Caitanya sect

Caitanya sect

also spelled  Chaitanya 

      intensely emotional form of Hinduism that has flourished from the 16th century, mainly in Bengal and eastern Orissa, India. It takes its name from the medieval saint Caitanya (Chaitanya; 1485–1533), whose fervent devotion to Lord Krishna (Kṛṣṇa) inspired the movement. For Caitanya the legends of Krishna and his youthful beloved, Rādhā, were both symbolic of and the highest expressions of the mutual love between God and the human soul. bhakti (devotion) superseded all other forms of religious practice and was conceived as complete self-surrender to the divine will.

      The Caitanya movement had its beginnings in Navadvīpa (Bengal), the saint's birthplace. From the first, a favourite and characteristic form of worship was group singing known as klrtana. (kīrtana) This consisted of the singing of simple hymns and the repetition of God's name, accompanied by the sounding of a drum and cymbals and by a rhythmic swaying of the body that continued for several hours and usually resulted in states of religious exaltation.

      Caitanya was neither a theologian nor a writer, and organization of his followers was initially left up to his close companions, Nityānanda and Advaita. These three are called the three masters (prabhū), and their images are established in temples of the sect.

      A theology for the movement was worked out by a group of Caitanya's disciples who came to be known as the six gosvāmins (religious teachers; literally, “lords of cows”). At Caitanya's request, this group of scholars remained in Vṛndāvana, near Mathurā (Mathura), the scene of the Krishna-Rādhā legends. The six gosvāmins turned out a voluminous religious and devotional literature in Sanskrit, defining the tenets of the movement and its ritual practices. Their reestablishment of the pilgrimage sites of Vṛndāvana and Mathurā was an achievement of importance for all Vaiṣṇavas (devotees of Lord Vishnu [Viṣṇu]). Although Caitanya appears to have been worshipped as an incarnation of Krishna even during his lifetime, the theory of his dual incarnation, as Krishna and Rādhā in one body, was systematically developed only by the later Bengali hymnists.

      The present leaders of the sect, called gosvāmins, are (with some exceptions) the lineal descendants of Caitanya's early disciples and companions. The ascetics are known as vairāgins (the “dispassionate”).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Caitanya — ▪ Hindu mystic also spelled  Chaitanya,  in full  Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya,  or  Śrī Krishna Chaitanya,  also called  Gaurāṅga,  original name  Viśvambhara Miśra  born 1485, Navadvīpa, Bengal, India died 1533, Puri, Orissa       Hindu mystic whose mode …   Universalium

  • Caitanya, Sri Krishna — orig. Vishvambhara Mishra born 1485, Navadvipa, Bengal, India died 1533, Puri, Orissa Indian Hindu mystic. Born into a Brahman family, he became a teacher. While on a pilgrimage to perform his father s death anniversary ceremony, he had a… …   Universalium

  • Hinduism — /hin dooh iz euhm/, n. the common religion of India, based upon the religion of the original Aryan settlers as expounded and evolved in the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, etc., having an extremely diversified character with many… …   Universalium

  • West Bengal — a state in E India: formerly part of the province of Bengal. 50,900,000; 33,805 sq. mi. (87,555 sq. km). Cap.: Calcutta. Cf. Bengal (def. 1). * * * State (pop., 2001 prelim.: 80,221,171), northeastern India. It is bordered by Nepal and Bangladesh …   Universalium

  • Bangladesh — /bahng gleuh desh , bang /, n. republic in S Asia, N of the Bay of Bengal: a member of the Commonwealth of Nations; a former province of Pakistan. 125,340,261; 54,501 sq. mi. (141,158 sq. km). Cap.: Dhaka. Formerly, East Pakistan. * * *… …   Universalium

  • Svayam Bhagavan — This article is about a Hindu philosophical concept: the original or absolute manifestation of God. For other meanings, see Krishna (disambiguation) and Bhagavan (disambiguation). Svayam Bhagavan (IAST IAST|svayam bhagavān ), The Lord or Lord… …   Wikipedia

  • Indian philosophy — Any of the numerous philosophical systems developed on the Indian subcontinent, including both orthodox (astika) systems, namely, the Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa, and Vedanta schools of philosophy, and unorthodox (nastika) systems …   Universalium

  • Krishnaism — Krishnaism, is a term that is often used to describe a number of Hindu religious traditions, that are among the Hindu denominations centered on devotion to Radha Krishna or other forms of Krishna, or Vishnu in a sentiment of Krishna. [… …   Wikipedia

  • Radha Krishna — Hdeity infobox| Caption = Radha (right) Krishna (left), surrounded by gopis, in Mayapur Chandradoya Mandir, 2005 Name = Radha Krishna Sanskrit Transliteration = IAST| rādhā kṛṣṇa Devanagari = राधा कृष्ण Kannada = Pali Transliteration = Tamil… …   Wikipedia

  • South Asian arts — Literary, performing, and visual arts of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Myths of the popular gods, Vishnu and Shiva, in the Puranas (ancient tales) and the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics, supply material for representational and… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”