Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal (present-day Malda division of West Bengal and Rajshahi division of Bangladesh) or the ancient Gauda Kingdom (present-day West Bengal and Bangladesh), while Vaishnavism means "the worship of Vishnu". The tradition is part of Krishnaism, a Krishna-centric branch of Vaishnavism.
The theological basis of Gaudiya Vaishnavism is primarily the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavata Purana, and it was systemetized by the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan and others.
The focus of Gaudiya Vaishnavism is the devotional worship (known as bhakti yoga) of the deities Radha and Krishna, and their divine incarnations, regarded as the supreme forms of God (Svayam Bhagavan). This worship commonly takes the form of singing the holy names of Radha and Krishna, including "Hare", "Krishna" and "Rama", most often in the Hare Krishna mantra, accompanied by kirtan and dancing.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Bengal became the center of a Hindu religious revival. Gaudiya Vaishnavism influenced or served as the basis for several new religious movements, such as the Gaudiya Math, from which international active institutions were later emerged. These include the Gaudiya Mission and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, often called the "Hare Krishna Movement". Scholar Ferdinando Sardella estimates the number of Gaudiya Vaishnavism adherents at between 30 to 50 million, concentrated primarily in the regions of Orissa, Manipur, West Bengal and Bangladesh.
Philosophical concepts Living beings According to Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy, consciousness is not a product of matter but a manifestation of the soul (jiva). All living beings (jivas), including animals and trees, possess a soul. The soul is distinct from the physical body and is described as eternal, immutable, and indestructible, with neither birth nor death. When the body dies, the soul transmigrates to another body and takes new birth. Souls captivated by the illusory nature of the world (Maya) are repeatedly reborn among 8.4 million species of life on this planet and in other worlds, in accordance to the laws of karma and individual desire. This concept of samsara (the cycle of rebirth) is consistent with beliefs found in Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism.
Release from samsara (known as moksha) is generally considered the ultimate aim of life and is believed achievable through various spiritual practices. However, within Gaudiya Vaishnavism, the ultimate aim is not liberation from the cycle of rebirth but rather bhakti in its purest state or "pure love of God." The tradition further asserts that in the current yuga (age), Kali Yuga, singing and chanting the sacred names of Krishna is sufficient for spiritual liberation.
Supreme Person (God)
A defining aspect of Gaudiya Vaishnavism is the worship of Krishna specifically as the source of all avataric incarnations of God. Theologians cite verse 1.3.28 of the Bhagavata Purana, "krsnastu bhagavan svayam" (literally "Krishna is God Himself"), as scriptual support for this view. The theologian Jiva Gosvami calls this phrase the "paribhasha-sutra" (definitive rule) of Gaudiya Vaishnava theology and a mahavakya (governing proposition).
Inconceivable oneness and difference
A distinctive element of Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy, as taught by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, is the concept of Achintya Bheda Abheda, which translates to "inconceivable oneness and difference." This concept applies both to the soul's relationship with Krishna, and to Krishna's relationship with his other energies, including the material world.
In terms of quality, the soul (jiva) is described as identical to God. In terms of quantity, however, individual souls are said to be infinitesimal in comparison to the unlimited Supreme Being. The exact nature of this relationship simultaneously one and different with Krishna, and different from him is considered inconceivable to the human mind but accessible through the practice of Bhakti yoga.
This philosophy is presented as a synthesis of two opposing schools of Hindu philosophy: pure monism (which holds God and the soul as one entity) and pure dualism (which holds them as absolutely separate). The concept largely recapitulates the qualified nondualism (Vishishtadvaita) of older Vedantic school but emphasizes the Krishna over Narayana and prioritizes holy sites in Vrindavan and Bengal over sites in Tamil Nadu. In practice, Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy has more in common with the dualistic schools, particularly following the theological traditions established by Madhvacharya's Dvaita Vedanta.
Scriptural foundations The theological basis of Gaudiya Vaishnavism is primarily that the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavata Purana (known within the tradition as the Srimad Bhagavatam), as interpreted by early followers of Chaitanya, such as Sanatana Goswami, Rupa Goswami, Jiva Goswami, Gopala Bhatta Goswami and others.
Gaudiya Vaishnava theology is extensively expounded by Jiva Goswami in his Sat-sandarbhas, six detailed treatises on various aspects of God. Other prominent theologians include his uncles, Rupa Gosvami, the author of Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu,Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-bindu, and Sanatana Gosvami, (author of Hari-bhakti-vilasa),Hari-bhakti-vilasa, Visvanatha Chakravarti, (author of Sri Camatkara-candrika)Sri Camatkara-candrika, and Baladeva Vidyabhushana (author of Govinda Bhashya).
Jiva Goswami wrote the Sat Sandarbhas as an analysis of the Bhagvata Purana to elaborate on Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's philosophy. The six treatises are:
Tattva: Defines absolute reality, dealing with epistemology and ontology. Establishes the Bhagavata Purana as the supreme means of knowledge (pramana). Bhagavat: Elaborates on the nature of Bhagavan, the complete manifestation amongst the three aspects of absolute reality mentioned in Bhagavata Purana 1.2.11. Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan are described as three aspects of the Absolute Reality as perceived by different types of spiritual aspirants. Paramatma: Describes Paramatma as a partial manifestation of Bhagavan. Krishna: Argues that Krishna is supreme Bhakti: Describes the process of attaining love for Krishna (bhakti or devotion). Outlines two types of bhakti: mixed and pure. Priti: Argues that priti (love) for Bhagavan is the highest goal (prayojana) of life Jiva Gosvami frequently references Sridhara Swami throughout the quoting from Sridhara Swami's commentary on the Bhagavata Purana (Bhavartha-dipika). In the Catuhsutri section of the Paramatma-sandarbha, Jiva Gosvami references Ramanuja's commentary on the Brahma Sutras.
Chaitanya Vaishnava traditions regard the writings of previous acharyas in their respective lineage (sampradya) as authoritative interpretations of scripture. While schools such as Smartism and Advaitism encourage philosophically and metaphorically interpretation of scriptures literal reading, Chaitanya Vaishnavism emphasizes literal meaning () as primary and indirect meaning () as secondary, following the principle: - "The instructions of the should be accepted literally, without fanciful or allegorical interpretations."Jiva Goswami, Sandarbha 29.26-27
Practices Bhakti and devotional life In Gaudiya Vaishnava theology, the practical process of performing devotional acts is described as bhakti or bhakti-yoga, supported by of nine different types activities . The two divisions of sadhana-bhakti (practice-based devotion) are vaidhi-bhakti and raganuga-bhakti. Rupa Goswami defines vaidhi-bhakti as that bhakti which is taken up not by natural liking but by consideration of scriptural injunctions. He describes the two categories of the highest bhakti as bhava-bhakti (devotion through intense emotion) and prema-bhakti (devotion of love). These two are essentially different intensities of the same participation in devotion via emotional expression. Raganuga-bhakti, in contrast, follows ragatmika-bhakti, the devotion present in Krishna's eternal associates, which is driven by raga (a natural absorption in the object of service.) Jiva Goswami's conclusion in Bhakti Sandarbha that raganuga-bhakti is the only viable pracess (abhidheya), recommended by the Bhagavatam. The goal of raganuga-bhakti is for the soul (jiva) to realize its true essential nature.
In his Siksastaka prayers, Chaitanya compares the process of bhakti-yoga to cleansing a dustty place, with human consciousness is the object in need of purification. This purification takes place largely through the chanting and singing of Radha and Krishna's names. Specifically, the Hare Krishna (mantra) is chanted and sung by practitioners on a daily basis, sometimes for many hours each day. Famously within the tradition, one of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's close associates, Haridasa Thakur, is reported to have chanted 300,000 holy names of God each day.Caitanya Caritamrita 1.10.43, 3.3.100, 3.3.176, 3.4.101, 3.7.48
Diet and lifestyle Gaudiya Vaishnavas follow a vegetarian diet, abstaining from all types of animal flesh, fish and eggs. Onion and garlic are also avoided as they are believed to promote a tamasic and rajasic form of consciousness in the eater. Some Gaudiya Vaishnavas, mainly from ISKCON and Gaudiya Matha, also avoid the intake of caffeine, as they believe it is addictive and an intoxicant.
Sampradaya and parampara A Guru—shishya tradition ("lineage" or parampara) denotes a succession of teachers and disciples within some sampradaya (school, tradition). In accordance with the tradition, Gaudiya Vaishnavism as a subschool belongs to the Brahma Sampradaya, one of the four "orthodox" Vaishnavite schools. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is said to be a disciple of Isvara Puri (fl. 14th century) who was a disciple of Madhavendra Puri (fl. 14th century) who was a disciple of Lakshmipati Tirtha (1420–1487) who was a disciple of Vyasatirtha (1469–1539) of the Madhva Sampradaya.Connection between Gaudiya and Madhva Sampradayas (PDF) The Gaudiya Vaishnavas call their tradition "Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya", which originates from Brahma and has Madhvacharya as the original acharya and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as the acharya-successor.
However, this traditional point is at least debatable. Some modern scholars and confessional authors critically assess and pair the Gaudiya Vaishnavism's affiliation with the Madhva tradition. For example, the famous American Indologist and historian of religion Guy L. Beck, with regard to the Chaitanya Sampradaya, notes the following historical events. The first time the Brahma-Madhva affiliation of Gaudiya Vaishnavism was propounded by Baladeva Vidyabhushana was in the 18th century. And to this day, there is no mention of Chaitanya in the annals of the Madhva Sampradaya. For secular scientists this means, originality and non-affiliation of Gaudiya Vaishnavism with other previous branches. At the same time, there is the consensus of scholars, that Chaitanya was initiated by the two gurus of a Vaishnava-oriented group within Adi Shankara's Dashanami order.
The Prameya Ratnawali of the above-mentioned gaudiya-acharya Baladeva Vidyabhushana contains the following canonical list of disciplic succession: Krishna, Brahma, Narada, Vyasa, Madhva, Padmanabha, Nrihari, Madhava, Akshobhya, Jayatirtha, Gyanasindhu, Dayanidhi, Vidyanidhi, Rajendra, Jayadharma, Purushottama, Brahmanya, Vyasatirtha, Lakshmipati Tirtha, Madhavendra Puri, Isvara Puri, and Chaitanya.https://www.indiadivine.org/prameya-ratnavali-of-baladeva-vidyabhushana/ Prameya Ratnavali of Baladeva Vidyabhushana (Text 7)