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The Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Disciplic Succession

and Its Unique Characteristics

of Which We are a Part

by Stephen Knapp

It is established that everyone who seeks spiritual knowledge and enlightenment must accept a genuine teacher. Even if one has already attained enlightenment in a previous life and is automatically born with such knowledge, proper etiquette dictates that one approaches a spiritual master. Such a master must be in an authorized sampradaya, or line of disciplic succession of other spir

Svarupa Damodar Goswami

Shri Svarupa Damodara is an eternal associate and friend of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Previously his name was Shri Purushottama Acharya. He lived in Nabadwipa. He always stayed with Mahaprabhu. When Shriman Mahaprabhu took sannyasa, he became half-mad. He went to Varanasi and took sannyasa from a sannyasi named Chaitanyananda, who ordered him to study Vedanta and teach it to the people in general.

Shri Purushottama Acharya did not accept the dress of a sannyasi, but only g

Sivananda Sena

Every year one month before caturmasya (four month period of the rainy season) Sivananda Sena would lead a party of two hundred devotees from Bengal to Jagannatha Puri to attend the annual Ratha-Yatra festival. He would pay for everyone's food, tolls, ferries, and lodging. He personally arranged for their com­fort.

Sivananda Sena showed Vaisnava compassion for all living entities, be they man or beast. When a stray dog joined the party Sivananda Sena fed the dog and even paid his bo

Sita Thakurani

Shri Sita Thakurani is to be worshiped just as much as Sachidevi herself, as the mother of the universe. She is the eternal wife of Shri Advaita Acharya. She was the daughter of Shri Nrishinga Baduri. She was married to Shri Advaita Acharya in Phuliya Nagara. After their wedding, Advaita Acharya went to Nadiya, to live in Shantipura. Sita Thakurani was always absorbed in vatsalya prema for Shri Gaurasundara Prabhu, and, out of parental concern used to instruct Jagannatha Mishra on

Shyamananda Prabhu

"Simply by accepting that the associates of Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are eternally perfect one may attain the service of Krishna in Vrindavana."—Narottam Das Thakura.

Shri Shyamananda, Shrinvasa and Shri Narottama Dasa Thakura are all eternal associates of Shri Gaurasundara. For the purpose of preaching the holy message of Sri Caitanya all over the earth they appeared within this world.

Shri Shyamananda Prabhu was born in Utkala, in a place called Dharenda Bhadura Pura. His fathe

Shrivasa Thakura

That person who was the Vyasa of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes—Shrimad Vrindavan Das Thakura—speaks of Shrivas Pandit in his Shri Chaitanya Bhagavata:

"In Navadwip Dham lived the holy Pandit Shri Shrivas,

And at his temple Caitanya performed his sweet vilas.

Srivas and his brothers always sang the holy name,

And did their Krishna-puja and Ganges bath three times a day."

Shrivas, Shrirama, Shripati and Shrinidhi were four brothers. They used to live in Shri Hatta, but after some time

Shrinivasa Acharya

Shrinivasa's father's name was Shri Gangadhara Bhattacharya. Later he became known as Chaitanya Das. His wife's name was named Shri Laksmipriya. He lived on the banks of the Ganges in a village called Chakhandi Gram.

When Shri Gaurasundara ended his Nabadwip lila he went to the ashram of Keshava Bharati to accept sannyasa, news of their conversation was proclaimed far and wide. From all around thousands and thousands of people to see the sannyasa of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. At

Shri Abhirama Gopal Thakura

Shri Abhirama Gopal Thakura was also known as Shri Rama Das. He was a great devotee of Lord Nityananda. On the order of Shri Nityananda Prabhu, he became a great acharya and preacher of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.He was a very influential personality, and atheists and blasphemers were very much afraid of him. Empowered by Shri Nityananda Prabhu, he was always in ecstasy and was kind to all fallen souls. It is siad that if he offered obeisances to any stone other than a shalag

Saranga Thakura

Sri Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami has written: “Ramadasa, Kavidatta, Sri Gopala dasa, Bhagavat acarya, and Thakura Saranga dasa were all important branches of the Sri Caitanya tree.” (C.C. adi 10.113)

Sri Saranga Murari Thakura is also sometimes known as Sarnga Murari, Sarnga Pani, or Saranga Dhara. He lived on the banks of the Ganges in Modradrumadvipa in Nabadwipa dhama in what is now known as Mamagacchi. At present in that place there is a temple of Radha-Gopinatha. The old temple

Rasikananda Dev

In the Christian year 1590, on the 18th day of the month of Karttika, on the night of the Diwali festival, Shri Rasikananda dev took birth within this world. His father, Raja Shri Achyutadev was the zamindara of a place which was known as Rayani or Rohini. He had been sonless for a long time, and felt that by the grace of the Lord of the Universe, he had finally got a jewel of a son. Shri Rasikananda's other name was Murari. When his son Murari was a young man, Raja Achyutananda a

Ramchandra Kaviraja

Srila Narottama dasa Thakura has sung: “daya koro sri acarya prabhu srinivasa, ramacandra sanga mage narottama dasa—O Srinivasa acarya Prabhu, kindly have mercy upon me; Narottama dasa always prays for the association of Ramacandra Kaviraja.”

Sri Ramacandra Kaviraja was one of the internal associates of Narottama Thakura. The two of them were practically inseparable. Sri Ramacandra Kaviraja had obtained the full mercy and blessings of Srinivasa acarya. Sri Ramacandra Kaviraja's

Ramanuja

caitradram sambhavam visnor darsana-sthapanotsukam

tundira-mandale sesa-murtim ramanujam bhaje

“I worship Sripad Ramanuja, the incarnation of Ananta, who took birth in the month of Caitra (April-May) under the sixth lunar mansion in the Tundirades, and who came upon this earth to establish the philosophy of Sri Visnu.”

Four major schools or sampradayas of Vaisnavism are considered authorized by Vaisnavas everywhere: the Brahma, Sri, Rudra, and Kumara Sampradayas. While Gaudiya Vaisnavas fol

Ramananda Raya

Before Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu met Ramananda Raya, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya told the Lord that no other devotee's knowledge of Radha-Krishna's madhurya rasa [devotion in the mood of love] compares with Ramananda Raya's. Although Lord Caitanya was half the age of forty year old Ramananda when they met, the Lord said, "My dear Ramananda, both you and I are madmen and therefore we meet intimately on an equal level." Outwardly he acted as the Governor of Madras, but he was a poet, Sansk

Raghunandana Thakura

Shri Mukunda Dasa, Shri Madhava Dasa and Shri Narahari Sarakara Thakura were three brothers who lived in Shri Khanda. Shri Mukunda Dasa Thakura's son was Shri Raghunandan Thakura. Mukunda Dasa Thakura was the doctor in the court of the muslim king. He was always absorbed in Krishna, whatever work he did.

An example of this is found in what happened to Mukunda Dasa one day when he went to the court of the king to give him some medical advice. The king was seated on an elevated

Purushottama dasa Thakura

From the time he was a small boy, Purusottama dasa Thakura was dedicated to constantly meditating on the lotus feet of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. In Caitanya-Caritamrta (C.C. adi 11.38—39), Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami has written: “The twenty-third and twenty fourth prominent devotees of Nityananda Prabhu were Sadasiva Kaviraja and his son Purusottama dasa, who was the tenth gopala. Since birth, Purusottama dasa Thakura was merged in the service of the lotus feet of Lord Nity

Pundarika Vidyanidhi

A disciple of Sri Madhavendra Puri, Pundarika Vidyanidhi was Sri Gadadhara Pandit's guru, and an intimate friend of Svarupa Damodara.

Once in Jagannatha Puri, Pundarika Vidyanidhi met Svarupa Damodara after a long separation. In a joyful mood of friendship Pundarika and Svarupa wanted to take the dust from each other's feet. A scuffle began as they tried to simultaneously catch the feet of one another, but at the same time, avoid having their own feet caught. Both being quite

Nityananda Prabhu

From Caitanya Bhagavata, Adi-lila, Chapter Nine

Chapter Summary

This chapter describes the childhood pastimes of Nityananda up to his twelfth year, during which time he re-enacted the divine pastimes of Krsna, Rama, Vamana, and the other avataras of Vishnu. This chapter also describes his tour of different holy places which continued until his twentieth year.

On the order of Gaura Krsna, Ananta Deva had already made his appearance in the village of Ekacakra in Radades. In this way,