Chaitanya Mangala
Encyclopedia
The Chaitanya Mangala (c.16th century) 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
. The complete text is divided into four sections: the Sutra Khanda, the Adi Khanda, the Madhya Khanda and the Shesh Khanda. As this work was written for the purpose of singing only, it is not further sub-divided into chapters.
's appearance as the Gauranga avatar
in Nabadwip
, which describes the events which led to this incarnation. The Adi Khanda narrates the early life of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu up to his trip to Gaya
. The Madhya Khanda describes events in Mahaprabhu's later life up to his meeting with Sarvabahuma Bhattacharya. The Shesh Khanda narrates his pilgrimages to the southern and the northern India. Some manuscripts also consist a description of the last part of the Mahaprabhu's life till his disappearance.
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...
work on the celebrated medieval saint, 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...
in Bengali
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...
. This work of Lochana Dasa or Lochananda Dasa is influenced by the Sanskrit Kadacha of Murari Gupta
Murari Gupta
Murari Gupta was a noted Bangla Vaishnava poet, author of the Sanskrit work srikr^ShNachaitanyacharitAmrita , a poetic biography of Sri Chaitanya...
. The complete text is divided into four sections: the Sutra Khanda, the Adi Khanda, the Madhya Khanda and the Shesh Khanda. As this work was written for the purpose of singing only, it is not further sub-divided into chapters.
Contents
The Chaitanya Mangala comrpises about 11000 verses. The Sutra Khanda has around 1800 verses, the Adi Khanda has about 3300 verses, the Madhya Khanda consists nearly 4300 verses and the Shesh Khanda comprises about 1600 verses. The Sutrakhanda is a prelude to the KrishnaKrishna
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...
's appearance as the Gauranga 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"....
in Nabadwip
Nabadwip
Nabadwip is a city and a municipality in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Its name means "9 islands" in the Bengali language. The islands are named Antardwip , Simantadwip, Rudradwip, Madhyadwip, Godrumdwip, Ritudwip, Jahnudwip, Modadrumdwip, and Koladwip...
, which describes the events which led to this incarnation. The Adi Khanda narrates the early life of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu up to 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...
. The Madhya Khanda describes events in Mahaprabhu's later life up to his meeting with Sarvabahuma Bhattacharya. The Shesh Khanda narrates his pilgrimages to the southern and the northern India. Some manuscripts also consist a description of the last part of the Mahaprabhu's life till his disappearance.
See also
- Chaitanya MahaprabhuChaitanya MahaprabhuChaitanya 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...
- Chaitanya BhagavataChaitanya BhagavataThe Chaitanya Bhagavata is a hagiography of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu , the famous Vaishnava saint, written by Vrindavana Dasa Thakura . 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...
- Chaitanya Mangala of Jayananda