Gaudiya Vaishnavism traces its origin to the life and work of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who lived from 1486 to 1534. He is regarded as the founder of this tradition, which took shape in Bengal and then spread more widely. His role was not merely organizational; rather, his life itself became the template for the path of devotion that Gaudiya Vaishnavas seek to follow. Through his example, the movement crystallized around a distinctive form of bhakti focused on Radha and Krishna.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s contribution lay in initiating a devotional current that emphasized ecstatic love and devotion, or prema-bhakti, as the heart of spiritual life. This devotion was not abstract but deeply relational, centered on the divine couple Radha-Krishna as the supreme object of love. His teachings and practices provided both the theological vision and the lived discipline that shaped the emerging community. In this way, Gaudiya Vaishnavism became a coherent path grounded in both doctrine and experience.

A hallmark of the movement associated with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is congregational chanting, known as sankirtana. This practice serves as a communal expression of devotion, where the names and glories of Radha-Krishna are sung together. Alongside this, the cultivation of devotional emotions, or rasas, became central to the inner life of practitioners. These elements together formed a spiritual culture in which song, emotion, and theology are woven into a single fabric of worship.

Through these intertwined practices and teachings, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu laid the foundation upon which Gaudiya Vaishnavism stands. The tradition sees his life as both a revelation of divine love and a guide for how that love may be pursued. His legacy endures wherever Radha-Krishna are approached through heartfelt, ecstatic devotion shaped by the patterns he established.