Krishnadas Kaviraj

Krishnadas Kaviraj

Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami was the author of the 'Chaitanya Charitamrita', a hagiography on the life of the mystic and saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is considered by the Gaudiya Vaishnava school of Hinduism to be an incarnation of Radha and Krishna combined.

Early Life

Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami was born in 1496 in a Nadiya family of physicians at the village of Jhamatpur, within the district of Barddhaman, near Naihati. His father was Sri Bhagiratha, and his mother was Sri Sunanda. He had a younger brother named Syama Dasa. The deity of Gaura-Nityananda installed by Sri Kaviraj Goswami is still being worshiped there.[1]

Shelter of the Goswamis

Krishnadas Kaviraj was a renunciate who took shelter of the Goswamis — Sri Rupa, Sri Sanatana, Sri Jiva, Sri Raghunatha, Sri Raghunatha Bhatta and Sri Gopala Bhatta — as his instructing spiritual masters. From Sri Lokanatha Goswami and Sri Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami he begged permission to write Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, a definitive biography of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Lokanatha directed Sri Kaviraj that he desired to be unmentioned in his book; that is why, in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, hardly a reference about Lokanatha Goswami is to be found.

Literary Achievements

Sri Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami compiled the following books-

  1. Sri Govinda-lilamrta
  2. Krsna-karnamrta commentary (Saranga-rangada kangada tika)
  3. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.