Gaudiya Vaishnavism (IAST: Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism), also known as Bengali Vaishnavism, Chaitanya Vaishnavism, the Bengali/Chaitanya/Gaudiya Sampradaya, Chaitanyaism and Gaura Dharma, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India
“Gaudiya” refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal, with Vaishnavism meaning “the worship of Vishnu”
Specifically, it is part of Krishnaism—Krishna-centric Vaishnavite traditions
Its theological basis is primarily that of the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavata Purana (known within the tradition as the Srimad Bhagavatam), as interpreted by early followers of Chaitanya, such as Sanatana Goswami, Rupa Goswami, Jiva Goswami, Gopala Bhatta Goswami and others
The focus of Gaudiya Vaishnavism is the devotional worship (known as bhakti yoga) of Radha and Krishna, and their many divine incarnations as the supreme forms of God, Svayam Bhagavan
Most popularly, this worship takes the form of singing Radha and Krishna’s holy names, such as “Hare”, “Krishna” and “Rama”, most commonly in the form of the Hare Krishna (mantra), also known as kirtan and dancing along with it
The movement is sometimes referred to as the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya, referring to its belief in the succession of spiritual masters (gurus) believed to originate from Brahma
Gaudiya Vaishnavism is the spiritual and philosophical foundation of the well-known International Society for Krishna Consciousness, a
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“Hare Krishna Movement”