Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami

Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami (c. 1520-1616), Kasturi-manjari in Krishna-lila, was born at Jhamatpur near Naihati. After he defended Nityananda Prabhu's glory before his own brother, Nityananda appeared to him in a dream and sent him to Vrindavan. There he took shelter of Rupa and Sanatana and lived at Radha-kunda beside Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami, hearing daily about Mahaprabhu's final pastimes in Puri. Asked by the Vrindavan devotees to complete the story of the Lord's life, he received Madana-mohana's garland as a sign of permission. Though old, nearly blind and with trembling hands, he wrote Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, completed around 1615. He also wrote Govinda-lilamrita, which earned him the title Kaviraja, king of poets, and a commentary on Krishna-karnamrita. His remains rest at the Teen Goswami Samadhi at Radha-kunda, and he shares a disappearance day with Raghunatha Dasa and Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvamis.

His Chaitanya-charitamrita fills in the pastimes Vrindavana Dasa Thakura had outlined but not described, and draws on the diaries of Svarupa Damodara and Murari Gupta and the memories of Raghunatha Dasa. Each chapter opens with prayers to the Lord and His associates and closes with a prayer to the feet of Rupa and Raghunatha. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said that if every book were lost except Chaitanya-charitamrita, humanity would still reach the ultimate goal. Srila Prabhupada's commentary made the work known throughout the world.

Lord Chaitanya is Radha and Krishna combined; Nityananda and Chaitanya are one and must be honoured equally; and one must never offend a Vaishnava.

Humility, Scholarship, Poetic mastery, Respect for Vaishnavas, Single-minded devotion