Jagannatha Misra Krishnaite saint Date of Birth: . Country: Dive

1. An Introduction to Jagannatha Misra
2. Birth and Family
3. Marriage and Family Life
4. Reincarnations and Divine Lineage

An Introduction to Jagannatha Misra

Jagannatha Misra, a devout Brahmin, played a pivotal role in the lineage of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. He is revered as the earthly father of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the founder of this spiritual tradition.

Birth and Family

Jagannatha Misra was born into a Brahmin family in the village of South Dhaka (present-day Sylhet District, Bangladesh). His grandfather, Madhu Misra, had four sons: Upendra, Rangada, Kirtida, and Kirtivasa. According to the "Prema-vilasa" (24), Upendra and his wife, Kalavati, had seven sons: Kamsari, Paramananda, Padmanabha, Sarveshwara, Jagannatha Misra, Janardana, and Trailokyanatha.

Marriage and Family Life

In his youth, Jagannatha Misra traveled to Navadvipa for academic pursuits. There, he married Shachidevi, the daughter of the renowned Brahmin scholar Nilambara Chakraborty. The couple settled permanently in Mayapura, on the banks of the Ganges. Jagannatha Misra supported his family through begging. They had eight daughters, all of whom died in infancy before the birth of his two surviving sons, Vishvarupa and Vishvambhara. Vishvambhara, the tenth and youngest child, would later become known as Nimai Pandit and, after taking sannyasa, as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Reincarnations and Divine Lineage

The "Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika" (37) suggests that Jagannatha Misra's father, Upendra, was an incarnation of the shepherd Parjanaya in Krishna's pastimes. Jagannatha Misra himself was an incarnation of Krishna's father, Vasudeva, and Nanda. In other incarnations of Krishna, Nanda or Jagannatha Misra appeared as Kashyapa, Dasharatha, and Sutapa. According to the "Chaitanya-charitamrita," "Maharaja Nanda, the king of Vraja, became Jagannatha Misra, the father of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And Yashodamani, the queen of Vraja, became Shachidevi, the mother of Lord Chaitanya. Maharaja Nanda's son became Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu now, and Balarama, the brother of Krishna, became Nityananda Prabhu, the brother of Lord Chaitanya."