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Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya

Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Guru-Parampara

The disciplic succession presented by Srila Prabhupada, beginning with Lord Sri Krishna and passed down through the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya tradition to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada gives this list of 32 names in the opening pages of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, under the heading "The Disciplic Succession". It is shown here exactly in his order. Where his list gives two names at one step, or adds names in brackets, they are shown the same way here. Each name links to that personality's biography.

This page shows only this formal disciplic succession. Our biography collection is wider: it also tells the lives of associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, saints, poets and other great Vaishnavas. Being in the collection does not by itself make someone a member of this Guru-Parampara.

32 positions in the succession

  1. Position 1 Lord Sri Krishna Svayam Bhagavan: the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Source of All Avataras
  2. Position 2 Lord Brahma Adi-Guru: First Spiritual Master and Secondary Creator of the Universe
  3. Position 3 Narada Muni Celestial Sage and Travelling Teacher of Bhakti, Guru of Vyasadeva and Dhruva Maharaja
  4. Position 4 Srila Vyasadeva Compiler of the Vedas, Author of Srimad-Bhagavatam
  5. Position 5 Srila Madhvacharya
  6. Position 6 Padmanabha Tirtha First Pontiff After Madhvacharya
  7. Position 7 Sri Narahari Tirtha The Minister and Regent Who Became the Second Head of Madhvacharya's Matha Named in the list as “Nrihari”
  8. Position 8 Sri Madhava Tirtha Third Pontiff of the Uttaradi Matha
  9. Position 9 Sri Akshobhya Tirtha Guru of Jayatirtha, Fourth Pontiff of the Madhva Peetha
  10. Position 10 Sri Jayatirtha Tikacharya, the Commentator of Dvaita Vedanta
  11. Position 11 Sri Jnanasindhu A Name Between Jayatirtha and Dayanidhi
  12. Position 12 Sri Dayanidhi The Disputed Name Just Before Vidyanidhi
  13. Position 13 Sri Vidyanidhi Guru of Rajendra Tirtha in the Gaudiya List
  14. Position 14 Sri Rajendra Tirtha Founder of the Matha Line That Became Vyasaraja Matha
  15. Position 15 Srila Vijayadhvaja Tirtha Author of the Padaratnavali, a Major Dvaita Commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam Named in the list as “Jayadharma”
  16. Position 16 Sri Purushottama Tirtha The Matha Head Who Vanished Into a Cave at Abburu
  17. Position 17 Sri Brahmanya Tirtha Guardian and Guru of Vyasa Tirtha
  18. Position 18 Sri Vyasa Tirtha Royal Preceptor of the Vijayanagara Empire
  19. Position 19 Sri Lakshmipati Tirtha The Acharya Named Lakshmipati
  20. Position 20 Srila Madhavendra Puri Root of the Gaudiya Bhakti Creeper
  21. Position 21 Srila Ishvara Puri Diksha-Guru of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Named in the list as “Isvara Puri”

    Also named in brackets at this step: Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Sri Advaita Acharya

  22. Position 22 Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu The Golden Avatar Who Inaugurated the Sankirtana Movement Named in the list as “Lord Caitanya”
  23. Position 23 Srila Rupa Gosvami Foremost of the Six Gosvamis of Vrindavana, Architect of the Science of Devotional Rasa

    Also named in brackets at this step: Srila Svarupa Damodara Goswami, Srila Sanatana Gosvami

  24. Position 24 Srila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami Foremost in Renunciation Among the Six Goswamis of Vrindavana Position 24 Srila Jiva Goswami Systematic Philosopher of the Six Goswamis of Vrindavana
  25. Position 25 Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami Author of Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita
  26. Position 26 Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura Poet-Saint Who United Gaudiya Vaishnavism at Kheturi
  27. Position 27 Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura Author of the Sarartha-darsini and Architect of Raganuga-Bhakti
  28. Position 28 Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji Vaishnava Sarvabhauma — Emperor Among the Vaishnavas

    Also named in brackets at this step: Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana

  29. Position 29 Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura The Seventh Goswami
  30. Position 30 Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji The Renounced Mendicant of Vrindavana and Nabadwip
  31. Position 31 Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Founder of the Gaudiya Math
  32. Position 32 Srila Prabhupada Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness Named in the list as “Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada”

The Guru-Parampara in One Picture

Chart of the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya guru-parampara with a portrait for each of the 32 steps, from Lord Krishna and Lord Brahma to Srila Prabhupada

This chart shows all 32 steps of the succession with a portrait for each one. To read more about the sampradaya itself, see Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya on our Srila Prabhupada pages.

Questions the sources raise

The list is given here as Srila Prabhupada gave it. Our biographies also record, openly, where historical sources raise questions about some steps in it. You can read these discussions on the profile pages, for example:

The Lineage Map shows these questions with dashed lines and ? markers.