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Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

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Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Bengali: মহাপ্রভু শ্রীচৈতন্য দেব; Sanskrit: चैतन्य महाप्रभु, romanized: Caitanya Mahāprabhu), born Vishvambhara Mishra (IAST: Viśvambhara Miśra) (18 February 1486 – 14 June 1534), was an Indian Hindu saint from Bengal and the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna with bhajan-kirtan and dance influenced Vaishnavism in Bengal. He is often considered to be an incarnation of lord Krishna. He is also sometimes considered to be the combined Avatar of goddess Radha and lord Krishna.

He is considered the chief proponent of the Vedantic philosophy of Achintya Bheda Abheda. The concept of inconceivable difference in non-difference, known as achintya-bhedabheda, was explained later by Jiva Goswami in his book Bhagavat Sandharbha, and in his Sarva-samvadini.

Mahaprabhu founded Gaudiya Vaishnavism. He expounded Bhakti yoga and popularised the chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra. He composed the Shikshashtakam (eight devotional prayers).

Chaitanya is sometimes called Gauranga (IAST: Gaurāṅga) or Gaura due to his molten gold–like complexion. His birthday is celebrated as Gaura-purnima. He is also called Nimai because he was born underneath a Neem tree.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).

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Every soul has the same chance, and, in the long run, must become pure and free itself from Nature. But this universe will not cease, because it is infinite. This is the second theory. The first is called dualistic Vedânta; the second teaches that there is God, soul, and Nature, that soul and Nature form the body of God, and that these three form one unit. Believers in this second theory are called qualified…
Swami Vivekananda, Jnâna Yoga, Part II
States what Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is.
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But a better reason can be drawn from the state of glory itself. For in the reward to come a two-fold glory is looked for, spiritual and corporeal, not only in the human body to be glorified, but in the whole world which is to be made new. Now the spiritual glory began with the beginning of the world, in the blessedness of the angels, equality with whom is promised to the saints. It was fitting, then, that even from…
Aquinas Thomas, Summa Theologica, Part I
States what Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is.
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Other methods of deliverance from evil are in the excessive acts of penance performed by the Indians, to which a retreat within themselves is added. Now when the Indian thus internally collects himself, and retreats within his own thoughts, the moment of such pure concentration is called Brahma, the one and the clearly supersensuous state, which the understanding calls the highest possible existence. When this is so…
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Hegel's Lectures on the History of Philosophy
States what Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is.
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Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

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