Chaitanya

Description

A saint, a reformer, an avatar of Lord Krishna—Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1533) is perceived as all these and many others. In this book on Chaitanya, Amiya P. Sen focuses on the discourses surrounding the mystic’s life, which ended rather mysteriously at the age of 48.

Written in a lucid manner and for a wider audience, this book is a fresh attempt to historically reconstruct Chaitanya’s life and times in Bengal and Odisha, as well as Vrindavan, the key centre of medieval Vaishnavism in north India. This work critically evaluates how Chaitanya has been understood contemporaneously and posthumously, particularly as an icon in colonial Bengal. Addressing an important gap in scholarship, which hitherto concentrated on religious and philosophical discourses, Sen offers a full-length biographical account of Nimai or Gaur by drawing on a wide range of sources in English and Bengali. He also argues against the belief that Chaitanya is the sole proponent of Vaishnava bhakti in Bengal, choosing to situate him in the wider devotional cultures of the region.

About the Author

Amiya P. Sen is a historian, author, and academician with a special interest in the intellectual and cultural history of colonial Bengal.

Table of contents

Preface

Glossary

1 Introduction

2 Sources on the Life of Chaitanya

3 The Life and Times of Krishna Chaitanya

4 Chaitanya’s Companions, Associates, Devotees, and Followers

5 Chaitanya in His Times and in Ours

Appendices:

Appendix A: Chronology of Events in Chaitanya’s Life

Appendix B: Printing History of Major Sanskrit and Bengali Hagiographies of Chaitanya (c.19th–20th Century): Select Editions

Appendix C: Major Biographical Works on Prominent Devotees and Followers of Chaitanya in Print (c.19th–20th Century): Select Editions

Appendix D: List of Prominent Temples Dedicated to Chaitanya and Nityananda: Bengal (c.19th–20th Century)

Appendix E: Major Anthologies of Vaishnava Verse in Print (c. 19th–20th Century)

Appendix F: Bengali Translations of the Bhagavat Purana in Print (c.19th Century)

Annotated Bibliography

Index

About the Author