Chaitanya Bhagavata
Encyclopedia
The Chaitanya Bhagavata is a hagiography
of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
(b.1486), the famous Vaishnava saint, written by Vrindavana Dasa Thakura
(1507-1589 CE). It was the first full-length work regarding Chaitanya Mahaprabhu written in Bengali language
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
of both Radha
and Krishna
within the belief of his close associates and followers. The writing of Chaitanya Bhagavata was commissioned by Nityananda
, who was the guru
of Vrindavana Dasa Thakura and close friend of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
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 wrote a work with this title, the leading members of the Vaishnava community in Vrindavan
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
.
Adi-khanda
The Adi-khanda consists of fifteen adhyayas (chapters). It deals with the socio-religious situation of Bengal
before the advent of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, his birth, education, and marriage to Lakshmi-priya; his defeating opposing scholars, his visit to East Bengal
, the demise of Lakshmi-priya, his marriage to Vishnu-priya and his trip to Gaya
and subsequent initiation
from Ishvara Puri.
Madhya-khanda
The Madhya-khanda consists of twenty-seven adhyayas (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
.
Antya-khanda
The Antya-khanda consists of ten adhyayas (chapters). It portrays Chaitanya’s acceptance of sannyasa
(the renounced order), his mother Saci-Mata's lamentation, his travels to Puri, 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.
) asserts that Chaitanya was not simply a saint or even a 'regular' Avatar
, but was instead the direct incarnation of Krishna
as Bhagavan
, or the Supreme God
himself. The text gives Chaitanya's mission as one for the benefit of mankind, through beginning the yuga
-dharma
(hari
nam-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
of Chaitanya’s pastimes because of revealing his true nature and mission.
The Bhagavata has been praised for its simplicity in that is 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 about him.
Scholars are of the opinion that Vrindavana Dasa wrote the Chaitanya Bhagavata somewhere in the mid-1540s.
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a Vaishnava saint and social reformer in eastern India in the 16th century, believed by followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism to be the full incarnation of Lord Krishna...
(b.1486), the famous Vaishnava saint, written by Vrindavana Dasa Thakura
Vrindavana Dasa Thakura
Vrindavana Dasa Thakura or Brindaban Das was the author of the Chaitanya Bhagavata, the first full-length biography of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu written in the Bengali language.-Early life:...
(1507-1589 CE). It was the first full-length work regarding Chaitanya Mahaprabhu written in Bengali language
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
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
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
of both Radha
Radha
Radha , also called Radhika, Radharani and Radhikarani, is the childhood friend and lover of Krishna in the Bhagavata Purana, and the Gita Govinda of the Vaisnava traditions of Hinduism...
and Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
within the belief of his close associates and followers. The writing of Chaitanya Bhagavata was commissioned by Nityananda
Nityananda
Image:Panca-tattva Altar.jpg|thumb|This is interactive image-map. Click! on lotus feet. Sri Krishna Chaitanya , Sri Nityananda Prabhu , Sri Advaita Acharya , Sri Gadadhara Pandit , Sri Srivas Pandit...
, who was the guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
of Vrindavana Dasa Thakura and close friend of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Naming of Chaitanya Bhagavata
Initially, the Chaitanya Bhagavata was named Chaitanya Mangala. Krishnadasa KavirajaKrishnadasa Kaviraja
Krishna Dasa Kaviraja Goswami was the author of the Chaitanya Charitamrita, a hagiography on the life of the mystic and saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu , who is considered by the Gaudiya Vaishnava school of Hinduism to be an incarnation of Radha and Krishna combined.-Early life:There is scant...
also mentioned this work by this name. According to the Premavilasa of Narottama Dasa
Narottama Dasa
Narottama Dasa Thakura , also known as Thakura Mahasaya is a Gaudiya Vaishnava saint who was responsible for spreading Vaishnava bhakti throughout Orissa in and outside of Bengal in India. Narottama dasa was the son of King Krishnananda Datta and Narayani Devi who resided in Gopalpur Pargana of the...
, when it was discovered that the poet Lochana Dasa had also wrote a work with this title, the leading members of the Vaishnava community in Vrindavan
Vrindavan
Vrindavan also known as Vraj is a town in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India...
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
Chaitanya Mangala
The Chaitanya Mangala of Lochana Dasa is an important hagiographical work on the celebrated medieval saint, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Bengali. This work of Lochana Dasa or Lochananda Dasa is influenced by the Sanskrit Kadacha of Murari Gupta...
.
Divisions
The Chaitanya Bhagavata is divided into three parts: the Adi-khanda, Madhya-khanda and Antya-khanda:Adi-khanda
The Adi-khanda consists of fifteen adhyayas (chapters). It deals with the socio-religious situation of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
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
East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent partition of Bengal....
, the demise of Lakshmi-priya, his marriage to Vishnu-priya and his trip to Gaya
Gaya, India
Gaya is the second largest city of Bihar, India, and it is also the headquarters of Gaya District.Gaya is 100 kilometers south of Patna, the capital city of Bihar. Situated on the banks of Falgu River , it is a place sanctified by both the Hindu and the Buddhist religions...
and subsequent initiation
Diksha
Diksa also spelled deeksha or deeksa in common usage, translated as a "preparation or consecration for a religious ceremony", is giving of a mantra or an initiation by the guru in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism...
from Ishvara Puri.
Madhya-khanda
The Madhya-khanda consists of twenty-seven adhyayas (chapters). It narrates Chaitanya’s growing external displays of devotion
Bhakti
In Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...
, 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
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
.
Antya-khanda
The Antya-khanda consists of ten adhyayas (chapters). It portrays Chaitanya’s acceptance of sannyasa
Sannyasa
Sannyasa is the order of life of the renouncer within the Hindu scheme of āśramas, or life stages. It is considered the topmost and final stage of the ashram systems and is traditionally taken by men or women at or beyond the age of fifty years old or by young monks who wish to renounce worldly...
(the renounced order), his mother Saci-Mata's lamentation, his travels to Puri, 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 of the Chaitanya Bhagavata
The Chaitanya Bhagavata (similarly to the Chaitanya CharitamritaChaitanya Charitamrita
The Chaitanya Charitamrita is one of the primary biographies detailing the life and teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu , a Vaisnava saint and founder of the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya. It was written by Krishna Das Kaviraja , primarily in the Bengali language, but also including a great number of...
) asserts that Chaitanya was not simply a saint or even a 'regular' Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
, but was instead the direct incarnation of Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
as Bhagavan
Bhagavan
Bhagavan, also written Bhagwan or Bhagawan, from the Sanskrit nt-stem literally means "possessing fortune, blessed, prosperous" , and hence "illustrious, divine, venerable, holy", etc.In some traditions of Hinduism it is used to...
, or the Supreme God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
himself. The text gives Chaitanya's mission as one for the benefit of mankind, through beginning the yuga
Yuga
Yuga in Hindu philosophy is the name of an 'epoch' or 'era' within a cycle of four ages. These are the Satya Yuga, the Treta Yuga, the Dvapara Yuga, and finally the Kali Yuga. According to Hindu cosmology, life in the universe is created, destroyed once every 4.1 to 8.2 billion years, which is...
-dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
(hari
Hari
Hari is an Avatar, another name of and , and appears as the 650th name in the Vishnu sahasranama of Mahabharata. In Sanskrit "hari" sometimes refers to a colour, green, yellow, or fawn-coloured/khaki. It is the colour of the Sun and of Soma...
nam-sankirtana) for the present age of Kali Yuga
Kali Yuga
Kali Yuga is the last of the four stages that the world goes through as part of the cycle of yugas described in the Indian scriptures. The other ages are Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and Dvapara 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
Vyasa is a central and revered figure in most Hindu traditions. He is also sometimes called Veda Vyasa , or Krishna Dvaipayana...
of Chaitanya’s pastimes because of revealing his true nature and mission.
The Bhagavata has been praised for its simplicity in that is does not cross into the ontological nuances that are found in Krishna Dasa Kaviraja's Chaitanya Charitamrita
Chaitanya Charitamrita
The Chaitanya Charitamrita is one of the primary biographies detailing the life and teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu , a Vaisnava saint and founder of the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya. It was written by Krishna Das Kaviraja , primarily in the Bengali language, but also including a great number of...
. 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 about him.
Scholars are of the opinion that Vrindavana Dasa wrote the Chaitanya Bhagavata somewhere in the mid-1540s.