Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami

Srila  Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami

Sri Krsnadasa Kaviraja 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 Kaviraja Goswami is still being worshiped there.

Krsnadasa 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 Kaviraja 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.

Sri Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami compiled the following books: Sri Govinda-lilamrta, Krsna-karnamrta commentary (Saranga-rangada kangada tika) and of course, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.
 
Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami engaged in writing Caitanya-caritamata when he was very old, yet he presented the most wonderful literature about the activities of Lord Caitanya.

He was a disciple of Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami, a confidential follower of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's. Raghunatha Dasa, a renowned ascetic saint, heard and memorized all the activities of Caitanya Mahaprabhu told to him by Svarupa Damodara Gosvami. After the passing away of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Svarupa Damodara, Raghunatha Dasa, unable to bear the pain of separation from these objects of his complete devotion, traveled to Vrndavan, intending to commit suicide by jumping from Govardhana Hill. In Vrndavan, however, he encountered Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana Gosvami, two of the most confidential disciples of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They convinced him to to give up his planned suicide and impelled him to reveal to them the spiritually inspiring events of Lord Caitanya's later life. Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami was also residing in Vrndavan at this time, and Raghunätha Dasa Gosvami endowed him with a full comprehension of the transcendental life of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

By this time, contemporary and near contemporary scholars and devotees had already written several biographical works on the life of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. These included Sri Caitanya-carita, by Murari Gupta, Caitanya-mangala, by Locana Dasa Thakura, and Caitanya-bhagavata. This latter work, by Vrndavan Dasa Thakura, who was then considered the principal authority on Sri Caitanya's life, was highly revered. While composing his important work, Vrndavan Dasa, fearing that it would become too voluminous, avoided elaborately describing many of the events of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's life, particularly the later ones. Anxious to hear of these later pastimes, the devotees in Vrndavan requested Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, whom they respected as a great saint and scholar, to compose a book narrating these episodes in detail. Upon this request, and with the permission and blessings of the Madana-mohana Deity of Vrndavan, he began compiling Sri Caitanya - caritamrita, which, due to its literary excellence and philosophical thoroughness, is today universally regarded as the foremost work on the life and profound teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami commenced work on the text at a very advanced age and in failing health, as he vividly describes in the text itself: "I have now become too old and disturbed by invalidity. While writing, my hands tremble. I cannot remember anything, nor can I see or hear properly. Still I write, and this is a great wonder." That he completed the greatest literary gem of medieval India under such debilitating conditions is surely one of the wonders of literary history.