Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

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Caitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534)
Caitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534)

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (also transliterated Caitanya, IAST caitanya mahāprabhu) (Bengali চৈতন্য মহাপ্রভূ) (1486 - 1534), was an ascetic Vaishnava monk and social reformer in 16th century Bengal[1], (present-day West Bengal and Bangladesh) and Orissa in India[2]. Chaitanya was a notable proponent for the Vaishnava school of Bhakti yoga (meaning loving devotion to Krishna/God) based on the philosophy of the Bhagavata Purana and Bhagavad Gita[3]. Specifically he worshipped the forms of Radha and Krishna and popularised the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra[4]. His line of followers, known as Gaudiya Vaishnavas, revere him as an avatar of Krishna in the mood of Radharani[5] who was prophesised to appear in the later verses of the Bhagavata Purana.[6]

He was also sometimes referred to by the names Gaura (Sanskrit for "the fair / golden one") due to his light skin complexion[7], and Nimai due to his being born underneath a Neem tree[8]. There are numerous biographies available from the time giving details of Chaitanya's life, the most prominent ones being the Chaitanya Charitamrita of Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami and the earlier Chaitanya Bhagavata of Vrindavana Dasa Thakura[9] (both originally written in the Bengali language but now widely available in English and other languages) and the Chaitanya Mangala, written by Lochana Dasa Thakura.[10]

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[edit] Chaitanya's life

According to the biography, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Nimai was born on the full moon night of February 18th 1486 at the time of a lunar eclipse[11]. His parents named him 'Visvambhar' - he was the second son of Jagannath Mishra and his wife Sachi Devi who lived in the town of Nabadwip in Nadia, West Bengal[12]. Chaitanya's ancestry is a contentious issue between the people of Orissa and West Bengal with Chaitanya having family roots in Jajpur, Orissa, from where his grandfather, Madhukar Mishra had emigrated to nearby Bengal[13].

In his youth, Chaitanya was primarily known as an erudite scholar, whose learning and skills in argumentation in his locality were second to none. A number of stories also exist telling of Chaitanya's apparent attraction to the chanting and singing of Krishna's names from a very young age[14], but largely this was perceived as being secondary to his interest in acquiring knowledge and studying Sanskrit. When traveling to Gaya to perform the shraddha ceremony for his departed father Chaitanya met his guru, the ascetic Ishvara Puri, from whom he received initiation with the Gopala Krishna mantra. This meeting was to mark a significant change in Mahaprabhu's outlook[15] and upon his return to Bengal the local Vaishnavas, headed by Advaita Acharya, were stunned at his external sudden 'change of heart' (from 'scholar' to 'devotee') and soon Chaitanya became the eminent leader of their Vaishnava group within Nadiya.

After leaving Bengal and receiving entrance into the sannyasa order by Keshava Bharati[16], Chaitanya journeyed throughout the length and breadth of India for several years, chanting the names of Krishna constantly. He spent the last 24 years of his life in Puri, Orissa[17], the great temple city of Jagannath. The king of Orissa, Maharaja Prataparudra, regarded him as Krishna incarnate and was an enthusiastic patron and devotee of Chaitanya's sankirtan party[18]. It was during these years that Chaitanya is believed by his followers to have sank deep into various meditational trances (samadhi) and performed pastimes of divine ecstasy (bhakti).[19]

[edit] Chaitanya's tradition

Deities of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (right) and Nityananda (left) at Radha-Krishna temple in Radhadesh, Belgium
Deities of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (right) and Nityananda (left) at Radha-Krishna temple in Radhadesh, Belgium

Despite having been initiated in the Madhvacharya tradition, Chaitanya's philosophy is sometimes regarded as a tradition of his own within the Vaishnava framework - having some marked differences with the practices and the theology of other followers of Madhvacharya.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is not known to have written anything himself except for a series of verses known as the Siksastaka, "eight verses of instruction"[20] which he spoke were recorded by one of his close colleagues. The eight verses created by Mahaprabhu are considered to contain the complete philosophy of Gaudiya Vaishnavism in condensed form. Chaitanya requested a select few among his followers (who later came to be known as the Six Gosvamis of Vrindavan) to systematically present the theology of bhakti he had taught to them in their own writings[21]. The six saints and theologians were Rupa Goswami, Sanatana Goswami, Gopala Bhatta Goswami, Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami, Raghunatha dasa Goswami and Jiva Goswami, a nephew of brothers Rupa and Sanatana. These individuals were responsible for systematizing Gaudiya Vaishnava Theology.

Narottama Dasa Thakur, Srinivasa Acarya and Syamananda Pandit were among the stalwarts of the second generation of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Having studied under Jiva Goswami, they were instrumental in propagating the teachings of the Goswamis throughout Bengal, Orissa and other regions of Eastern India. Many among their associates, such as Ramacandra Kaviraja and Ganga Narayan Chakravarti, were also eminent teachers in their own right.[22]

The festival of Kheturi, presided over by Jahnava Thakurani[23], the wife of Nityananda Prabhu, was the first time the leaders of the various branches of Chaitanya's followers assembled together. Through such festivals, members of the loosely organized tradition became acquainted with other branches along with their respective theological and practical nuances[24]. Around these times, the disciples and descendants of Nityananda and Advaita Acharya, headed by Virabhadra and Krishna Mishra respectively, started their family lineages (vamsa) to maintain the tradition. The vamsa descending from Nityananda through his son Virabhadra forms the most prominent branch of the modern Gaudiya tradition, though descendants of Advaita, along with the descendants of many other associates of Chaitanya, maintain their following especially in the rural areas of Bengal. Gopala Guru Goswami, a young associate of Chaitanya and a follower of Vakresvara Pandit, founded another branch based in Orissa. The writings of Gopala, along with those of his disciple Dhyanacandra Goswami, have had a substantial influence on the methods of internal worship in the tradition.

20th C. English language version of Chaitanya's biography, translated by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
20th C. English language version of Chaitanya's biography, translated by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

In the 20th century the teachings of Chaitanya were brought to the West by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a representative of the Saraswata (i.e. disciples of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura) branch of Chaitanya's tradition. Bhaktivedanta Swami founded his movement known as The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) to spread Chaitanya's teachings throughout the world.[25]. 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 Orissa, also established temples dedicated to Krishna and Chaitanya outside India in the closing decades of the 20th century. In the 21st century Vaishnava bhakti is now also being studied through the academic medium of Krishnology in a number of academic institutions[26]

[edit] Cultural legacy

In addition to his deep influences on Hinduism, Chaitanya's cultural legacy in Bengal remains deep, with many residents performing daily worship to him as an avatar of Krishna. Some attribute to him a Renaissance in Bengal[27], different from the more well known 19th century Bengal Renaissance. Salimullah Khan, a noted 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". Chaitanya also influenced the Baul movement of Bengal, which some say was established by the son of his close friend Nityananda and is credited with locating a fragment of the lost scripture, Brahma Samhita.[28]

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Britannica: Caitanya Movement
  2. ^ Ravi Shankar discusses Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
  3. ^ Srimad Bhagavatam (Introduction) "Lord Caitanya not only preached the Srimad-Bhagavatam but propagated the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita as well in the most practical way"
  4. ^ Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu "He spread the Yuga-dharma, or the practice most recommended for the attainment of pure love for Sri Sri Radha-Krishna. That process is Harinam Sankirtan, or the congregational chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare"
  5. ^ The Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Disciplic Succession "Sri Krishna is so maddened by it that He accepts the form of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who descends in the mood of Radharani"
  6. ^ Bhag-P 11.5.32 "In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Krishna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions. "
  7. ^ In the Name of the Lord (Deccan Herald) "He was also given the name of ‘Gaura’ (meaning golden) because of his extremely fair complexion."
  8. ^ KCM Archive "they named Him, Nimai, as he was born under a neem tree"
  9. ^ Gaudiya Literature
  10. ^ Biography of Sri Locana Dasa Thakura (salagram.net)
  11. ^ Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: His Life and Precepts, by Bhaktivinoda Thakura "Caitanya Mahaprabhu was born in Mayapur in the town of Nadia just after sunset on the evening of the 23rd Phalguna 1407 Sakabda, answering to the 18th of February, 1486, of the Christian Era. The moon was eclipsed at the time of his birth"
  12. ^ Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: His Life and Precepts, by Bhaktivinoda Thakura
  13. ^ H. W. B. Moreno. (1932) "Sree Chaitanya", The Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Chennai.
  14. ^ CC Adi lila 14.22
  15. ^ CC Adi lila 17.9 "In Gaya, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was initiated by Isvara Puri, and immediately afterwards He exhibited signs of love of Godhead. He again displayed such symptoms after returning home."
  16. ^ Teachings of Lord Chaitanya "They were surprised to see Lord Caitanya after He accepted His sannyasa order from Kesava Bharati"
  17. ^ History of Gaudiya Vaishnavism "Chaitanya spent the remainder of his life, another 24 years, in Jagannath Puri in the company of some of his intimate followers, such as Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya"
  18. ^ Gaudiya Vaishnavas "his magnetism attracted men of great learning such as Sarvabhauma, the greatest authority on logic, and Advaita, leader of the Vaishnavas in Bengal, and men of power and wealth like the King of Orissa, Pratapa Rudra and his brahman minister, Ramananda Ray..."
  19. ^ Srimad Bhagavatam, Introduction "At Puri, when He [Caitanya] entered the temple of Jagannatha, He became at once saturated with transcendental ecstasy"
  20. ^ TLC: Lord Chaitanya's Mission "Although Lord Caitanya was widely renowned as a scholar in His youth, He left only eight verses, called Sikshashtaka"
  21. ^ History of Gaudiya Vaishnavism "He requested ... the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan, to systematically present ... the theology of bhakti he had taught"
  22. ^ Narottama Dasa Thakur: Biography
  23. ^ Festival of Kheturi
  24. ^ Charismatic Renewal in Gaudiya Vaishnavism (pdf)
  25. ^ History of the Hare Krishna Movement
  26. ^ Krishnology (definition)
  27. ^ Bengal Studies Conference "History says that the Bengali people experienced the renaissance: not only once but also twice in the course of history. Bengalis witnessed the first renaissance in the 16 th century when Hossain Shah and Sri Chaitanya’s idealism influenced a sect of upper literal class of people"
  28. ^ A history of the Brahma Samhita (Indiadivine.org)

[edit] External links


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