Chaitanya Bhagavata
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The Chaitanya Bhagavata of Vrindavana Dasa Thakura (1507-1589 CE) was the first full-length hagiography written in Bengali. It documents the early life of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1533CE), the saint / reformer worshipped by Gaudiya Vaishnavas as the joint incarnation of Radha and Krishna. The book was commissioned by the guru of Vrindavana Dasa, Nityananda, who was himself an intimate of Chaitanya.
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[edit] Naming of 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 Caitanya Mangala.
The Chaitanya Bhagavata is divided into three parts – the Adi-khanda, Madhya-khanda and the Antya-khanda.
[edit] Adi-khanda
The Adi-khanda deals with the socio-religious situation of Bengal before the advent of Chaitanya, Chaitanya’s appearance, his education, his 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 Isvara Puri.
[edit] Madhya-khanda
The Madhya-khanda narrates Chaitanya’s awakening of devotion, the devotees that join his devotional creed, the conversion of the debauchees Jagai and Madhai, and Chaitanya’s civil disobedience movement against the Muslim Kazi who tries to stop the congregational chanting of the name of Krishna.
[edit] Antya-khanda
The Antya-khanda portrays Chaitanya’s acceptance of sannyasa (the renounced order), his mothers lamentation, his travels to Puri, his meeting with the logician Sarvabhauma and Chaitanya’s interaction with the devotees.
[edit] Importance of the Chaitanya Bhagavata
This biography of Vrindavana Dasa’s sets a precedence amongst Gaudiya Vaishnava literature in that it clearly asserts that Chaitanya was not simply a saint, nor even an avatara of Krishna, but Swayam Bhagavan - God himself who has come to benedict mankind with the yuga-dharma (harinama-sankirtana, the main process of devotion to God in this present age). Subsequently, other biographers accepted Vrindavana Dasa’s belief and wrote accordingly. Thus, Vrindavana Dasa has been considered by the Gaudiyas to be the Vyasa of Chaitanya’s pastimes because of his revealing the true nature and mission of Chaitanya.
Chaitanya-bhagavata is extremely popular with the masses due to 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.
Scholars are of the opinion that Vrindavana Dasa wrote the Chaitanya Bhagavata somewhere in the mid-1540s.
[edit] References
- Sri Chaitanya-bhagavata (Bengali), Published by Sri Chaitanya Matha, Mayapura, W.Bengal, 1993
