Vedic Authority in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Tradition

Abstract

The article "Vedic Authority in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Tradition" by Travis Chilcott examines how early proponents of Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism navigated the śruti–smṛti hierarchy to affirm their devotional scriptures as legitimate sources of Vedic revelation. Focusing primarily on Caitanya-caritāmṛta by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, Chilcott analyzes how Kavirāja constructs a paradigm in which Kṛṣṇa’s teachings and actions—as preserved in texts like the Bhāgavata Purāṇa—embody the essence of the Vedas. The article details rhetorical and theological strategies used to elevate smṛti texts, such as claims of spiritual accessibility (sulabhatva), moral efficacy, and divine embodiment, which together authorize these texts as a new śruti. Chilcott contextualizes these claims within Gauḍīya efforts to assert spiritual legitimacy in the broader field of orthodox Vedantic discourse. By foregrounding the Bhāgavata’s self-referential scriptural status and its reception history, the article articulates a hermeneutical model that redefines Vedic authority through bhakti-centered revelation.