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For other uses, see Pancha Tattva.
Five colorful statues of deitiesChaitanyaNityanandaAdvaita AcharyaGadadhara PanditaSrivasa Thakura
Pancha Tattva deities installed on a Vaishnava altar. From left to right (click on feet to go to article): Advaita Acharya, Nityananda, Chaitanya, Gadadhara Pandita, Srivasa.

Pancha Tattva (Devanagari: पञ्चतत्त्व; IAST: pañca-tattva, from Sanskrit pañca meaning "five" and tattva "truth" or "reality") in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism refers to five 15th-century religious figures, venerated as the five aspects of the god Krishna.

Background

In Gaudiya Vaishnavism, these five features of God (Krishna) are believed to have incarnated on Earth as five people in the late 15th century: Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda, Advaita Acharya, Gadadhara Pandit and Srivasa Thakur. They famously spread the Krishna mantra and the practise of devotion (bhakti) towards Krishna throughout India.

  • Chaitanya is regarded as manifestation of Krishna (Svayam Bhagavan).
  • Nityananada is Krishna's first personal expansion with the combined power of the god Balarama, brother of Krishna.
  • Advaita Acharya is the combined power of the deities Vishnu and Shiva
  • Srivasa is Krishna's pure devotee and symbolizes devotion (Bhakti).
  • Gadadhara is the combined power of Krishna's internal energy (Shakti).

"I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa [(Krishna)], who is nondifferent from His features as a devotee [(bhakta-rūpa; Chaitanya)], devotional incarnation [(svarūpakam; Nityananada)], devotional manifestation [(bhaktāvatāraṁ; Advaita)], pure devotee [(bhaktākhyaṁ; Srivasa)], and devotional energy [(bhakta-śaktikam; Gadadhara)]."

— Chaitanya Charitamrita Adi 1.147.6

Pancha Tattva mantra

Within the Gaudiya tradition, a mantra formed from the names of the five members of the Pancha Tattva is often spoken or sung as a means of devotional worship, or japa. Often, this mantra is sung or chanted prior to the Krishna mantra.[citation needed]

jaya sri-krishna-chaitanya prabhu nityananda sri-adwaita gadadhara shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda [1]

An alternative version features another name for Chaitanya, "Gauranga":[2]

śrī-gaurāṅga nityānānda, śrī-advaita-candra,
gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

See also

References

  1. ^ Pancha Tattva mantra
  2. ^ "Beads....Our Gateway to the Spiritual World". Bliss Kirtan Yoga. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  • Rosen, Steven J. Sri Pancha Tattva: The Five Features of God 1994 ISBN 0-9619763-7-3 Folk Books, New York
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