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Gaudiya Vaishnava History

Gaudiya Vaishnava Timeline

This is a chronological timeline of all the personalities whose lives are told in this biography collection: acharyas, saints, associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and other great Vaishnavas. They are arranged era by era, from the beginning of the parampara to Srila Prabhupada. Being on this timeline does not mean that a personality is a formal member of the Guru-Parampara. For the recognized disciplic succession presented by Srila Prabhupada, see the Guru-Parampara. For the guru-disciple relationships this project has researched, see the Lineage Map.

Within each era, personalities with an approximate known birth year are ordered by that year. Where no year is recorded at all, that is said plainly under its own "Date not recorded" heading rather than guessed at.

161 profiles across 8 eras

1

Beginning of the Parampara

Eternal Origin

Scripture describes this link as beyond ordinary chronology: Krishna's own words to Brahma at the dawn of creation, carried down through Narada Muni to Vyasadeva, the compiler of the Vedas.

Date not recorded

  1. Lord Sri KrishnaSvayam Bhagavan: the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Source of All Avataras
  2. Lord BrahmaAdi-Guru: First Spiritual Master and Secondary Creator of the UniverseAt the start of the present cosmic creation (kalpa), not a date on any human calendar – None yet, according to tradition. Brahma is understood to be still living. A single day of his life equals 4.32 billion human years
  3. Narada MuniCelestial Sage and Travelling Teacher of Bhakti, Guru of Vyasadeva and Dhruva MaharajaTimeless: counted among the mind-born sons of Lord Brahma at the dawn of the present universe – None recorded: a liberated soul who has not died since his present birth. Vaishnava tradition holds that he is still travelling today
  4. Srila VyasadevaCompiler of the Vedas, Author of Srimad-BhagavatamTraditionally at the junction of Dvapara-yuga and Kali-yuga (exact site and era disputed) – Not dated; tradition holds he remains present in the world
2

Predecessor Acharyas

c. 8th – 16th century CE

From Madhvacharya's own Dvaita Vedanta line to the poet-devotees and Bhagavatam commentators writing in the centuries just before Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's own appearance in 1486 CE.

  1. Sri Madhava TirthaThird Pontiff of the Uttaradi MathaBirth name Vishnu Shastri. According to Srila Prabhupada's purport to Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya 9.245, he was born in Shaka 1136 (about 1214 CE). – Not recorded in Srila Prabhupada's list of the succession, which gives years of birth; his tradition's aradhana (disappearance anniversary) is kept on Mahalaya Amavasya
  2. Srila MadhvacharyaBiography, Dvaita Vedanta & TeachingsTraditionally 1238 CE (some sources: 1199 CE; Srila Prabhupada's purport to Chaitanya-charitamrita gives 1118 CE, noting 1238 CE as an alternate reckoning) – Traditionally 1317 CE (some sources: 1278 CE), age about eighty
  3. Sri Narahari TirthaThe Minister and Regent Who Became the Second Head of Madhvacharya's MathaB. N. K. Sharma's academic history works out his birth as about 1241 CE, from his own inscriptions. Srila Prabhupada's purport to Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya 9.245, instead gives Shaka 1127 (about 1205 CE) as his birth year in its list of the succession. The two sources differ by roughly thirty-five years, and this difference has not been settled. – Traditionally 1333 CE (the cyclic year Srimukha), after nine years as the second head of the matha Madhvacharya founded. Before that he spent roughly three decades in public life as a minister and regent in Kalinga
  4. Sri VidyanidhiGuru of Rajendra Tirtha in the Gaudiya ListNot independently recorded under the name Vidyanidhi. If he is identified with Vidyadhiraja Tirtha, Dvaita-tradition sources say he was born Krishna Bhatt around 1269 CE (Shaka 1190). – Not recorded under the name Vidyanidhi. If he is identified with Vidyadhiraja Tirtha, B. N. K. Sharma dates his time as head of the Udupi matha to about 1388-1412 CE. The matha lists give about 1392 as the year of his passing.
  5. Sri Akshobhya TirthaGuru of Jayatirtha, Fourth Pontiff of the Madhva PeethaNo birth year is directly recorded; born Govinda Shastri (also Govinda Bhatta) in Uttara-Karnataka. Modern scholars (Wikipedia, following B. N. K. Sharma's dating) place his birth at about 1282 CE, by counting backward from his time as pontiff (1350-1365 CE). This is a date worked out later, not a directly recorded one. – Traditionally 1365 CE, at the end of his fifteen years as the fourth pontiff after Madhvacharya (1350-1365 CE, according to B. N. K. Sharma's dating)
  6. Sri Rajendra TirthaFounder of the Matha Line That Became Vyasaraja MathaTraditionally around 1332 CE (Shaka 1254), per the South Kanada Manual/Bombay Gazette succession list quoted in Srila Prabhupada's own purport to Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya 9.245; not independently verified elsewhere – Not precisely dated; B. N. K. Sharma's History of the Dvaita School of Vedanta places his headship of his own matha around 1402-1440 CE
  7. Sri JayatirthaTikacharya, the Commentator of Dvaita VedantaTraditionally about 1345 CE; leader of the Madhva line 1365-1388 CE (23 years). Srila Prabhupada's purport to Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya 9.245, instead places him at Shaka 1167 (about 1245 CE). This difference has not been resolved. – Traditionally 1388 CE, after 23 years as the sixth leader after Madhvacharya
  8. Sri Lakshmipati TirthaThe Acharya Named LakshmipatiNot recorded in any available source; an estimate of 1420, often repeated online without any source, appears to come from a single short Wikipedia article – No date recorded in any available source. A Gaudiya devotional account (gaudiyahistory.iskcondesiretree.com) describes him leaving his body suddenly and without illness, not long after a final vision of Nityananda Prabhu, but assigns no specific year.
  9. Srila Madhavendra PuriRoot of the Gaudiya Bhakti CreeperNot precisely recorded by tradition; Wikipedia estimates circa 1420 – Not precisely dated in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita itself; Wikipedia estimates circa 1490
  10. Sri Vyasa TirthaRoyal Preceptor of the Vijayanagara EmpireTraditionally 1447 CE, according to Wikipedia's summary of scholarly sources; other sources place his birth closer to 1460 – 8 March 1539, at roughly ninety years of age
  11. Srila Sridhara SwamiJagad-guru & Bhavartha-dipika AuthorNot recorded; scholars place his life around 1350 to 1450 CE, most likely near 1400 CE – Not recorded, though he is remembered for his many years as abbot

Date not recorded

  1. Padmanabha TirthaFirst Pontiff After MadhvacharyaNot clearly recorded. Sources agree only on his purva-ashrama (pre-sannyasa) name, Shobhana Bhatta; his exact birth year does not appear in any available source – 1324 CE, after heading the community for about seven years. Traditional Sakabda-era Mutt tables place the start of his leadership a century earlier, around 1199-1200 CE. B. N. K. Sharma redates it to roughly 1317-1324 CE, using evidence from old inscriptions. Sharma's dates are followed here, a full century later than the traditional figures.
  2. Sri JnanasindhuA Name Between Jayatirtha and DayanidhiNot recorded in any source found – Not recorded in any source found
  3. Sri DayanidhiThe Disputed Name Just Before VidyanidhiNot recorded in any source found – Not recorded in any source found
  4. Srila Vijayadhvaja TirthaAuthor of the Padaratnavali, a Major Dvaita Commentary on Srimad-BhagavatamNot recorded; independent Dvaita-tradition sources place his active life in the late fourteenth to mid-fifteenth century – Traditionally observed on Akshaya Tritiya (the third day of the bright half of Vaishakha); commonly dated 1410, though some sources place his death as late as 1448
  5. Sri Purushottama TirthaThe Matha Head Who Vanished Into a Cave at AbburuNot recorded; the Vyasaraja Matha's own succession record gives his pre-sannyasa name as Srinivasacharya but no birth year or place – Tradition holds that he did not die but withdrew into a cave for tapasya, and that he remains alive in a hidden sense. The Vyasaraja Matha's own published succession list says he headed the matha from 1400-1416. This date does not fit easily with other sources for the succession that follows. They place Brahmanya Tirtha's time as head around 1460-1467, and Vyasa Tirtha's own well-recorded life at roughly 1447-1539.
  6. Sri Brahmanya TirthaGuardian and Guru of Vyasa TirthaNot recorded; he headed the matha in the mid-15th century CE – 1467 CE according to most matha-tradition lists; modern research on Vyasa Tirtha's life places it in the famine of 1475-1476 CE instead. Sources disagree.
  7. Srila Bilvamangala ThakuraPoet-Saint Who Composed Sri Krishna-karnamritaUncertain: estimates range from the 9th to the 14th century (disputed) – Not recorded in any source found
  8. Srila Jayadeva GoswamiAuthor of the Gita Govinda12th century CE (disputed) – 12th–13th century CE (accounts differ)
  9. Srila Ishvara PuriDiksha-Guru of Sri Chaitanya MahaprabhuFull moon day of the month of Jyestha (exact year not recorded) – Exact date not recorded: he passed away between Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's initiation at Gaya (c. 1509-1510) and the Lord's arrival at Jagannatha Puri after taking sannyasa
3

Panca-tattva

Late 15th – early 16th century CE

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's own generation: the five tattvas of His own pastimes, appearing together in Bengal around His 1486 advent.

  1. Sri Advaita AcharyaThe Devotee Whose Prayers Called the Lord Down1434, Magha Sukla Saptami – after 1534
  2. Sri Srivasa ThakuraIn Whose Courtyard the Sankirtana Movement Beganc. 1450 – after 1534
  3. Sri Nityananda PrabhuPatita-pavana, the Deliverer of the Fallenc. 1474, Magha Sukla Trayodashi – c. 1540
  4. Sri Chaitanya MahaprabhuThe Golden Avatar Who Inaugurated the Sankirtana Movement18 February 1486 (Phalguna Purnima), during a lunar eclipse – 14 June 1534, at the age of 48
  5. Sri Gadadhara PanditThe Lord's Own Pleasure Potencyc. 1486 – c. 1534, shortly after Mahaprabhu
4

Associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

Early – mid 16th century CE

Devotees who directly accompanied Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu during His own manifest pastimes (1486–1534 CE), in Navadvipa, Jagannatha Puri and along His travels.

  1. Srila Haridasa ThakuraNamacharya: The Teacher of the Holy Namec. 1451 (disputed) – Ananta Chaturdashi day (exact year uncertain)
  2. Srila Narahari Sarkar ThakuraLeader of the Srikhanda Vaishnavas and Guru of Lochana Dasa Thakurac. 1479-80 AD (Shaka 1401/1402), some years before Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's own appearance – Krishna Ekadashi of Agrahayana month; the exact year is disputed, with sources ranging from c. 1540 to 1582
  3. Srila Uddharana Datta ThakuraThe Gold Merchant Who Cooked for Nityananda Prabhuc. 1481 – Krishna Trayodashi, month of Pausha, Shaka 1463 (usually given as c. 1541; one account often copied online gives 1552)
  4. Srila Dhananjaya PanditRenounced Servant of Nityananda Prabhu at SitalagramaNot reliably recorded (one secondary source gives a date of 1485 without saying which era it uses; this date could not be checked, or made to fit with Mahaprabhu's own lifetime) – Shukla-ashtami (the bright eighth) of the month of Kartik; year not recorded
  5. Srila Vasudeva GhoshPoet-Singer of the Three Ghosh BrothersYear not recorded; a contemporary of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (born 1486) – Date not recorded with certainty; traditionally observed on a tithi in the Bengali month of Kartika
  6. Srila Murari GuptaPhysician-Devotee and Author of the Earliest Life of Sri Chaitanya MahaprabhuNot recorded (an older contemporary of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, b. 1486) – Year not recorded; tradition places the day on Sharad Purnima, the autumn rasa-lila full-moon
  7. Sri Vishvarupa (Shankararanya)Elder Brother of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Renounced as ShankararanyaYear not recorded (elder brother of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, b. 1486) – 1431 or 1432 Shakabda (A.D. 1509 or 1510; sources differ by one year)
  8. Srila Ishan ThakurThe Servant the Child Nimai Called FatherNot recorded (already in the household when Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born, c. 1486) – Not recorded; said to have lived to a very great age, outliving Vishnupriya Devi and most other Nabadwip-era devotees
  9. Srila Ganga Dasa PanditBoyhood Teacher of Sri Chaitanya MahaprabhuYear not recorded; Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita places his birth a generation before Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's own appearance in 1486 – Not recorded
  10. Srila Kamalakara PippalaiOne of Nityananda Prabhu's Twelve Gopalas, Founder of Deity Worship at Maheshac. 1492 (Gaudiya Vaishnava Abhidhana; not stated in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita itself) – Chaitra Shukla Trayodashi, 1563 (family tradition; not independently confirmed)
  11. Srila Vamsivadana ThakuraKrishna's Flute Who Cared for Vishnupriya and Sachi Devic. 1494-1495 (per the Vamsi-shiksha; some accounts give 1506 - sources differ) – Not recorded
  12. Maharaja PrataparudraThe Gajapati King Who Swept the Road for the LordNot recorded; ascended the Gajapati throne in 1497 – 1540 CE
  13. Srila Venkata BhattaSri Vaishnava Host of Mahaprabhu at Srirangam, Father of Gopala Bhatta GoswamiNot recorded (a generation senior to his son Gopala Bhatta Goswami, born c. 1503) – Not recorded
  14. Srila Ramananda RayaThe Governor Who Became Mahaprabhu's ConfidantExact year not recorded (a mature man of about forty, roughly twice Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's age, when they met around 1510-1512) – Exact date not recorded: sources vary between Jyestha Krishna-panchami and Vaishakha Krishna-panchami
  15. Srila Lokanatha GosvamiThe Renunciant Guardian of Radha-VinodaYear not recorded; left home for Nabadwipa c. 1509-1510 CE – Ashtami of Shravana or of Asharh (sources disagree); one tradition dates it to Shaka 1510 / 1588-89 CE
  16. Sri Kurma VipraThe Brahmana Mahaprabhu Told to Become a GuruDate not recorded (a householder brahmana of Kurma-kshetra, met by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu during His South India tour, c. 1510) – Not recorded

Date not recorded

  1. Sri Kholavecha ShridharaThe Khola-Seller of NavadwipDate not recorded (a contemporary of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's householder years in Navadwip, early 16th century) – Date not recorded in the available sources
  2. Srila Gauridasa PanditHouseholder Devotee Who Installed the Gaura-Nitai Deities of Ambika KalnaNot recorded (late 15th century); first lived at Saligrama, Bengal – Shukla Ekadashi, Shravana (year not recorded)
  3. Srila Abhirama Gopala ThakuraNityananda Prabhu's Preacher-Associate at Khanakula KrishnanagaraNot recorded (flourished late 15th - early 16th century) – Krishna Saptami (dark seventh) of the month of Chaitra; year not recorded
  4. Srila Svarupa Damodara GoswamiMahaprabhu's Confidential Secretary at Jagannatha PuriNot recorded – On a Ratha-yatra day in the month of Ashadha; year not recorded
  5. Srila Chandrashekhara AcharyaThe Physician of Varanasi Who Sheltered Sri Chaitanya MahaprabhuNot recorded (a contemporary of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, active in Varanasi in the early 16th century) – Not recorded
  6. Srila Govinda GhoshKirtan Leader Among the Ghosh Brothers, Founder of Sri Gopinatha at AgradwipaNot recorded; a contemporary of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (late 15th century) – Not recorded
  7. Srila Madhava GhoshThe Singer of VrindavanaDate not recorded (era of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, early 16th century) – Not recorded
  8. Srila Mukunda DattaClass friend and favorite singer of Sri Chaitanya MahaprabhuNot recorded – Jyeshtha purnima, the day of Snana Yatra (year not recorded)
  9. Srila Tapana MishraThe Brahmana of Kashi Who Fed Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu DailyNot recorded (an adult householder older than Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and living at the same time, active from the early 16th century) – Not recorded (before his son Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami's final departure for Vrindavana)
  10. Srila Pundarika VidyanidhiThe wealthy Vaishnava whom Mahaprabhu called fatherVasanta-panchami, exact year unrecorded – Year unrecorded
  11. Srila Shivananda SenaThe householder who led Bengal's devotees to Jagannatha Puri every yearNot recorded – Not recorded
  12. Srila Jagadananda PanditaThe Life and Soul of the LordExact date not recorded; an associate of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu from the earliest Navadvipa sankirtana years – Exact date not recorded in any available source
  13. Kaliya Krishna DasaA Cowherd-Boy Associate of Nityananda Prabhu, Remembered for a Story of a Fall and a ReturnNot recorded in the available sources – Month of Chaitra (spring); exact day given differently across sources
  14. Kali DasThe Devotee Who Lived on the Remnants of the VaishnavasNot recorded in the available sources – Not recorded in the available sources
  15. Srimati Sita ThakuraniThe Wife Whom Mahaprabhu Called MotherNot recorded – Not recorded in the available sources; tradition describes her living to an old age and taking on leadership after Advaita Acharya's own disappearance
  16. Sri Subuddhi RayaThe Landholder Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Told to Simply ChantExact year not recorded; already an elderly, established landholder in Bengal when the events of his story took place, decades before his meeting with Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu at Varanasi – Not recorded in any available source
  17. Srila Purushottama Dasa ThakuraBengali Devotee Wholly Absorbed in Nityananda PrabhuNot recorded (probably early-to-mid 16th century) – Not recorded in the available sources
  18. Srila Jagannatha TirthaA Sannyasi Named Among Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Own AssociatesNot recorded – Not recorded
  19. Sri Madhu Pandit GoswamiPriest of Sri Gopinatha at VamshivataNot precisely recorded by tradition – Not precisely dated; belonged to the generation of Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami's companions in 16th-century Vrindavana
  20. Srila Ramachandra PuriThe Godbrother Whose Criticism Chaitanya-charitamrita Turns Into a WarningNot recorded – Not recorded
  21. Srila Raghava PanditKeeper of the Yearly Bhandara Carried to Jagannatha PuriNot recorded (a contemporary of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) – Not recorded
  22. Srila Jagadisha PanditThe Fifteenth Branch of Sri Nityananda Prabhu's Family TreeNot recorded – Not recorded
  23. Srimati Vishnupriya DeviThe Wife Who Waited a Lifetime in Separation16th century; exact year not recorded in the available sources – Devotional and temple tradition holds that she lived to about 96, roughly 80 years after Mahaprabhu's sannyasa. No available source gives a specific year, and Chaitanya-charitamrita and Chaitanya-Bhagavata do not record this figure themselves
  24. Sri Vakresvara PanditaThe Ecstatic Dancer Mahaprabhu Called His Own WingTraditionally the fifth day of the dark fortnight of Ashadha (June-July); no year is recorded. Village of Guptipara, near Triveni, Bengal – Traditionally the sixth day of the bright fortnight of Ashadha (June-July); no year is recorded
  25. Srimati Sachi DeviMother of Sri Chaitanya MahaprabhuYear not recorded – Year not recorded in the surviving sources
  26. Srimati Madhavi DeviThe Half of Mahaprabhu's "Three and a Half" Confidential DevoteesNot recorded – Not recorded
  27. Ramadasa VipraBrahmana Devotee of Lord Ramachandra Met at Southern MathuraNot recorded – Not recorded
  28. Ramadasa BrahmanaThe Siddhavata Brahmana Whose Chanting Turned From Rama to KrishnaNot recorded – Not recorded
  29. Ramadasa VishvasaThe Kayastha Companion of Raghunatha Bhatta GoswamiNot recorded – Not recorded
  30. Srila Shrinatha PanditaGuru of Kavi-karnapura GoswamiNot recorded – Not recorded
  31. Srila Vasudeva Datta ThakuraMahaprabhu's Most Confidential ServantYear not recorded – Year not recorded
  32. Srila Paramananda PuriGodbrother and Constant Companion of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu at Jagannatha PuriNot recorded (a contemporary of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, active c. late 15th - early 16th century) – Not recorded
  33. Srila Pradyumna MishraThe Brahmana Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Sent to Learn Krishna-Katha from Ramananda RayaNot recorded (sources differ on his home region) – Not recorded
  34. Srila Narayana PanditaAn Associate of Shrivasa ThakuraNot recorded – Not recorded
  35. Sri Anupama MallikaYoungest of the Three Gosvami Brothers, Father of Srila Jiva GoswamiNot recorded (youngest of Kumaradeva's three Vaishnava sons) – Sakabda 1436 (A.D. 1514), soon after returning to Bengal from Vrindavana
  36. Sri Devananda PanditBhagavatam reciter of Kuliya, forgiven at the place where offenses are forgivenNot recorded – Krishna Ekadashi (the eleventh day of the waning moon) of the month of Pausha, year not recorded
  37. Sri Damodara PanditThe Devotee Whose Rebuke Mahaprabhu Called Pure LoveNot recorded – Not recorded
  38. Srila Govinda DattaPrincipal Singer in Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Own Kirtana PartyNot recorded (village of appearance is known; no year survives) – Not recorded
  39. Srila Sarvabhauma BhattacharyaThe Royal Pandit Converted by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhuc. 15th century (exact year unrecorded; sources disagree) – Not recorded
  40. Sri Yadunandana AcharyaPriest and Diksha-Guru of Raghunatha Dasa GoswamiNot recorded – Not recorded
  41. Sundarananda ThakuraNityananda Prabhu's Most Intimate Servant Among the Twelve GopalasNot recorded in the available sources – Full-moon day of Magha, per Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's Anubhasya; full-moon day of Kartika, per a separate account (sources differ; year not recorded either way)
  42. Srila Bhugarbha GoswamiLokanatha Gosvami's Lifelong Companion in VrindavanaNot recorded – Chaturdashi (14th day) of the Kartika full-moon fortnight; year not recorded
  43. Kashishvara PanditThe Guardian Who Cleared Mahaprabhu's PathNot recorded – Not recorded
  44. Srila Mahesh PanditOne of the Twelve Gopalas, Beloved Companion of Nityananda PrabhuNot recorded (birthplace itself disputed) – Krishna-trayodashi (13th day of the dark fortnight), month of Pausha; year not recorded
  45. Srila Minaketana Rama DasaThe Ecstatic Servant of Sri Nityananda PrabhuNot recorded – Not recorded
  46. Murari MahitiThe Puri Devotee Whom Sarvabhauma Described as Having "Nothing Other Than Your Lotus Feet"Not recorded – Not recorded
  47. Parameshvara Dasa ThakuraThe Fifth of Nityananda Prabhu's Twelve GopalasNot recorded – Not recorded (disappearance festival observed on the full-moon day of Vaishakha, April-May)
  48. Parameshvara ModakaThe Confectioner Who Fed the Boy ChaitanyaNot recorded – Not recorded
  49. Srila Madhusudana VachaspatiBrother of Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, Host of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu at VidyanagaraNot recorded – Not recorded
  50. Sri Nandana AcharyaThe Navadvipa host in whose house the Lord and His brother hidNot recorded – Not recorded
  51. Pradyumna BrahmachariThe Branch Renamed Nrisimhananda for His Devotion to Lord NrisimhadevaNot recorded – Not recorded
  52. Srila Purandara AcharyaWhom Mahaprabhu Called FatherNot recorded in the available sources – Not recorded in the available sources
  53. Srila Raghupati UpadhyayaWhose Verses Melted Mahaprabhu's ComposureNot recorded in the available sources – Not recorded in the available sources
  54. Sri Ranga PuriSannyasi Godbrother of Isvara Puri, Met at PandarpurNot recorded – Not recorded
  55. Srila Sadashiva PanditThe Twelfth Branch of the Chaitanya Tree, First Host of Nityananda Prabhu in NavadwipNot recorded – Not recorded
  56. Srila Sadashiva KavirajaVaidya Physician-Poet Among Nityananda Prabhu's Listed AssociatesNot recorded – Not recorded
  57. The Sanoriya VipraThe Mathura Brahmana Who Guided Chaitanya MahaprabhuUnknown – Unknown
  58. Satyaraja KhanThe Kulina-grama householder entrusted with Jagannatha's Ratha-yatra ropesNot recorded – Not recorded
  59. Sri Shankara PanditaThe Devotee Whose Body Became the Lord's Own PillowNot recorded – Not recorded
  60. Sri Sharanga ThakuraThe Bhajananandi of MamgachiNot recorded (a contemporary of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, active in the early 16th century) – Thirteenth day, dark fortnight of Agrahayana (Mrigashira); year not recorded
  61. Shikhi MahitiThe Likhanadhikari Counted Among Mahaprabhu's Three Confidential DevoteesNot recorded – Not recorded
  62. Srila Shrikanta SenaShivananda Sena's Nephew, Identified as the Gopi KatyayaniNot recorded – Not recorded
  63. Shriman PanditaTorch-Bearer Among Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Personal ServantsNot recorded – Not recorded
  64. Sri Shubhananda DvijaThe Singer Who Drank Mahaprabhu's FoamNot recorded – Not recorded
  65. Shuklambara BrahmachariThe Poor Brahmachari Whose Rice the Lord Could Not ResistNot recorded – Not recorded
  66. Sri SulochanaThe Forty-Second Branch of the Chaitanya TreeNot individually recorded (a contemporary of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) – Not recorded in any source found
  67. Srila Uddhava DasaA Branch of Gadadhara Pandit Named in the Chaitanya-charitamritaNot recorded – Not recorded
  68. Bhagavan AcharyaThe Householder-Scholar Who Cooked for Sri Chaitanya MahaprabhuDate not recorded; appeared in Sri Dham Nabadwip, later of Halisahar – Date not recorded
  69. Bhagavan PanditaThe Dear Servant Named in a Single VerseNot recorded – Not recorded
  70. Basudeva VipraThe Leper Brahmana Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Turned Back to EmbraceUnknown – Unknown
  71. Bijali KhanThe Young Pathan Prince Who Received the Lord's Foot Upon His HeadNot recorded – Not recorded
  72. Buddhimanta KhanThe Navadwip Householder Who Funded the Lord's WeddingNot recorded – Not recorded
  73. Gopinatha PattanayakaThe Treasurer Saved From the Executioner's SwordsNot recorded – Not recorded
  74. Vanamali AcharyaThe Astrologer Who Arranged Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's First MarriageNot recorded – Not recorded
  75. Vanamali VipraThe Poor Brahmana Who Saw Vraja Appear in NavadvipaNot recorded – Not recorded
  76. Sri Gadadhara Dasa GoswamiCompanion of Mahaprabhu, Chief Preacher Under Nityananda PrabhuNot recorded – Kartika-shukla-ashtami (year not recorded)
5

Six Goswamis

16th century CE

Sent by Mahaprabhu's own order to Vrindavana to recover its lost holy places and write the philosophical and devotional literature of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

  1. Srila Sanatana GosvamiEldest of the Six Goswamis of Vrindavana and the Ideal Spiritual Masterc. 1488, Bengal – Traditionally 1558
  2. Srila Rupa GosvamiForemost of the Six Gosvamis of Vrindavana, Architect of the Science of Devotional Rasac. 1489 (sources vary) – Traditionally 1564, Shravana Shukla Dvadashi
  3. Srila Raghunatha Dasa GoswamiForemost in Renunciation Among the Six Goswamis of Vrindavanac. 1494 (sources vary) – Traditionally 1586, Shukla Dvadasi of Ashvina (some sources place it a few years earlier)
  4. Srila Raghunatha Bhatta GoswamiThe Goswami Whose Voice Made Srimad-Bhagavatam Singc. 1503-1505 (sources vary) – c. 1579 (some sources say 1580)
  5. Sri Gopala Bhatta GoswamiCompiler of the Hari-bhakti-vilasa and Discoverer of Sri Radha Ramanc. 1503 (traditionally the 13th day of the dark half of Pausha) – Traditionally 1578 (6th day of the dark half of Sravana), at about 75 years of age
  6. Srila Jiva GoswamiSystematic Philosopher of the Six Goswamis of VrindavanaTraditionally c. 1513 (sources disagree; some place it as early as 1511 and others as late as the 1530s) – Traditionally 1608 (some sources say 1598; the exact year is disputed)
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Later Acharyas

16th – 18th century CE

The next generations, who carried the Goswamis' teaching back into Bengal and Odisha, systematized its philosophy, and preserved it in song and commentary.

  1. Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja GoswamiAuthor of Sri Chaitanya-charitamritac. 1496-1528 (sources disagree) – c. 1615-1620 (some traditions say 1616-1617)
  2. Srila Prabodhananda SaraswatiAuthor of Sri Radha-rasa-sudha-nidhi, Uncle and Guru of Gopala Bhatta GoswamiNot recorded; a generation senior to his nephew Gopala Bhatta Goswami (born c. 1503) – Not recorded in available sources
  3. Srila Vrindavana Dasa ThakuraAuthor of Sri Chaitanya-Bhagavatac. 1507 CE (Krishna Dvadashi, month of Vaishakh, 1429 Shaka era) – c. 1589 CE (exact year disputed)
  4. Srila Jahnava MataConsort of Nityananda Prabhu Who Led Gaudiya Vaishnavism After 1534Early 16th century (the exact year is not recorded in the original sources; one later source gives 1509) – Shukla Navami, month of Vaishakha (the sources we checked do not give the year)
  5. Srila Raghunandana ThakuraThe Child Who Fed Sri Gopinathac. 1510 AD (Shaka 1432), Srikhanda – Shukla Chaturthi, month of Shravana (year not recorded in the available sources)
  6. Srila Srinivasa AcharyaThe Acharya Who Carried the Goswamis' Scriptures to BengalFull-moon day of Vaishakha; year disputed, roughly 1517-1530 – Not recorded by tradition
  7. Srila Lochana Dasa ThakuraAuthor of Sri Chaitanya-mangala and Poet of the Srikhanda Vaishnavas1523 (a minority of sources give 1520) – Year not recorded in the available sources
  8. Srila Kavi Karnapura GoswamiThe Poet Whose Verses Chaitanya-Charitamrita Itself QuotesTraditionally dated 1524 or 1527 (sources disagree) – Not recorded; his last securely dated work is from 1576
  9. Srila Narayana Bhatta GoswamiRediscoverer of Vraja's Twelve Forests, Author of Vraja-bhakti-vilasac. 1531 (sources vary) – Not reliably documented
  10. Srila Shyamananda PanditThe Milkman's Son Who Carried the Goswamis HomeChaitra Purnima; traditionally dated 1535 AD by one detailed account from his family line, though most sources give no year – Krishna-pratipada (first lunar day of the dark fortnight), month of Ashadha; year given as 1623 AD by one detailed source, and as Shaka 1552 / 1630 AD by other sources; the sources disagree
  11. Srila Govinda Dasa KavirajaBengali Padavali Poet, Author of Bhajahu Re Manac. 1535 (traditional dating found in secondary sources; not stated in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita itself) – c. 1613 (traditional date; not confirmed by any original source we found)
  12. Srila Rasikananda PrabhuThe Preacher Who Crossed Every Caste Line in OdishaKartika, night of Dipamalika (Diwali), Sakabda 1512 (c. 1590 AD) – First day of the bright fortnight of Phalguna, Sakabda 1574 (1652 AD)
  13. Srila Narahari Chakravarti ThakuraAuthor of the Bhakti-ratnakara and Narottama-vilasaLate 1600s (exact year not established) – Not established
  14. Srila Gangamata GoswaminiRenunciate Founder of the Ganga-mata Math, Jagannatha Puric. 1601 (Shukla-dashami, Jyestha), according to the Ganga-mata Math's own record – c. 1721, according to the Ganga-mata Math's own record; no detailed account of her passing survives
  15. Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti ThakuraAuthor of the Sarartha-darsini and Architect of Raganuga-Bhaktic. 1626 (sources vary widely, 1610s-1660s) – c. 1708, Vasanta-panchami (Magha)

Date not recorded

  1. Srila Narottama Dasa ThakuraPoet-Saint Who United Gaudiya Vaishnavism at KheturiMonth of Magha (year disputed) – Karttika, Krishna Panchami (year not established)
  2. Srila Baladeva VidyabhusanaAuthor of the Govinda-bhashyac. early 18th century (exact year unknown) – traditionally 1768; some scholars place it as late as 1793 (disputed)
  3. Srila Hridaya ChaitanyaThe Guru Who Discovered Shyamananda PanditNot recorded (flourished in the generation after Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, mid-16th century) – Not recorded (before 1630 AD, during Shyamananda Pandit's later years preaching in Utkal)
  4. Srila Ramachandra KavirajaPoet-Disciple of Shrinivasa Acharya and Closest Friend of Narottama Dasa ThakuraNot recorded by year; lived in the generation after Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's own associates, as a disciple of Shrinivasa Acharya (later 16th century) – Not recorded by year; sources differ on the exact date (the dark-fortnight tritiya of Pausha per one account, Krishna-trayodashi of Magha per another)
  5. Srila Viracandra PrabhuSon of Nityananda Prabhu and Founding Figure of the Nityananda-vamsaNinth day of the dark fortnight of Kartika, according to one tradition; Agrahayana shukla chaturdashi (the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of Agrahayana), according to the Gaudiya Vaishnava Abhidhana. Sources disagree, and no year is known for certain – Not recorded in any source checked
  6. Srila Devakinandana Dasa ThakurPoet of the Vaishnava-vandanaNot recorded in the available sources – Not recorded in the available sources
  7. Sri Ganga Narayana ChakravartiForemost Disciple of Narottama Dasa ThakuraNot recorded in the available sources – Not recorded in the available sources
  8. Hemalata ThakuraniDaughter of Srinivasa Acharya Who Gave Diksha to DisciplesNot recorded (mid-to-late 16th century, worked out from her father's and her disciple's dates) – Not recorded
  9. Sri Gopala Guru GoswamiThe Boy Mahaprabhu Named Guru, Later Keeper of Sri Radha-Kanta at PuriNot recorded; he was a small boy in Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's own company at Puri, so he was born in the early sixteenth century – Ninth day of a fortnight of the month of Kartika, year not recorded (sources differ on whether it was the dark or bright fortnight)
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Recent Acharyas

19th – 20th century CE

From Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's own household in Bengal to Srila Prabhupada carrying the same teaching worldwide, founding ISKCON in 1966.

  1. Srila Jagannatha Dasa BabajiVaishnava Sarvabhauma — Emperor Among the Vaishnavasc. 1800 – date not precisely recorded; Vaishnava tradition holds he lived to an extraordinary age
  2. Srila Bhaktivinoda ThakuraThe Seventh Goswami2 September 1838 – 23 June 1914, at the age of 75
  3. Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa BabajiThe Renounced Mendicant of Vrindavana and Nabadwip17 November 1838 – 17 November 1915, on his 77th birthday
  4. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati ThakuraFounder of the Gaudiya Math6 February 1874, 3:30 pm – 1 January 1937, at the age of 62
  5. Srila PrabhupadaFounder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977, at the age of 81
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Great Vaishnavas

Across the eras

Saintly Vaishnavas whose lives are told in this collection, listed by birth year. Being listed here is not a claim of a place in the formal Guru-Parampara.

  1. Srila Vamsi Dasa Babaji MaharajThe Paramahamsa Avadhuta of Navadvipa1859 (given by one source only; not confirmed by others) – Shukla Chaturthi, Shravana, 1944 (one source dates this precisely to July 23, 1944)

Date not recorded

  1. Srila Yadavacharya GoswamiRupa Goswami's Companion Named in Chaitanya-charitamritaNot recorded – Not recorded
  2. Srila Raghava Pandita GoswamiGovardhana's Guide Through Vrajain an unrecorded year – on an unrecorded date
  3. Santosha DattaRaja of Kheturi Who Hosted the Kheturi MahotsavaNot recorded – Not recorded
  4. Ser KhanPathan official won over by Shyamananda Pandit's kirtanNot recorded – Not recorded