Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata () is a
hagiography
A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian ...
of
Caitanya Mahāprabhu written by
Vrindavana Dasa Thakura (1507–1589 CE). It was the first full-length work regarding Chaitanya Mahaprabhu written in
Bengali language
Bengali, also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Bangla (, , ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. ...
and documents his early life and role as the founder of the
Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. The text details Chaitanya's theological position as a combined
Avatar
Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...
of both
Radha
Radha (, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Prak� ...
and Krishna within the belief of his close associates and followers. The writing of Chaitanya Bhagavata was commissioned by
Nityananda, who was the
guru
Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...
of Vrindavana Dasa Thakura and close friend of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Name
Initially, the Chaitanya Bhagavata was named ''Chaitanya Mangala''.
Krishnadasa Kaviraja also mentioned this work by this name. According to the ''Premavilasa'' of
Narottama Dasa, when it was discovered that the poet
Lochana Dasa had also written a work with this title, the leading members of the Vaishnava community in
Vrindavan
Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj, Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of ...
met and decided that Vrindavana Dasa's book would be known as the Chaitanya Bhagavata with Lochana Dasa's book remaining as the
Chaitanya Mangala.
Divisions
The Chaitanya Bhagavata is divided into three parts: the ''Adi-khanda'', ''Madhya-khanda'' and ''Antya-khanda'':
;Adi-khanda
The Adi-khanda consists of sixteen ''adhyaya''s (chapters). It deals with the socio-religious situation of
Bengal
Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
before the advent of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, his birth, education, and marriage to Lakshmi-priya; his defeating opposing scholars, his visit to
East Bengal
East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...
, the passing of Lakshmi-priya, his marriage to
Vishnupriya and his trip to
Gaya and subsequent
initiation
Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformatio ...
from
Ishvara Puri.
;Madhya-khanda
The Madhya-khanda consists of twenty-seven ''adhyaya''s (chapters). It narrates Chaitanya's growing external displays of
devotion, the disciples which join his devotional creed, the conversion of the debauchees Jagai and Madhai, and Chaitanya's civil disobedience movement against the Muslim Chand Kazi who tries to stop the congregational chanting of the names of
Krishna
Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...
.
;Antya-khanda
The Antya-khanda consists of ten ''adhyaya''s (chapters). It portrays Chaitanya's acceptance of
sannyasa
''Sannyasa'' (), sometimes spelled ''sanyasa'', is the fourth stage within the Hinduism, Hindu system of four life stages known as ''ashrama (stage), ashramas'', the first three being ''brahmacharya'' (celibate student), ''Gṛhastha, grihast ...
(the renounced order), his mother Saci-Mata's lamentation, his travels to
Puri
Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...
, his meeting with the logician
Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya and his relationships and interactions with different devotees.
In two of the manuscripts of the ''Chaitanya Bhagavat'', three additional chapters are found at the end of the ''Antya-khanda'', which are not accepted as the part of the original text by most of the modern scholars.
Importance
The Chaitanya Bhagavata (similarly to the
Chaitanya Charitamrita) asserts that Chaitanya was not simply a saint or even a "regular"
Avatar
Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...
, but was instead the direct incarnation of Krishna as
Bhagavan, or the Supreme
God
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
himself. The text gives Chaitanya's mission as one for the benefit of mankind, through beginning the ''
yuga-
dharma
Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...
'' (
harinam-
sankirtana) for the present age of ''
Kali Yuga''. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is quoted within as saying "My holy name will be sung (preached) in every town and village of earth". The author, Vrindavana Dasa, has been considered by
Gaudiya Vaishnavas to be the
Vyasa
Vyasa (; , ) or Veda Vyasa (, ), also known as Krishna Dvaipayana Veda Vyasa (, ''Vedavyāsa''), is a ''rishi'' (sage) with a prominent role in most Hindu traditions. He is traditionally regarded as the author of the epic Mahabharata, Mah� ...
of Chaitanya's pastimes because of revealing his true nature and mission.
The Bhagavata has been praised for its simplicity in that it does not cross into the ontological nuances that are found in
Krishna Dasa Kaviraja's
Chaitanya Charitamrita. The Charitamrita of Krishna Dasa gives a more sophisticated and theological view of the life of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and provides more information on his years in Puri as an ascetic. Together, the texts of the Chaitanya Bhagavata and the Chaitanya Charitamrta provide a complete picture of the life and teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu although there are many more of his biographies and other writings
Vedic Encyclopedia, Library
/ref> about him.
Scholars are of the opinion that Vrindavana Dasa wrote the Chaitanya Bhagavata somewhere in the mid-1540s.
Vrindavana Dasa Thakura
Vrindavana Dasa Thakura or Brindaban Das (1507–1589) is best known as the author of the Chaitanya Bhagavata. Vrindavana Dasa was born in Mamgachi in the Navadvipa area of West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
. His mother was Narayani, the niece of Srivasa Pandit, a direct follower of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Vrindavana Dasa's father, Vaikunthanatha Vipra, was from Sylhet in East Bengal
East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...
. However, it is said that his father died before he was born and so his mother moved to the house of Srivasa in Mayapura. In his youth Vrindavana Dasa took initiation from Nityananda, one of the main associates of Chaitanya and he was apparently the last disciple that Nityananda accepted.
In 1535, Vrindvana Dasa wrote the Chaitanya Bhagavata. Initially, the Chaitanya Bhagavata was named Chaitanya Mangala. However the poet Lochana Dasa also wrote a work with this title. Therefore, the leading Vaishnavas in Vrindavana met and decided that henceforth Vrindavana Dasa's book would be known as the Chaitanya Bhagavata, and Lochana Dasa's book would remain as the Chaitanya Mangala.
Vrindavana Dasa is considered by Gaudiya Vaishnavas as the Vyasa
Vyasa (; , ) or Veda Vyasa (, ), also known as Krishna Dvaipayana Veda Vyasa (, ''Vedavyāsa''), is a ''rishi'' (sage) with a prominent role in most Hindu traditions. He is traditionally regarded as the author of the epic Mahabharata, Mah� ...
of Chaitanya's pastimes, since he was the first to reveal that Chaitanya was God himself and not just an incarnation of Godhead.
It would seem that the Chaitanya Bhagavata was the only major work written by Vrindavana Dasa. There are a number of other works attributed to him but their authorship has not been validated.
See also
* Gaudiya Vaishnavism
Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnavism, Vaishnava Hindu denominations, Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region o ...
* International Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 in New York City by ...
* Six Goswamis
Notes
References
* Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata (Bengali), Published by Sri Chaitanya Matha, Mayapura, W.Bengal, 1993
*
Bhaktivedanta Archives
Read On-Line or Download
Sri Caitanya Bhagavata with the commentaries by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
Listen or download the complete audiobook
Bibliography
* Tirtha, Swami B.B., Sri Caitanya and His Associates, 2002
Mandala Publishing
San Francisco.
* Mahayogi Swami B.V., Lives of the Saints, translated from Gaura Parsada Citravali, unpublished work.
* Sahitya Academi site (https://web.archive.org/web/20080914033637/http://www.sahitya-akademi.gov.in/old_version/glos.htm)
* Encyclopaedia Of Bangladesh (Set Of 30 Vols.) By Nagendra Kr. Singh - Page 309
External links
Read On-line/Download
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Bengali-language literature
Vaishnavism
Hindu texts
16th-century books
16th-century Indian books
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu