Sri Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami was born 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 das. The deity of Gaura-Nityananda installed by Sri Kaviraja Gosvami is still being worshiped there. It appears that his family line is no more. More information about the early life of Sri Kaviraja is available in a book called Ananda-ratnavali. In Caitanya caritamrta, Adi-lila chapter five, Sri Kaviraja relates the cause of his leaving family life: “Lord Nityananda Prabhu had a servant named Sri Minaketana Ramadasa, who was a reservoir of love. At my house there was sankirtana day and night, and therefore he visited there, having been invited. Absorbed in emotional love, he sat in my courtyard, and all the Vaisnavas bowed down at his feet. In a joyful mood of love of God he sometimes climbed upon the shoulder of someone offering obeisances, and sometimes he struck others with his flute or mildly slapped them. When someone saw the eyes of Minaketana Ramadasa, tears would automatically flow from his own eyes, for a constant shower of tears flowed from the eyes of Minaketana Ramadasa. Sometimes there were eruptions of ecstacy like kadamba flowers on some parts of his body, and sometimes one limb would be stunned while another would be trembling. Whenever he shouted aloud the name Nityananda, the people around him were filed with great wonder and astonishment. “One respectable brahmana named Sri Gunarnava Misra was serving the Deity. When Minaketana was seated in the yard, this brahmana did not offer him respect. Seeing this, Sri Ramadasa became angry and spoke. “‘Here I find the second Romaharsana suta, who did not stand to show honor when he saw Lord Balarama.’ “After saying this, he danced and sang to his heart’s content, but the brahmana did not become angry, for he was then serving Lord Krsna. At the end of the festival Minaketana Ramadasa went away, offering his blessings to everyone. At that time he had some controversy with my brother. My brother had firm faith in Lord Caitanya but only a dim glimmer of faith in Lord Nityananda.
Knowing this, Sri Ramadasa felt unhappy in his mind. I then rebuked my brother. “‘These two brothers,’ I told him, ‘are like one body; They are identical manifestations. If you do not believe in Lord Nityananda, you will fall down. If you have faith in one but disrespect the other, your logic is like the logic of accepting half a hen.
It would be better to be an atheist by slighting both brothers than a hypocrite by believing in one and slighting the other. ‘”Thus Sri Ramadasa broke his flute in anger and went away, and at that time my brother fell down. “That night, because He was pleased with the chastisement that Krsnadasa gave his brother for offending His dear devotee Mineketana Ramadasa, Lord Nityananda appeared in his dreams and declared: Are are krsnadasa, na karaha bhaya, vrndavana yaha, tanha sarva larya haya “O my dear Krsnadasa, do not be afraid. Go to Vrndavana, for there you will attain all things.” [C.C. Adi 5.195] Thus receiving the mercy of Lord Nityananda in his dream, he started for Vrndavana with a joyful mind. The lotus feet of the spiritual master of Sri Kaviraja are none other than those of Lord Nityananda Himself. He accepted the Gosvamis Sri Rupa, Sri Sanatana, Sri Jiva, Sri Raghunatha, Sri Raghunatha Bhatta and Sri Gopala Bhatta as his instructing spiritual masters. From Sri Lokanatha Gosvami and Sri Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami he begged permission to write Sri Caitanya caritamrta. 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 Gosvami is to be found. Sri Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami compiled the following books still extant: Sri Govinda lilamrta, Krsna karnamrta commentary (Sarangaurangada [kangada?] tika) and of course, Sri Caitanya caritamrta.
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“The author of Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, stands as the direct disciple of Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami.
The direct disciple of Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami was Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, who accepted Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti as his servitor. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura accepted Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji, the spiritual master of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who in turn accepted Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji, the spiritual master of Om Vishnupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, the divine master of our humble self.” (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita chapter 1. “The Spiritual Masters”.)
Born:1496 (Christian) Diappearence: 12th day bright fortnight month of Asvin (the year is not known).
Note: Special thanks to Jaya Tirtha Caran prabhu from NZ for allowing us to use some of the content from his site to compile these pages.