Caitanya’s Ecstasies and the Theology the Name
Keywords:
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Namasankirtana, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Prema Bhakti, Theology of the Name, Ecstasy, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Bhakti, Embodied Devotion, Sacred Performance, Emotional Religion, Hinduism, Kirtan, Religious ExperienceAbstract
This article explores the theology and emotional intensity of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s devotion, particularly focusing on the ecstatic experience associated with chanting the divine name (namasankirtana). Norvin J. Hein analyzes how Caitanya’s intense spiritual practices—marked by weeping, trembling, swooning, and ecstatic dancing—became a model of divine love (prema bhakti) for Gaudiya Vaishnavas.
Hein argues that Caitanya's ecstatic devotion reflects a theological conviction: that the name of God (nama) is not merely symbolic, but ontologically identical with God Himself. Thus, chanting becomes a direct encounter with divinity. The article draws upon historical hagiographies such as the Chaitanya Charitamrita and theological commentaries to illuminate how Caitanya's embodiment of divine madness provided legitimacy and inspiration for public devotional singing and emotional expression in Vaishnava communities.
Ultimately, Hein presents Caitanya’s approach as both radically inward and performatively outward—where intense inner states are made manifest through public, embodied rituals of devotion.
