Question

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was an ascetic Hindu monk and social reformer in the 16th century from _______.
A.Bihar
B.Assam
C.Odisha
D.Bengal

Answer 1

Hint:Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is one of the most beloved religious figures of the 15th to 16th centuries who was famously known as the "Great Lord''. He was the founder of Achintya Bheda Abheda along with his hundreds of Devotees who consider him as an incarnation of the god Krishna. His mode of prayers consisted of singing and dancing using ecstatic songs and his way of beliefs had an effect on Vaishnavism, where people followed similar concepts.

Complete answer:
Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born as the second child of Jagannath Mishra and his wife Sachi Devi in a Brahmin household in modern day Bangladesh but he moved to Bengal. Jagannath's family lived in the village of Dhakadakshin in Srihatta. His interest in God and prayers started soon after he started learning Sanskrit. He was attracted to the chanting and singing of Krishna's names from a very young age.
While travelling to Gaya in order to perform the shraddha ceremony for his departed father, Chaitanya happened to meet his guru, Ishvara Puri, and he gave Mahaprabhu an initiation with the Gopala Krishna mantra. This meeting changed Chaitanya's outlook towards god and upon his return to Bengal the local Vaishnavas, headed by Advaita Acharya, he became a devotee of Lord Krishna. Chaitanya travelled throughout the length and breadth of India for several years, and created a crowd of followers by chanting the divine Names of Krishna.

Hence, the correct answer is option (D).

Note:Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was the chief promoter of Achintya Bheda Abheda's Vedantic philosophy. Gaudiya Vaishnavism was established by Mahaprabhu (Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya). He expounded Bhakti yoga and popularised the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra chanting. The Shikshashtakam he composed, consisted of eight devotional prayers. There are numerous biographies available from the period that provide details of the life of Chaitanya, the most prominent being ‘Krishnadasa Kaviraja’ and ‘the earlier Chaitanya Bhagavata of Vrindavana Dasa’.