Chaitanya is a popular shortened form of Kṛṣṇa-Chaitanya (whose consciousness is of Kṛṣṇa), the religious name taken at his ascetic initiation (Sannyāsa) by Viśvambhara Miśra (1486-1533), an ecstatic devotee and Vaiṣṇava revivalist. To his devotees, Chaitanya is the paradigm of an emotionally intense, loving devotion (prema-bhakti) to Kṛṣṇa - which humans may aspire to emulate while never reaching the perfection of their divine/human exemplar.

In this article we will describe briefly the main events in the life of the great Rāmānujācārya, the practical founder of the Viśiṣṭādvaita system, referring to the names and characteristics of the most important of his immediate followers, and shall conclude with a short summary of his philosophy as disclosed in his works. The present article is a shorter and condensed version of a more

The next writer of note in this school of Vaishnavas was the well-known Maṇavāḷa Mamunigal, whose name has been appropriated for the heading of this article. He was born near Āḻvār-Tirunāgari about 1370 A. D., and is said to have lived for 73 years, up to 1443 A. D. Of well-built proportions and extremely fair, almost white, in appearance, he soon attracted attention by his

Veṅkaṭanātha, later known as Śrī Vedanta Deśika,the leader of Śrī Vaishnavas in 13-14 century was born in South of India about the month of September in the year 1268 A. D. He early impressed his contemporaries with his greatness, and a belief grew up, based on the dreams of his parents, that he was an avatar of the God of Tirupati, and that his birth

Just before Rāmānuja there lived another great Vaishnava whose life and teachings had a tremendous influence on Rāmānuja, although in fact the two of them never met. This was Śrī Yamunacharya, also known as Ālavandār - "The Conqueror." Yamunacharya was born around AD 918 in the city of Madurai in south India, which was then the capital of the mighty Pāndya kings. His grandfather was

Sage Nāthamuni is said to have had eight pupils, of whom Puṇḍarīkākṣa was the most important and is recognised as having continued the spiritual teachings of his preceptor. Puṇḍarīkākṣa is said to have been born about 826 A.D. at Tiruvallari, North of Śrīraṅgam, in the Choliah caste of Brahmins. Pundarikaksha was also called by the name of “Uyyakondar ” or “Saviour of the new Dispensation,”

A learned Vaiṣṇavite scholar named Raṅganāthāchārya, more usually called Nāthamuni, or the sage Nātha lived in the town of Śrīraṅgam, near Trichinopoly, during the latter half of the 9th century A.D. and the beginning of the 10th. He was probably a descendant of early Vaishnava immigrants, from the banks of the Jumna and other parts of the north, who carried the Bhāgavata or the Pāñcharātra

Leo Tolstoy (9 September 1828 – 20 November 1910) or as we also know him - Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy – was a famous Russian writer and novelist at first, a cult figure in Russia and also in the world; But in his later years – he became also well known as spiritual and religious seeker, pacifist philosopher and educator; his role and influence may

Mirabai - This is the Legendary life-story of the famous Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna of 16th century – Mirabai, the author of hundreds of famous devotional poems and bhajans, the inspiration of many generations of bhakti yogis. Mirabai was listening to ber father's words and spoke in a sweet voice, “I have already chosen a husband for myself.” “Would you ask me