St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology (Aug 2024)
Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism
Abstract
This article examines various aspects of the Caitanya Vaiṣṇava tradition, a Hindu devotional tradition that centres on devotion to the deity Krishna (Kṛṣṇa). First, the entry provides a historical overview, followed by a description of how the tradition views Krishna as an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omniscient personal God. The article goes on to describe the three main components of the Caitanya Vaiṣṇava tradition’s theological framework. The first of these components is sambandha, or relationship. This knowledge of sambandha includes knowledge of Krishna’s relationship with his śaktis, or energies. These śaktis are māyā-śakti (the material energy which constitutes and creates this phenomenal world); jīva-śakti (the living entities); and svarūpa-śakti (the Lord’s personal energy which consists of his own nature). Krishna is simultaneously both one with and different from his śaktis, and the nature of this relationship of oneness and difference is unfathomable (acintya) to the human intellect. The second component of the Caitanya Vaiṣṇava theological framework is abhidheya, or spiritual practice. This is divided into various stages that correspond with an individual’s degree of devotion for Krishna. The third component is prayojana, or the final goal, which is pure love of Krishna (kṛṣṇa-preman). After attaining this goal, a self attains spiritual perfection. Finally, the article describes the Caitanya Vaiṣṇava tradition’s epistemology, which acknowledges various forms of acquiring knowledge, such as sense perception (pratyakṣa), reasoning (anumāna), and scriptural testimony (śabda).
