Murāri Gupta (fl. 16th century) was a noted Bengali Vaishnava poet, a contemporary and close disciple of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, also known as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (18 February 1486 – 14 June 1534), the founder and major inspiration of what is now known as Krishna Consciousness movement.
Murāri Gupta is known to us as an author of the Sanskrit work - Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Carita Maha Kavya (1513), a poetic biography of Śrī Chaitanya. This work is the earliest source for the life of Śrī Chaitanya; later hagiographies such as the Caitanya-Caritamṛta by Krishnadasa Kaviraja were based on this work.
Book 1
1. A Summary of Śrī Gaurāṅga's Mission 2.The Lamentation of Śrī Nārada 3. Nārada Muni Pleads for the Lord's Descent 4. Descriptions of the Avatāras 5. The Appearance of Śrī Caitanya 6. The Playful Pastimes of Śrī Gaurāṅga's Childhood 7. Lord Viśvambhara's Boyhood Pastimes 8. Jagannātha Miśra Attains the Highest Perfection 9. Śrī Gaurāṅga's Marriage with Śrīmatī Lakṣmī Devī 10. Festivities at Gaura's Wedding 11. Gaurāṅga Travels East fo0r Wealth, and Celebration of Lakṣmī Devī's Victorious Death 12. Gaurāṅga Dispels the Grief of Mother Śacī 13. Gaura Causes Bewilderment to Śrī Sanātana Paṇḍita 14. The Marriage of Viṣṇu with Viṣṇu-priyā 15. The Meeting of Śrī Gaura Hari with Śrīmad Īśvara Purī 16. Śrī Gaura Returns Home from Gayā
Book 2
1.Gaurāṅga Reveals His Ecstatic Moods 2.The Lord Accepts the Ecstatic Mood of Varāha Avatāra 3. Śrī Caitanya Disperses the Thunder-clouds 4. Bathing in the Sky-River 5. Tales of the Lord's Ecstatic Activities 6. The Material World Compared to a Forest, and the Glories of Śrī Advaita 7. Gaura Shows Mercy to His Devotees 8. Gaura Hari Shows Mercy to the Avadhūta 9. The Lord Accepts the Worship of His Devotees 10. Pastimes of Dance 11. The Lord Throws Himself in the River Jāhnavī 12. Gaurāṅga Reveals His Great Glories and Receives the Sacred Bath 13. The Brāhmaṇa's Blessing-Curse 14. Gaura Becomes Absorbed in the Mood of Balabhadra 15. A Description of the Ecstatic Moods of the Gopīs as Bhakti-Yoga 16. Lord Gaura Reveals All Potencies 17. Murāri Gupta Advises Gaura Hari 18. The Sannyāsa Mantra
Book 3
1. Words of the Intelligent Ladies of Kaṇṭaka Town 2. Śrī Gaurāṅga Purifies the Sannyāsa Āśrama 3. Wandering in Rāha-deśa 4. Pleasure Pastimes at the House of Śrī Advaita 5. The Breaking of Mahāprabhu's Sannyāsa Staff 6. The Lord Wanders in South India 7. The Lord Takes Darśana of Śrī Virajā 8. Darśana of Mahādeva 9. Gaura Hari Honours the Food Remnants of Śrī Śiva 10. Vision of the Ultimate Person 11. The Glories of Mahā-Prasāda 12. Lord Gaurāṅga Shows Mercy to Sārvabhauma 13. The Lord Departs and Consoles Sārvabhauma 14. Śrī Caitanya Shows Devotion to Jiyaḍa-Nṛsiha 15. Śrī Gaura Hari's Joyous Meeting with Paramānanda Purī 16. Darśana of Lord Jagannātha 17. The Lord Shows Mercy to Devānanda Paṇḍita 18. Caitanya Deva Beholds Lord Gopīnātha
Book 4
1. Gaura Shows Mercy to Tapana Miśra and the Residents of Kāśī 2. The Vista of Mathurā Maṇḍala 3. Visiting the Twelve Forests 4. Seeing the Bathing Places, Wells and So Forth of Mathurā Maṇḍala 5. Visiting Setu-Bandha Sarovara 6. Gaurāṅga Sees Mahāvana and Other Forests 7. A Vision of the Site where Śrī Kṛṣṇa Stole the Gopīs' Garments, and Other Holy Places 8. Darśana of Govardhana Hill and Other Holy Places 9. Gaura Hari Sees the Site of the Mahā-Rāsa 10. Seeing the Groves on the Yamunā Bank, and Other Tīrthas 11. Hearing Śrī Kṛṣṇa's Pastimes Beginning with the Arrival of Akrūra 12. The Narration of the Slaying of Kasa and Other Pastimes 13. The Lord Shows Mercy to the Gopa 14. Śrī Gaurāṅga Shows Mercy to Gaurīdāsa Paṇḍita While Delighting in Navadvīpa 15. Pleasure Pastimes in Navadvīpa and Darśana of Jagannātha Swāmī 16. The Lord Shows Mercy to Pratāpa Rudra Mahārāja 17. The Assembly of Devotees 18. Pleasure Pastimes in Narendra Sarovara 19. Śrīmad Advaita Prabhu Performs Gaurāṅga Kīrtana 20. The Lord's Pastimes Within Guṇḍicā Mandira 21. The Lord Shows Mercy to Rāmadāsa 22. The Joyous Meeting of Nityānanda and Advaita 23. The Pastimes of Nityānanda 24. Gaura's Pastimes Among the Circle of His Devotees 25. The Narration of the Lord's Pastimes Beginning with the Birth of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Ending with the Darśana of Gopīnātha 26. Mahāprabhu Visits Vṛndāvana and Returns to Nīlācala to Forever Enter Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa's Transcendental Loving Affairs
Chaitanya Mahāprabhu birthplace,
Mayapur, West Bengal
Built in the 1880s
by Bhaktivinoda Thakur (1838-1914)
Murāri Gupta was born in Sylhet region of Bengal and was a physician; later he became a devotee of Śrī Chaitanya and moved to Navadvīpa.
There are a number of legendary stories preserved about his own life and relationship with his Divine Guru Krishna Chaitanya:
Śrī Murāri Gupta was a very intimate associate whose pastimes with Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu were steeped in the loving bond of their eternal relationship. As an incarnation of Hanuman, Murāri Gupta is as dear to Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu as Hanuman is to Lord Rāma.
He appeared in Śrī Hatta, the hometown of Jagannātha Miṣra (father of Lord Caitanya) and Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, but became a resident of Mayapur when he was a young boy. He was only a few years older than Lord Caitanya and a close neighbour so they shared many experiences while growing up.
Born into a lineage of Ayurvedic doctor, Murāri Gupta followed that profession, but because of his elevated spiritual potencies, he also cured the spiritual diseases of his patients along with their physical ailments.
Murāri Gupta also wrote the first biography on Gaurāṅga Mahaprabhu named Śrī Caitanya-carita.
Śrī Murāri Gupta has been a very staunch devotee of Lord Rāma, before he acknowledged also Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Śrī Kṛṣṇa as other manifestations of the Lord Rāmacandra. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya has said that Murāri Gupta has been incarnation of the Lord Hanuman himself.
When Murāri Gupta came to meet Lord Caitanya at Jagannātha Puri, while meeting devotees at Sārvabhauma Bhattacarya’s house, seeing Murāri Gupta, Lord Caitanya remembered this pastime with him:
Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “Previously I induced Murāri Gupta again and again to be allured by Lord Krishna. I said to him, ‘My dear Gupta, Lord Śrī Krishna, Vrajendra-kumara, is the supreme sweetness. “‘
Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the origin of all incarnations and the source of everything. He is pure transcendental love itself, and He is the reservoir of all pleasure.
“‘Krishna is the reservoir of all transcendental qualities. He is like a mine of gems. He is expert at everything, very intelligent and sober, and He is the summit of all transcendental humours. “
‘His character is very sweet, and His pastimes are melodious. He is expert in intelligence, and thus He enjoys all His pastimes and mellows.’
“I then requested Murāri Gupta, ‘Worship Krishna and take shelter of Him. But for His service, nothing appeals to the mind.’ “In this way, he heard from Me again and again. By My influence, his mind was a little converted. “
Murāri Gupta then replied, ‘I am Your servant and Your order-carrier. I have no independent existence.’
“After this, Murāri Gupta went home and spent the whole night thinking how he would have to give up the association of Raghunātha, Lord Rāmacandra. Thus he was overwhelmed. “
Murāri Gupta then began to pray at the lotus feet of Lord Rāmacandra. He prayed that death would come that night because it was not possible for him to give up the service of the lotus feet of Raghunātha. “
Thus Murāri Gupta cried the entire night. There was no rest for his mind; therefore he could not sleep but stayed awake the entire night.
“In the morning Murāri Gupta came to see Me. Catching hold of My feet and crying, he submitted an appeal. “
Murāri Gupta said, ‘I have sold my head unto the lotus feet of Raghunātha. I cannot withdraw my head, for that would give me too much pain. “
‘It is not possible for me to give up the service of Raghunātha’s lotus feet. At the same time, if I do not do so I shall break Your order. What can I do?’
“In this way Murāri Gupta appealed to Me, saying, ‘You are all-merciful, so kindly grant me this mercy: Let me die before You so that all my doubts will be finished.’
“Hearing this, I became very happy. I then raised Murāri Gupta and embraced him. “I said to him, ‘All glories to you, Murāri Gupta! Your method of worship is very firmly fixed – so much so that even upon My request your mind did not turn. “
‘The servitor must have love and affection for the lotus feet of the Lord exactly like this. Even if the Lord wants separation, a devotee cannot abandon the shelter of His lotus feet. “
‘Just to test your firm faith in your Lord, I requested you again and again to change your worship from Lord Rāmacandra to Krishna.’
“In this way, I congratulated Murāri Gupta, saying, ‘Indeed, you are the incarnation of Hanuman. Consequently you are the eternal servant of Lord Rāmacandra. Why should you give up the worship of Lord Rāmacandra and His lotus feet?’”
Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued, “I accept this Murāri Gupta as My life and soul. When I hear of his humility, it perturbs My very life.”
During the manifestation of His Maha-prakāśa pastime at Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s house, Lord Caitanya told Murāri Gupta, “Look at Me,” and revealed Himself as Lord Rāma along with Sita, Lakṣmaṇa and Hanuman.
Murāri collapsed on the floor but Lord Caitanya continued, “Hey monkey! Did you forget how Ravana burnt your face and how you set his kingdom ablaze? I am that same worshipable Lord of yours. Arise Murāri, you are dear to Me as My own life.”
Regaining his senses, Murāri asked Lord Caitanya for a boon that he always appear with the Lord in His pastimes as His servant.