antya-lila. Massive authoritative composition of Chaitanya's biography and teachings. According to Manring, he draws liberally from previous writers (poets, theologians and biographers) as he deems correct, omitting Kavi Karnapura's works perceived as threatening Rupa's authority.

• Caitanya-Mangala (c. 1560 or late 1500s; Bengali)

By Jayananda. Nine parts: Adikhanda, Nadiyakhanda, Vairagyakhanda, Sannyaskhanda, Utkalkhanda, Prakashkhanda, Tirthakhanda, Vijaykhanda, and Uttarkhanda. Biographical poem in the form of a narrative play focused on Chaitanya's godly image. It is the only work in which his death is mentioned. Introduction mentions several previous biographers, of whom only Vrindavan is known. Written for the common people (not devotees).

• Chaitanya Mangala (c. 1560–66 or 1575)

By Lochana Dasa (a.k.a. Trilocan Dasa). Four parts: Sutrakhanda, Adikhanda, Madhyakhanda, and Antyakhanda. A narrative play depicting Chaitanya's childhood activities and his human side without highlighting any divine matters to make it popular. Influenced by Murari Gupta's Krsna-Caitanya-Caritamrta and Vrindavana Dasa Thakura's Chaitanya Bhagavata as well as the Mahabharata and different Puranas.

• Chaitanya-chandrodaya-kaumudi (Bengali)

By Premadas (Purushottam Mishra). A verse adaptation to Kavi Karnapura's Caitanya-candrodaya-natakam drama.

• Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika (c. 1576)

By Kavi Karnapura (Paramanand Sen).

• Chaitanya-samhita (Bengali)

By Bhagirath Bandhu. Work follows the tradition of agama or tantric texts in its presentation as a story told by Shiva to his spouse.

• Chaitanya-vilasa (c. 1500s; Odia)

By Madhava Dasa. A short poetical work in ten sections dealing with the life of Chaitanya. The poet probably came into contact with the saint when the latter came to Puri.

• Gauranga-vijay (c. 1500s)

By Chundamani dasa. Biographical epic, believed to have been written in three volumes, only part of the first volume still exists. It contains some information about Chaitanya, Nityananda and Madhavendra Puri not found elsewhere.

• Sriman-mahaprabhor-asta-kaliya-lila-smarana-mangala-stotram (c. late 1600s; Sanskrit)

By Visvanatha Chakravarti. Eleven sutras (seed verses) describing the eternal eight-fold daily pastimes of the fair-complexioned Lord.

• Sri Gauranga-Lilamrta (c. late 1600s – 1700s; Bengali)

By Krishna Dasa (disciple of Visvanatha Chakravarti). Expounded on his guru's eleven sutras, often quoting verses from Vrindavana Dasa Thakura's Chaitanya Bhagavata, plus songs by Narahari Ghanashyama (author of Bhakti-Ratnakara) and Lochana Dasa (author of Chaitanya-Mangala).

• Caitanya-upanisad

A book that is a part of the Atharvaveda which offers overwhelming evidence of Chaitanya's identity as the Supreme Lord and Yuga Avatara.

• Sri Caitanya-caranamrta Bhasva (1887)

By Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Commentary on an original handwritten manuscript of the Caitanya-upanisad from one pandita, Madhusudana Maharaja, of Sambala-Pura.

• Amrita-pravaha-bhashya (c. late 1800s – early 1900s; Sanskrit)

By Bhaktivinoda Thakur. Commentary on Caitanya-upanisad.

• Anubhāsya (1915)

By Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. Commentary on Krishnadasa Kaviraja's Caitanya-caritāmṛta

• Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (1974; English)

By A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami in English with original Bengali and Sanskrit. Commentary on Krishnadasa Kaviraja's Caitanya-caritāmṛta, based on Bhaktivinoda Thakur's Amrita-pravaha-bhashya and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's Anubhāsya commentaries.

• Krishna-Caitanya, His Life and His Teachings (2014; English; ISBN 978-91-981318-1-9)

By Walther Eidlitz, originally written in German - Kṛṣṇa-Caitanya: sein Leben und seine Lehre, and published by Stockholm University, 1968, as a part of the scientific series "Stockholm studies in comparative religion".

Teachings

Main article: Gaudiya Vaishnavism § Philosophical concepts

Chaitanya's epistemological, theological and ontological teachings are summarised as ten root principles called dasa mula.

Philosophy and tradition

From the very beginning of Chaitanya's bhakti movement in Bengal, Haridasa Thakur and others, Muslim or Hindu by birth, were participants. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the great sage of Dakshineswar, who lived in the 19th century, emphasised the bhakti marga of Chaitanya, whom he referred to as "Gauranga." (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna). This openness received a boost from Bhaktivinoda Thakura's broad-minded vision in the late 19th century and was institutionalised by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati in his Gaudiya Matha in the 20th century.

In the 20th century the teachings of Chaitanya were brought to the West for the first time by Baba Premananda Bharati (1858–1914), the author of Sree Krishna—the Lord of Love (1904)—the first full-length treatment of Gaudiya Vaishnavism in English. In1902, he founded the short-lived "Krishna Samaj" society in New York City and built a temple in Los Angeles. He belonged to the circle of guru Prabhu Jagadbandhu with teachings similar to the later ISKCON mission. His followers later formed several organisations, including now defunct the Order of Living Service and the AUM Temple of Universal Truth. Another prominent missionary was A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977), a representative of the Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati branch of Chaitanya's tradition. Prabhupada founded his movement known as The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) to spread Chaitanya's teachings throughout the world. Saraswata gurus and acharyas, members of the Goswami lineages and several other Hindu sects which revere Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, including devotees from the major Vaishnava holy places in Mathura District, West Bengal and Odisha, also established temples dedicated to Krishna and Chaitanya outside India in the closing decades of the 20th century.

Cultural legacy

See also: Bengal Renaissance

Chaitanya's influence on the cultural legacy in Bengal, Odisha and Manipur, has been significant, with many residents performing daily worship to him as an avatar of Krishna. Some attribute to him a Renaissance in Bengal, different from the more well-known 19th-century Bengal Renaissance. Salimullah Khan (b. 1958), a noted Bangladeshi linguist, maintains, "Sixteenth-century is the time of Chaitanya Dev, and it is the beginning of Modernism in Bengal. The concept of 'humanity' that came into fruition is contemporaneous with that of Europe".

Noted Bengali biographical film on Chaitanya, Nilachaley Mahaprabhu (1957), was directed by Kartik Chattopadhyay (1912–1989). A Bengali film based on Chaitanya's demise, Lawho Gouranger Naam Re, will be directed by Srijit Mukherji where Parambrata Chatterjee will be seen portraying Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Recognition

In 2024, speaking at the commemorative event for the 150th birth anniversary of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi called Chaitanya Mahaprabhu “the touchstone of love for Krishna. He made spiritualism and meditation accessible to the masses” and recalled his own personal experience of the transformative power of bhakti through kirtan.

Photo gallery

• 
  Yogapith temple at Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's birthsite established in the 1880s by Bhaktivinoda Thakur in Mayapur, West Bengal
• 
  Chaitanya and Nityananda are shown performing a 'kirtan' in the streets of Nabadwip, Bengal.
• 
  Pancha Tattva deities installed on a Vaishnava altar. From left to right: Advaita Acharya, Nityananda, Chaitanya, Gadadhara Pandita, Srivasa.
• 
  Murti of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
• 
  60 feet Chaitanya Mahaprabhu statue in Nabadwip.
• 
  Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Prachin Mayapur, Nabadwip.
• 
  Deities of Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Jagannath, Balarama, Subhadra and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (in middle), at the ISKCON Durgapur Temple.
• 
  Gaura Nitai shrine at ISKCON Temple Delhi.

See also

• Vrindavan
• Gauranga
• Jagannath Temple (Puri)
• Pancha Tattva (Vaishnavism)
• Prabhupāda

References

Works cited

• Carney, Gerald T. (2020). "Baba Premananda Bharati: His trajectory into and through Bengal Vaiṣṇavism to the West". In Sardella, Ferdinando; Wong, Lucian (eds.). The Legacy of Vaiṣṇavism in Colonial Bengal. Routledge Hindu Studies Series. Milton, Oxon; New York: Routledge. pp. 135–160. ISBN 978-1-138-56179-3.
• Dasa, Satyanarayana (2007). "The Six Sandharbhas of Jiva Gosvami". Krishna: A Sourcebook (PDF). Oxford University Press, USA. pp. 373–408. ISBN 978-0-19-514891-6.
• Delmonico, Neal (2007). "Chaitanya Vaishnavism and the Holy Names". Krishna: A Sourcebook (PDF). Oxford University Press, USA. pp. 549–575. ISBN 978-0-19-514891-6.
• Jones, Constance A.; Ryan, James D. (2007). "Encyclopedia of Hinduism". In Melton, J. Gordon (ed.). Encyclopedia of World Religions. New York: Facts On File. ISBN 978-0-8160-5458-9.

• Modi, Narendra (8 February 2024), PM addresses program marking 150th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada Ji, retrieved 15 February 2024

• Manring, Rebecca J. (2005). "Chapter 2: Advaita Acarya: A New Imminence". Reconstructing Tradition: Advaita Ācārya and Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism at the Cusp of the Twentieth Century. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-12954-8.
• Mukherjee, Sujit (1999). A Dictionary of Indian Literature: Volume One, Beginnings-1850. New Delhi: Orient Longman. ISBN 81-250-1453-5.
• Nair, K. K. (2007). Sages Through Ages – Volume II: India's Heritage. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-4208-7802-8.
• Sherbow, Paul H. (2004). "Chapter 9: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami's Preaching in the Context of Gaudiya Vaishnavism". In Bryant, Edwin F.; Ekstrand, Maria L. (eds.). The Hare Krishna Movement: The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-12256-X.

Further reading

• Dae, (Romesh Chunder Dutt) Ar Cy (1877). The Literature of Bengal: Being an Attempt to Trace the Progress of the National Mind in Its Various Aspects, as Reflected in the Nation's Literature from the Earliest Times to the Present Day with Copious Extracts from the Best Writers. Calcutta: I. C. Bose & Co. pp. 66–81.
• Dasa, Shukavak N. (1999). Hindu Encounter with Modernity: Kedarnath Datta Bhaktivinoda, Vaiṣṇava Theologian (revised, illustrated ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sanskrit Religions Institute. ISBN 1-889756-30-X. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
• Fuller, Jason Dale (2005). Religion, class, and power: Bhaktivinode Thakur and the transformation of religious authority among the Gaudīya Vaishnavas in nineteenth-century Bengal (Ph.D.). University of Pennsylvania. UMI Microform 3179733. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
• Manna, Sandipan (2013). In Search of a Forgotten Mahatma: Kalachand Vidyalankar (1st ed.). Kalyani Foundation. ISBN 978-81-927505-4-5.
• Rosen, Steven (1988). India's Spiritual Renaissance: The Life and Times of Lord Chaitanya. Folk Books. ISBN 0-9619763-0-6.
• Sarkar, Jadunath (1913). Chaitanya's Pilgrimages and Teachings - From his contemporary Begali biography the Chaitanya-charit-amrita: Madhya-lila. Calcutta: Brahmo Mission Press.
• Wilkins, William Joseph (1913) [1882]. Hindu Mythology, Vedic and Purānic (3rd ed.). Calcutta: London Missionary Society. pp. 260–262.

External links

• Works by or about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu at the Internet Archive
• Works by or about Chaitanya at the Internet Archive
• Gaudiya Vaishnavism – The Tradition of Chaitanya
• Caitanya Upanisad
• Caitanya Bhagavata Biography
• Gaudiya Vaishnavism – The Tradition of Chaitanya
• Life of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Archived 12 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine
• Scriptural Statements/Predictions regarding Caitanya Mahaprabhu's birth
• Lord Gouranga and His Message of Devotion (theosophical.ca)
• YogPeeth, Mayapur, Navadvipa – The birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
• at Chaitaniya mahaprabhu biography
• Who is Lord Chaitanya?
• Scriptural References To Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu being Avataar of Sri Krishna