Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Wooden murti of Caitanya as Dhāmeśvara, Nabadwip[1]
Personal
Born
Vishvambhara Mishra

(1486-02-18)18 February 1486
Died14 June 1534(1534-06-14) (aged 48)
Puri, Gajapati Kingdom
(present-day Odisha, India)
ReligionHinduism
SpouseLakshmi Priya (first wife) and Vishnupriya
Known forExpounded Gaudiya Vaishnavism, kirtan
Organization
Founder ofGaudiya Vaishnavism
Achintya Bheda Abheda
PhilosophyBhakti yoga, Achintya Bheda Abheda
Religious career
GuruSwami Isvara Puri (mantra guru); Swami Kesava Bharati (sannyas guru)
Literary worksShikshashtakam

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Bengali: মহাপ্রভু শ্রীচৈতন্য দেব; Sanskrit: चैतन्य महाप्रभु, romanizedCaitanya Mahāprabhu), born Vishvambhara Mishra (IAST: Viśvambhara Miśra),[2] (1486–1533 CE)[3] 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.[4]

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.[5] He composed the Shikshashtakam (eight devotional prayers).

Chaitanya is sometimes called Gauranga (IAST: Gaurāṅga) or Gaura due to his molten gold–like complexion.[6] His birthday is celebrated as Gaura-purnima.[7][8] He is also called Nimai because he was born underneath a Neem tree.[9]

  1. ^ Valpey, Kenneth (2018). "Caitanya". In Jacobsen, Knut A.; Basu, Helene; Malinar, Angelika; Narayanan, Vasudha (eds.). Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism Online. Brill.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Banglapedia Chaitanya was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Delmonico 2007, p. 549: "The form of Vaishnavism inspired by the sixteenth-century saint-reformer Shri Krishna Chaitanya (1486–1533 C.E.) rested heavily upon a belief in the purifying and salvific powers of the names of God, whose fullest self-revelation Chaitanya believed to be Krishna".
  4. ^ Dasa 2007, pp. 377-378: "The Bhagavat Sandarbha [...] describes the concept of Bhagavan alluded to in Bhagavata 1.2.11. Jiva explains [...] [t]he relation between Bhagavan and His potency is one of inconceivable difference in non-difference, known as achintya-bhedabheda. It is in recognition of the nature of this relation that Chaitanya’s philosophy is called Achintya bhedaabheda-vada".
  5. ^ Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Archived 28 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine "He spread the Yuga-dharma as the practice for attainment of pure love for Radha-Krishna. That process is Harinam-Sankirtan, or the congregational chanting of the Holy Names of Krishna "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare"
  6. ^ In the Name of the Lord (Deccan Herald) "He was also given the name of ‘Gora’ because of his extremely fair complexion." Archived 7 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Gaura Purnima". www.krishna.com. Archived from the original on 12 March 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
  8. ^ Sri Gaura Purnima Archived 1 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine"givegita.com"
  9. ^ KCM Archive"They named Him Nimai, as he was born under a neem tree." Archived 24 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine

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