 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Chaitanya Charitamrita" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(December 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
TheChaitanya Charitamrita (Sanskrit:चैतन्यचरितामृत,romanized: Caitanya-caritāmṛta;Bengali:চৈতন্যচরিতামৃত,romanized: Côitônyôcôritamṛtô), composed byKrishnadasa Kaviraja inc. 1557, is written inBengali with a great number ofSanskrit verses in its devotional, poetic construction, includingShikshashtakam. It is one of the primary biographies detailing the life and teachings ofCaitanya Mahāprabhu, the founder ofGaudiya Vaishnavism. 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.
The Chaitanya Caritamrta is divided into three sections: Adi-lila (Early pastimes), Madhya-lila (Middle pastimes) and Antya-lila (Final pastimes). 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), 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.
In the conversation with Chand Kazi (theMuslim ruler at the time), the word 'hindu' is used repeatedly for the inhabitants ofNabadwip who were not Muslims.[1]
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.
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).
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. 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.
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. 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. 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.
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.
In 1974,A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada publishedŚrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta in English as a 17-volume set of books. It contains the original verses, romanized transliterations, word-for-word meanings, translations, and commentaries. His commentaries are based onBhaktivinoda Thakur'sAmrita Pravaha andBhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati'sAnubhasya commentaries. His publication popularized the Chaitanya Charitamrita outside of India and has been distributed in mass quantities worldwide.[citation needed]
