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TheChaitanya Charitamrita (Sanskrit:चैतन्यचरितामृत,romanized: Caitanya-caritāmṛta;Bengali:চৈতন্যচরিতামৃত,romanized: Côitônyôcôritamṛtô), composed byKrishnadasa Kaviraja betweenc. 1582[1] and the early 17th-century,[2][3] is one of the primary biographies detailing the life and teachings ofCaitanya Mahāprabhu, the founder ofGaudiya Vaishnavism.[1][2] It is written inBengali with a great number ofSanskrit verses in its devotional, poetic construction, includingShikshashtakam.[1][2][4] The stories of Chaitanya's life are mixed with philosophical conversations detailing the process ofBhakti yoga, with special attention given to congregational chanting of the names of Krishna.[2][4][5]
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The Chaitanya Caritamrta is divided into three sections: Adi-lila (Early pastimes), Madhya-lila (Middle pastimes) and Antya-lila (Final pastimes).[1][2][4] Each section refers to a particular phase inChaitanya Mahaprabhu's life:
The Adi-lila explains Chaitanya's unique theological identity (Krishna in the mood ofRadharani—a combinedavatar), the duality and characteristics of Radha-Krishna explained both directly and using metaphor,[2][5][6] his six transcendental expansions,[6] his lineage, his closest childhood companions and theirlineage, and his devotional associates. It ends with a brief summary of his life up to his acceptance ofsannyasa.[1][2][6]
The Madhya-lila details Chaitanya'ssannyasa;Madhavendra Puri's life; Chaitanya's philosophical conversation withSarvabhauma Bhattacharya (Advaitin scholar) promotingbhakti as supreme over the impersonal view; Chaitanya's pilgrimage toSouth India; the daily and annual activities of Chaitanya and his devotees during theRatha Yatra festival nearJagannath Temple (Puri, Odisha); their observance of other festivities; and Chaitanya's instructions on the process ofBhakti yoga to bothRupa Goswami andSanatana Goswami.[1][4]
The Antya-lila describes the devotional plays composed byRupa Goswami, Chaitanya's interactions with the occasional critics as well as his devotees such asRaghunatha dasa Goswami, and Jagadananda Pandita, and Chaitanya's increasing agony of separation fromKrishna (viraha orvipralambhabhava). It concludes with the Chaitanya'sShikshashtakam (eight verses of poetic instruction).[1][3]
Although the author,Krishnadasa Kaviraja, never metChaitanya Mahaprabhu personally, his guru,Raghunatha dasa Goswami, was an associate of Chaitanya and was close to others who were intimates of his.[2][5] In composing his work, Krishnadasa Kaviraja also referred to theShri Krishna Chaitanya Charanamrita (Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-caraṇāmṛta) ofMurari Gupta and also the works ofSvarupa Damodara, both of whom knew Chaitanya.[3][5][7]
Krishna Dasa Kaviraja composed the Chaitanya Charitamrita in his old age after being requested by the Vaishnavas of Vrindavana to write a hagiography about the life of Chaitanya.[1] Although there was already a biography written byVrindavana Dasa, called theChaitanya Bhagavata, the later years of Chaitanya's life were not detailed in that work.[1] Krishna Dasa's Chaitanya Charitamrita covers Chaitanya's later years and also explains in detail the rasa philosophy that Chaitanya and his followers expounded. The Chaitanya Charitamrita also serves as a compendium of Gaudiya Vaishnava practices and outlines the Gaudiya theology developed by the Goswamis in metaphysics, ontology and aesthetics.[1][2]
The Chaitanya Charitamrita was frequently copied and widely circulated amongst the Vaishnava communities of Bengal andOdisha during the early 17th Century. Its popularity during this period can be attributed to the propagation of three Vaishnava preachers—Narottama Dasa, Shyamananda and Srinivasa—who were trained byJiva Goswami and Krishnadasa Kaviraja himself.[1]
In 1913, the earliest (partial) English translation of theChaitanya Charitamrita was authored byJadunath Sarkar, entitledChaitanya's Life And Teachings.[8]
IndologistRahul Peter Das noted in 1993, "Although there are now several (complete) English translations... [Chaitanya's Life And Teachings] is... welcomed, if only for the elegance of its refined language, which... create[s] an atmosphere of poetry that is probably not possible in either typical "Indian English" or modern American English."[8] It is still in print; the latest edition was issued in March 2025.[1]
Despite the distribution ofJadunath Sarkar'sChaitanya's Life And Teachings amongst Westerners, theCaitanya-caritāmṛta would not reach mainstream Western audiences until the emergence of theHare Krishna Movement.[5][better source needed]
In 1974,A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (founder of theHare Krishna Movement), publishedŚrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta in English as a 17-volume set of books. It includes the original verses, transliterations, translations, and purports.[4] His commentaries are based onBhaktivinoda Thakur'sAmrita Pravaha andBhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati'sAnubhasya commentaries. His publication significantly popularized theChaitanya Charitamrita in the West.[5][better source needed]
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