The Chaitanya Charitamrita, composed by Krishnadasa Kaviraja in 1557, is written in Bengali with a great number of Sanskrit verses in its devotional, poetic construction, including Siksastakam. It is one of the primary biographies detailing the life and teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. The stories of Chaitanya's life are mixed with philosophical conversations detailing the process of Bhakti yoga, with special attention given to congregational chanting of Krishna's names and the Hare Krishna mantra.
Contents
The Chaitanya Caritamrta is divided into three sections: Adi-lila, Madhya-lila and Antya-lila. Each section refers to a particular phase in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's life:
Adi-lila
The Adi-lila explains Chaitanya's unique theological identity, his lineage, his closest childhood companions and their lineage, and his devotional associates. It ends with a brief summary of his life up to his acceptance of sannyasa. In the conversation with Chand Kazi, the word 'hindu' is used repeatedly for the inhabitants of Nabadwip who were not Muslims.
The Antya-lila describes the devotional plays composed by Rupa Goswami, Chaitanya's interactions with the occasional critics as well as his devotees such as Raghunatha dasa Goswami and Jagadananda Pandita, and Chaitanya's increasing agony of separation from Krishna. It concludes with the Chaitanya's Shikshashtakam.
Although the author, Krishnadasa Kaviraja, never met Chaitanya 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 the Shri Krishna Chaitanya Charanamrita of Murari Gupta and also the works of Svarupa 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 by Vrindavana Dasa, called the Chaitanya 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 Vaishnavapractices 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 and Odisha 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 by Jiva Goswami and Krishnadasa Kaviraja himself.
Modern publication
In 1974, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada published Śrī 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 on Bhaktivinoda Thakur'sAmrita Pravaha and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati'sAnubhasya commentaries. His publication popularized the Chaitanya Charitamrita outside of India and has been distributed in mass quantities worldwide.
