Chaitanya Mahaprabhu... incarnation of Krishna?

[punkdbass]

So I just realized today that many Vaishnavites believe Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who was born in 1486, is an incarnation of Krishna. I found this out through reading an ISKCON book.

Do many Hindus believe Chaitanya is an incarnation of Krishna? Or is it mainly just followers of ISKCON who believe this? I'm curious to learn more about this belief. He seems to be a pivotal figure in the development of modern Vaishnavism. It appears that the only writings we have from him were 8 verses.. but many books have been written about him.

Anyhow, if you have any books to recommend reading to learn more about Chaitanya, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

 

[Aupmanyav]

It is only the members of his sect who consider him to be an avatara. Others rever him as a great 'bhakta' and acharya. Gaudiya Vaishnavism is not the only form of Vaishnavism, there are other Vaishnava acharyas as well, like Ramanuja, Nimbarka, Madhva, and Vallabhacharya. It is just like some of the advaitist consider Sankara to be an avatara of Lord Shiva.

 

[Stormcry]

It is just like some of the advaitist consider Sankara to be an avatara of Lord Shiva.

Nope! He was avatar of Lord Vishnu. He was surely not of Lord Shiva. Because he had a Darshana of Bhagavan Shiva.. There's a promise of Vishnu that whenever great adharma arises he incarnates. Adharma in the form of Buddhism was shattering Hinduism and so Vishnu took the great incarnation..

 

[StarryNightshade]

I'm a Sri Vaishnava, but as @Aupmanyav said, only Gaudiyas view him as an avatar of Krishna. I view him as a great saint, maybe even an acharya, but not as an avatar.

 

[Acintya_Ash]

Hare Krishna!

Anyhow, if you have any books to recommend reading to learn more about Chaitanya, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

A short biography on Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has been written by Srila Prabhupada in the Introduction of Srimad Bhagavatam ..Introduction | Bhaktivedanta Vedabase Online

Teachings of Lord Caitanya PDF Download | Krishna.org

 

[Stormcry]

For hindi readers, I've one book from my pdf collection ..They've given proofs from some scriptures ..

 

[Amrut]

Namaste,

I agree with Aup ji. We revere Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as a great Devotee Saint. Sri Ramakrishna said that he was an avatar of 'bhakti'. Sri Ramakrishna was also considered as an avatar and when someone asked directly to him, he would either ignore or simply say 'I dont know. I am just a child of Kaali Maa'. But once when someone technically asked him that you simply cannot be an avatar, as only 10 incarnation or 24 incarnations are considered, then in response to this claim, Sri Ramakrishna pointed out that bhAgavat purANa has left many empty spaces for other incarnations. (probably he was referring to a verse BP 1.3.26 in which describes that no of incarnations can be as much as waves of ocean')

So technically he can be, but his sainthood cannot be questioned.

OM

 

[Chakra]

Sri Vaishnavas generally have no problem accepting other Acharyas as incarnations of various devas, mainly due to their devotion to Vishnu and their astounding knowledge. For example, we can accept Madhva as Vayu or Shankara as Shiva. To accept Chaitanya as Krishna himself, would be problematic. This is because Krishna is perfect, and everything that he says is true. If Chaitanya were an incarnation, then his siddhanta alone would be correct, and since Sri Vaishnavas do not have the same siddhanta as Chaitanya, he cannot be considered an incarnation of Krishna for Sri Vaishnavas (unless we find evidence to the contrary). At least in my opinion.

 

[ratikala]

 

[von bek]

Thought I might share this video here as there may be some who would enjoy seeing it:

 

[ratikala]

Jai Jai , ...Me likes very much , ....

Jaya Jaganatha Jaya Baladeva Jaya Subahdra Devi​

 

[Stormcry]

What's this? Krishna taught Advaita in Uddhava Gita and Mahaprabhu insulted Advaita and its guru. So much contradiction!

 

[Stormcry]

If he's Krishna himself, he must be Advaitian. Otherwise it'd become Avatar like Buddha. Buddha was also Vishnu but he taught vedic teachings in the way atheists misunderstand it..

 

[punkdbass]

If he's Krishna himself, he must be Advaitian. Otherwise it'd become Avatar like Buddha. Buddha was also Vishnu but he taught vedic teachings in the way atheists misunderstand it..

Do you ever think God might be bigger than the label you wish to place on him?

Hari Krishna

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram H♥K ji

If he's Krishna himself, he must be Advaitian. Otherwise it'd become Avatar like Buddha. Buddha was also Vishnu but he taught vedic teachings in the way atheists misunderstand it..

I hate to say but it is not , nor never can be so black and white , ....
please remember that Krsna is all pervasive , he pervades the vedas which even had Lord Buddha turned them upside down and inside out for the purpose of re establishing moral principles and leading people away from adharma and towards liberation , he did so with a skillfulness beyond common understanding . ... and at a later point Buddhism in India had become entrenched in its own dogmatism Adi Shankaracharya came along to further the understanding of Advaita , folowd by Sri Ramanujacharya and Sri Madhavacharya , each refining the and furthering the prevailing thought of the day , and each opening up refined aspects of phylosopical understanding , .....these in turn followed by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Valabacharya both of whom furthered the development of Bhakti traditions .

some naievely assume that one school defeats the preceeding , this however is not so , (had they done so they would have died out completely) , each school if followed with pure dedication leads to liberation , but followed impurely leads only to phylosopical attatchment , if Sri Chaitanya finds fault with any thing he finds fault with the incompleteness of the philosophy this may not nececarily be that he insults Advaita but that he chalenges incomplete understanding of the principles being taught at that point in the name of Advaita , ...

even for Gaudiya Vaisnava's the understanding of Chaitanya Mahprabhu exists on many levels , but if his apperance can be explained in any simplified manner it was to not only establish the congregational chanting of the holy name , but to break the reliance upon phylosophical speculation and to open love of Godhead to all regardless of caste or tradition , thus he showed throught the example of his own life , in that even though he himself was in his early years a fine and learned scholar and logician , he trancended this path instead leading others into a path of devotion .

.....simply follow the all atractiveness of Sri Krsna , ..nothing else is needed , ...as one who follows will surely become attatched to Krsna ,

....thus one sees Krsna everywhere , ...yet craves never to be sepperated from such knowledge of Krsna ,...

prehaps one could say that without sepperation there canot be union and that even the supreme wishes seperation from himself to understand his own nature , thus Sri Krsna Chaitanya is golden as he comes in the mood of Srimati Radhrani to understand the mood of her love for him .

Jaya Sri Krsna Chaitanya , ....

 

[ShivaFan]

Part of answering the question here, is to first ask why, why is it, over 500 years after Lord Caitanya left the world, do people ask this question at all?

The answer to why, is because of the devotees of Caitanya. They have carried Lord Caitanya in their hearts generation to generation, decade to decade, from Bengal to the Land of the Oriya to now the entire world.

When I am dead, ShivaFan will quickly be forgotten. I have little doubt when you, or practically anyone on the Hinduism DIR is dead even if you think you are the greatest philosopher, you will be forgotten and your name and all of your debates and good doings and you will mean not much unless you give something good to your children than perhaps that goodness will live on with a piece of your heart.

You will likely be forgotten, yet you may ask for some reason, you may ask "Who is Caitanya?".

The Hindus may give you all kinds of answers. But if Caitanya matters, then you will only know if you ask Lord Caitanya yourself and see if Caitanya answers your question.

Now as for the opinions, really all that matters is not an opinion, or one sect giving you one scripture or another a different, those who tell you what they think Lord Caitanya's devotees say is Lord Caitanya then that is very helpful, even those Hindus who are not a devotee of Lord Caitanya but matter of factly tell you the truth of what the devotees say of Caitanya because of association, that is helpful. And better yet, the devotees themselves tell you.

What you do with it is just that, what you do with it and then go to Caitanya if you feel the need and ask. If there is no answer, than why should you care? If there is an answer, then that is nice for you.

I am not a member of the sect of devotees of Lord Caitanya. But because I know of the fame of Caitanya in Bengal and Orissa, and today in many parts of the world, I have no reason to lie about what the devotees of Lord Caitanya say regarding him. I may have misunderstood, but I will not lie.

In a few words, some of Lord Caitanya's devotees told me Caitanya is the manifestation of the mode of both separation and ecstasy between a devotee of Krishna and Krishna, much like the mode of separation and ecstasy between Radha and Krishna. Now different devotees will go into refined genres and rasas regarding these modes, that you can find out from them. But many if not most say that this bhaki of modes is in fact Krishna and so Caitanya can be said to be Krishna.

Now let me show you something interesting.

Shada bhuja or six armed form of Caitanya.

This lithograph is from the 1800s based on a long Bengali tradition of such depictions for hundreds of years.

It is a picture of Lord Caitanya.

You see Caitanya's goldren face, two arms of Rama, two arms of Krishna, two arms of Caitanya. When Caitanya went to see Lord Jagannath in Puri, Orissa, India, the Saint fell down unconscious before the Jagannath deities.

Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, who would become a devotee, was there with another Hindu. He took Caitanya to his home not very far away from the Temple as if to help him. When Caitanya was fully awaken, Bhattacharya started to teach Caitanya the impersonalist doctrine. This went on for hours, then days, and then all of a sudden Caitanya turned into this six armed form - sadbhuja - right in front of Bhattacharya. Now Bhattacharya was not a sanyasi, but he thought he was a great erudite of Hinduism.

He then became a devotee of Caitanya. Make of it what you will.

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram axlyz ji

Sri Vaishnavas generally have no problem accepting other Acharyas as incarnations of various devas, mainly due to their devotion to Vishnu and their astounding knowledge. For example, we can accept Madhva as Vayu or Shankara as Shiva. To accept Chaitanya as Krishna himself, would be problematic.

this responce sadens me greatly , I find it interesting that Sri Ramanujacharya is considered by many to be an incarnation of Ananta Sesa , (Adi Sesa) which is utterly beautifull and acceptable to me as he came to instal the conch and chakra in the hands of Sri Venkateswara establish the correct worship in many temples in the south . Thus he supports and gives shelter to Lord Visnu acting as a great protector , whilst I have also heard it said that he is an incarnation of Baladeva , and of Laksmi Devi , , ..in either case as brother and as consort both accompany Krsna where ever he appears , .thus Sri Ramanuja further supports the Worship of Visnu through Laksmi Devi's gift of learning and Balarama's devotion .

This is because Krishna is perfect, and everything that he says is true. If Chaitanya were an incarnation, then his siddhanta alone would be correct, and since Sri Vaishnavas do not have the same siddhanta as Chaitanya, he cannot be considered an incarnation of Krishna for Sri Vaishnavas (unless we find evidence to the contrary). At least in my opinion.

what evidence do you look for , what evedence would prove this matter , surely his devotion alone is the only evidence needed , ...Did he not as did Sri Ramanuja give freely the chanting of the holy name ? ...Did Lord Chaitanya not install Krsna in the heart and on the tongue of his devotees ? , who can do this , ..only Sri Krsna in the mood of Srimati Radharani as only Srimati Radharani fully understands the glories of Sri Krsna .

this idea of correct and superior siddhanta is the foolishness of the narrow minded , he who is constantly trying to prove the superiority of his siddhanta over that of another has little time left for the love of God , thus Lord Chaitanya abandoned all philosophy in favor of devotion .

siddhanta gives the accepted veiw it does not give the rasa .

 

[4M17]

Lord Chaitanya's incarnation is mentioned and predicted in numerous scriptures. The following are some of the important references.

In the Atharva Veda (Purusha-bodini Upanishad) it is said:

saptame gaura-varna-vishnor ity anena sva-shaktya
caikyam etya prante pratar avatirya saha svaih sva-manum shikshayati

"In the seventh manvantara, the Supreme Lord will, accompanied by His own associates, descend in a golden form. He will teach the chanting of His own Holy Names."

It is further stated in the Atharva Veda:

itotham krta sannyaso'vatarisyami sa-guno nirvedo
niskamo bhu-girvanas tira-atho' lakanandayah kalau
catuh-sahasrabdhopari panca-sahasrabhyantare
gaura-varno dirghangah sarva-laksana-yukta isvara-
prarthito nija-rasasvado bhakta-rupo misrakhyo vidita-yogah syam

"The Supreme Lord Himself says: When between four thousand and five thousand years of Kali-yuga have passed, I will descend to the earth in a place by the Ganges' shore. I will be a tall, saintly brahmana Devotee of the Lord, and have a golden complexion. I will be renounced and free from all desire. I will accept the order of renunciation (sannyasa). I will be a Devotee advanced in bhakti-yoga. I will chant the Holy Names of the Lord. I will taste the sweet mellows of My own devotional service. Only the great Devotees will understand Me."

In the Sama Veda the Lord states:

tathaham krta sannyaso bhu-girvano 'vatarisye
tire'lakanandayah punah punah isvara-prarthitah sa-
parivaro niralambo nirdhuteh kali-kalmasa-kavalita-
janavalambanaya

"To deliver the people devoured by the sins of Kali-yuga, I will, accompanied by My associates, descend to the earth in a place by the Ganges shore. I will be a brahmana avadhuta sannyasi. Again and again I will chant the Holy Names of the Lord."


"To deliver the people devoured by the sins of Kali-yuga, I will, accompanied by My associates, descend to the earth in a place by the Ganges shore. I will be a brahmana avadhuta sannyasi. Again and again I will chant the Holy Names of the Lord." (In the image: Pancha Tattva dancing before Lord Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra Mayi).

In the Krishna Upanishad it is stated:

sa eva bhagavan yuge turiye 'pi brahma-kule jayamanah sarva upanishadah uddidirshuh sarvani dharma-shastrani vistarayishnuh sarvan api janan santarayishnuh sarvan api vaishnavan dharman vijrimbhayan sarvan api pashandan nicakhana


"In the Kali-yuga, Lord Krishna will appear in a brahmana's family. He will teach the message of the Upanishads and the dharma-shastras. He will defeat the atheists and offenders and He will establish the truth of Vaishnava dharma."

In the eleventh canto of Srimad Bhagavatam the following verse is found:

 

[4M17]

krishna-varnam tvishakrishnam
sangopangastra-parshadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair
yajanti hi su-medhasah

"In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead, who constantly sings the name of Krishna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons, and confidential companions."

In the seventh canto of Srimad Bhagavatam is the following verse describing the Lord's incarnations:

channah kalau yad abhava tri-yugo 'tha sa tvam

"Because in Kali-yuga You appear in a covered incarnation, you are therefore known as Tri-yuga (one who appears in only three yugas)."

The incarnation of Sri Chaitanya is a hidden incarnation because He appears in the guise of His Devotee. This covered incarnation is confirmed in both the Adi Purana and the Narada Purana in the following verse:

aham eva dvija-shreshtho
nityam pracchanna-vigrahah
bhagavad-bhakta-rupena
lokam rakshami sarvada

"My true identity always concealed, I will assume the form of a brahmana Devotee of the Lord. In this form I will deliver the worlds."

In the Kurma Purana the following statement is found:

kalina dahyamananam
uddharaya tanu-bhritam
janma prathama-sandhyayam
bhavishyati dvi jalaye

"To deliver the conditioned souls burning in the troubles of Kali-yuga, in the first sandhya of that age the Lord will take birth in a brahmana's home."

In the Garuda Purana the Lord Himself states:


kalina dahyamananam
paritranaya tanu-bhritam
janma prathama-sandhyayam
karishyami dvi jatishu

"To deliver the conditioned souls burning in the troubles of Kali-yuga, in the first sandhya of that age I will take birth among the brahmanas."

aham purno bhavishyami
yuga-sandhau visheshatah
mayapure navadvipe
bhavishyami shaci-sutah

"In My original spiritual form, perfect and complete, I will become the son of Shachi-devi in Navadwipa Mayapura at the begining of Kali-yuga.

Sri Chaitanya was born in Mayapura, a subsection of the holy town of Navadwipa, to Shachi-devi in 1486 AD, aproximately 4,500 years after the beginning of the Kali-yuga.

Elsewhere in the Garuda Purana it is said:

kaleh prathama-sandhyayam
lakshmi-kanto bhavishyati
daru-brahma-samipa-sthah
sannyasi gaura-vigrahah

"In the first sandhya of Kali-yuga, the Lord will assume a golden form. First He will be the husband of Lakshmi, and then He will be a sannyasi who stays near Lord Jagannatha at Puri."


After taking sannyasa He left Navadwipa in Bengal, and resided in the holy city of Puri in Orissa. Lord Jagannatha, the presiding Deity of Puri is known in the Puranas by the name daru-brahma or "the Lord who is wood". This is because the Jagannatha Deities in Puri are made from Neem wood.

Sri Chaitanya first married His eternal consort Sri Lakshmi-priya Devi before taking sannyasa at the age of twenty-four. After taking sannyasa He left Navadwipa in Bengal, and resided in the holy city of Puri in Orissa. Lord Jagannatha, the presiding Deity of Puri is known in the Puranas by the name daru-brahma or "the Lord who is wood". This is because the Jagannatha Deities in Puri are made from Neem wood.

Also in the Garuda Purana:

yo reme saha-ballavi ramayate vrindavane 'har-nisham
yah kamsam ni jaghana kaurava-rane yah pandavanam sakha
so 'yam vainava-danda-mandita-bhujah sannyasa-veshah svayam
nihsandeham upagatah k****i-tale caitanya-rupah prabhuh

"The Supreme Lord who enjoyed pastimes with the gopis, who day and night filled the people of Vrindavana with happiness, who killed kamsa, and who in the war between the Kauravas made friendship with the Pandavas, will come again to the earth. Of this there is no doubt. His arm will be decorated with a bamboo danda (stick), He will be a sannyasi and His name will be Chaitanya."

The custom is that one begins carrying a bamboo rod (danda) after one takes sannyasa. Sri Chaitanya was an eka-danda sannyasi, thus He carried a single bamboo rod.

In the Devi Purana we find the following statement:

 

[4M17]

nama-siddhanta-sampatti
prakashana-parayanah
kvacit sri-krishna-chaitanya-
nama loke bhavishyati

"The Lord will again appear in this world. His name will be Sri Krishna Chaitanya and He will spread the chanting of the Lord's Holy Names.

Sri Chaitanya perfectly illuminated the glories of the nama-siddhanta as predicted in this verse.

In the Nrisimha Purana it is mentioned:

satye daitya-kuladhi-nasha-samaye simhordhva-martyakritis
tretayam dasa-kandharam paribhavan rameti namakritih
gopalan paripalayan vraja-pure bharam haran dvapare
gaurangah priya-kirtanah kali-yuge caitanya-nama prabhuh

"The Supreme Lord, who in the Satya-yuga appeared as a half-man half-lion to cure a terrible disease that had ravaged the daityas, and who in Treta-yuga appeared as Rama, a person who defeated the ten-headed Ravana , and who in Dvapara-yuga removed the earth's burden and protected the gopa people of Vraja-pura, will appear again in the Kali-yuga. His form will be golden, He will delight in chanting the Lord's Holy Names, and His name will be Chaitanya."

In the Padma Purana we find the following statement from the Lord:

kaleh prathama-sandhyayam
gaurango 'ham mahi-tale
bhagirathi-tate ramye
bhavishyami shaci-sutah

"In the first sandhya of Kali-yuga I will appear on the earth in a beautiful place by the Gange's shore. I will be the son of Shachi-devi and My complexion will be golden."

In the Narada Purana the Lord says:

aham eva kalau vipra
nityam pracchanna-vigrahah
bhagavad-bhakta-rupena
lokan rakshami sarvada

"O brahmana, in the age of Kali I will appear disguised as a Devotee of the Lord and I will deliver all the worlds."

divija bhuvi jayadhvam
jayadhvam bhakta-rupinah
kalau sankirtanarambhe
bhavishyami shaci-sutah

"O demigods, in the Kali-yuga take birth as Devotees on the earth. I will appear as the son of Shachi in Kali-yuga to start the sankirtana movement."

Nama-sankirtana, or the chanting of the Lord's names is the yuga dharma for the age of Kali. Establishing this was Sri Chaitanya's primary purpose for incarnating.

In the Bhavishya Purana we find:

anandashru-kala-roma-
harsha-purnam tapo-dhana
sarve mam eva drakshyanti
kalau sannyasa-rupinam


"O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like many years. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in your absence." (In the image: Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya with tears in His eyes).

"O sage whose wealth is austerity, in the Kali-yuga everyone will see My form as a sannyasi, a form filled with tears of bliss and bodily hairs standing erect in ecstacy."

Sri Chaitanya would always display such symptoms of pure love of Krishna. When chanting the names of the Lord tears would flow from His eyes, and the hair on His body would stand erect. In his life Sri Chaitanya personally only composed eight verses known as Shikshashtakam. In the sixth verse He states:

nayanam galad-ashru-dharaya
vadanam gadgada-ruddhaya gira
pulakair nicitam vapuh kada
tava nama-grahane bhavishyati

"O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your Holy Name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name?"

Then in the seventh verse He says:

yugayitam nimeshena
cakshusha pravrishayitam
shunyayitam jagat sarvam
govinda-virahena me

"O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like many years. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in your absence."

These emotional symptoms of devotion were constantly being displayed by Sri Chaitanya.

In the Matsya Purana the following statement is made by the Lord:

mundo gaurah su-dirghangas
tri-srotas-tira-sambhavah
dayaluh kirtana-grahi
bhavishyami kalau yuge

"In the Kali-yuga I will take birth in a place where three rivers meet. I will be golden color and tall. I will have a shaven head. I will be very merciful, and I will eagerly chant the Holy Names."

The place where three rivers meet is Navadwipa. It is the custom that eka-danda sannyasis completely shave their head when they take sannyasa, and Sri Chaitanya followed this principle.

This same verse is also found in the Vayu Purana with just two words appearing differently. The Vayu Purana verse mentions the Ganges river instead of 'three rivers'.

In the Vamana Purana the Lord says:


kali-ghora-tamas-channat
sarvan acara-var jitan
shaci-garbhe ca sambhuya
tarayishyami narada

"O Narada, taking birth in Shachi-devi's womb, I will deliver the sinful people from the terrible darkness of Kali-yuga."

In the Vayu Purana the Lord states:

paurnamasyam phalgunasya
phalguni-riksha-yogatah
bhavishye gaura-rupena
shaci-garbhe purandarat

"In the month of Phalguna, when the star phalguni is conjoined with the full moon, I will appear in a golden form begotten by Purandara in Shachi-devi's womb."

Sri Chaitanya's father was known by the names Purandara Mishra and Jagannatha Mishra. Sri Chaitanya was born on the full moon day of the month of Phalguna.