In 1965, when Srila Prabhupada suffered sea sickness and multiple heart attacks on his voyage to America, his reading of Chaitanya-charitamrta brought him great solace. He said it was the “nectarine of life” and his “source of vitality.” As Gaura Purnima approaches we want everyone to understand the greatest gifts given by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Prabhupada also recollects how Chaitanya-charitamrta was his spiritual master’s favourite book. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur had predicted that a time would come when people would learn the Bengali language simply to relish this classic composition of Krisnadasa Kaviraja Goswami.

At present, however, Chaitanya-charitamrta remains a relatively unexplored literature. Since the studies of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam are vast in and of themselves, many neglect the opportunity to bathe in the delightful narrations of Sri Chaitanya’s life.

In 8 Sessions, we aim:

• To present an easy-to-follow overview of Sri Chaitanya’s life
• To provide a ‘road map’ and framework for anyone who desires to explore the Chaitanya-charitamrta in greater detail