The Gauḍīya Tradition as a distinct Sampradāya

The Madhva connection

Abstract

This paper focuses on the question of whether or not the Gauḍīya sampradāya, started by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu (1486–1533), can be considered a distinct sampradāya—particularly in the light of the long-standing controversy regarding the Mādhva-Gauḍīya affiliation, which is the main factor in this discussion. On a personal note, I want to say that working on this article was a matter of scholarship. In many ways, it is a risky and uncomfortable subject for practitioners in the Caitanya lineage, and it was certainly not my wish to challenge established concepts proposed by great ācāryas. My personal goal was to maintain a balance between the inescapable conclusions I make in this paper and the repeated statements offered by revered stalwarts of the Gauḍīya tradition. That said, I think these topics—wherever they may lead us—should be analyzed and discussed, because many devotees are unaware of them, believing that we indeed share an abundance of teachings with the Mādhva tradition, without any divergence, which just isn’t so. No doubt, Gauḍīyas can claim a substantial link to the Mādhvas, but the differences and ongoing questions exist as well, and it serves everyone’s purpose to carefully explore them. Another introductory note: All translations from Sanskrit and Bengali are my own (unless noted otherwise). All references to the Bhāgavata verses are according to the Gauḍīya (Śrīdharīya) system of chapter and verse division, and not according to the Mādhva system. All references to the Vedānta-sūtra, however, are made according to the respective school’s tradition of chapter-sūtra division.