Question

Who wrote the biography of Chaitanya?
A. Krishnadasa Kaviraja
B. Namadeva
C. Shankar Dev
D. Both A & B

Answer 1

Hint: Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was an Indian saint in the 15th century and Achintya Bheda Abheda's founder. He is regarded by devotees as the embodiment of the god Krishna. The way of worshipping Krishna with ecstatic song and dance by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had a profound influence on Vaishnavism in Bengal.

Complete answer:
There are various biographies available from the period that provide specifics of the life of Chaitanya, the most notable being Krishnadasa Kaviraja's Chaitanya Charitamrita, Vrindavana Dasa's earlier Chaitanya Bhagavata (both originally written in Bengali but now widely available in English and other languages), and Lochana Dasa's Chaitanya Mangala. With some Sanskrit verses interspersed, these works are in Bengali. There are other Sanskrit biographies, besides these, written by his contemporaries. Chaitanya was also the chief proponent of the Vedantic philosophy of Achintya Bheda Abheda. Mahaprabhu founded Gaudiya Vaishnavism (a.k.a. Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya). He expounded Bhakti yoga and popularised the chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra. He composed the Shikshashtakam (eight devotional prayers). Krishna Dasa used Murari Gupta and Swarupa Damodara diaries in the composition of his Charitamrita, both of whom were close associates of Chaitanya. His guru, Raghunatha Dasa, who had served Swarupa Damodara when the latter was Chaitanya's personal secretary, provided Krishna Dasa with a great deal of knowledge. The Chaitanya-charitamrita became the authoritative biography of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu because of its amount of clarity about the life of Chaitanya and its precepts.

So, the correct answer is Option A.

Note: The influence of Chaitanya on the cultural heritage in Bengal and Odisha was significant, with many citizens practicing regular worship as Krishna's avatar to him. A Revival in Bengal, distinct from the more well-known 19th-century Bengal Renaissance, is credited to him by others.