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A Gouranga installation on a railway bridge in Leicester

Gouranga is a term popularized by the Hare Krishna movement in the 1970s. It is derived from Sanskrit gaurāṅga (Devanagari गौराङ्ग) "having a white or yellowish body", a bahuvrihi compound from gaura "white, yellowish, reddish" and aṅga "limb, member; the body".

Gaurāṅga is a name of Krishna in Puranic literature, and in Gaudiya Vaishnavism in particular a name of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (considered a reincarnation of Krishna^[1]).

In Vaishnavism

Within Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition it is taken to refer to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's golden skin complexion. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was born in Mayapur, West Bengal, in 1486. His activities and teachings are described in detail in the book "Teachings of Lord Caitanya" and the multi-volume Chaitanya Charitamrita.

The term predates Caitanya as an epithet of incarnations of Vishnu-Krishna, appearing in various Vaishna Puranas, for example in the Agni Purana (before 1100 CE),

prasantātma lambakanṭhas / gaurāṅgas ca sura-vṛtaḥ

"the supreme Self, long-necked / and golden-limbed, surrounded by sages"

Hare Krishna movement

Within ISKCON, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada propagated that whoever hears, reads, or speaks the name gaurāṅga is blessed with fortune and happiness due to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's extraordinary saintly nature.^[2]

Stickers bearing the word Gouranga or stating "Call out Gouranga and be happy!" began appearing on bridges over motorways and railways in Scotland, the North of England and Wales from the mid-nineties onwards. Stickers and fridge magnets with the phrase have also been handed out by Hare Krishna monks at music festivals throughout the UK, such as Glastonbury and Download.

Gauranga in popular culture

The song "Twydale's Lament" from the album Achtung Bono by Half Man Half Biscuit references this occurrence, with the lyrics "Gouranga Gouranga, yes I'll be happy, when you've been arrested for defacing the bridge." "GOURANGA" is also the name the player has to enter in Grand Theft Auto 2 to enable the cheat mode. Additionally, in the online GTA IV mode, the message "Player X Gouranga'd Player Y" appears occasionally when a player is killed by running over with a vehicle.

Footnotes

^ see commentary by Bhagvant Swami Prabhupada on Bhagavata Purana 11.5.32: Gauranga is a-krishna "not black" = gaura or hari "bright/golden", a "chromatic complement", as it were, that is also encountered in the hare krishna mantra
^ "O infallible and most famous person, whose name, when chanted, spreads all good fortune!" from BhaP 8.17.8. "It should be noted in this connection that the holy names of Lord Krishna and Gaurasundara are both identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore one should not consider one name to be more potent than the other." A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada from Chaitanya Charitamrita purport, Adi-Lila, Chapter 8, Text 31. ISBN 0-947259-06-6.

External links

"Vedic Encyclopedia"
"On Siksastakam" Satsvarupa das Goswami wwww.iskcon.com

[1] see commentary by Bhagvant Swami Prabhupada on Bhagavata Purana 11.5.32: Gauranga is a-krishna "not black" = gaura or hari "bright/golden", a "chromatic complement", as it were, that is also encountered in the hare krishna mantra

[2] "O infallible and most famous person, whose name, when chanted, spreads all good fortune!" from BhaP 8.17.8. "It should be noted in this connection that the holy names of Lord Krishna and Gaurasundara are both identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore one should not consider one name to be more potent than the other." A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada from Chaitanya Charitamrita purport, Adi-Lila, Chapter 8, Text 31. ISBN 0-947259-06-6.

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 ==Gauranga in popular culture==
 The song "Twydale's Lament" from the album [[Achtung Bono]] by [[Half Man Half Biscuit]] references this occurrence, with the lyrics "Gouranga Gouranga, yes I'll be happy, when you've been arrested for defacing the bridge."
+"GOURANGA" is also the name the player has to enter in [[Grand Theft Auto 2]] to enable the cheat mode. Additionally, in the online GTA IV mode, the message "Player X Gouranga'd Player Y" appears occasionally when a player is killed by running over with a vehicle.
-The word is involved in one of the many easter eggs in the first of the [[Grand Theft Auto]] video game series. The game displays the text "GOURANGA!" whenever the player runs over a complete group of Hare Krishnas, who are occasionally featured as pedestrians. "GOURANGA" is also the name the player has to enter in [[Grand Theft Auto 2]] to enable the cheat mode. Additionally, in the online GTA IV mode, the message "Player X Gouranga'd Player Y" appears occasionally when a player is killed by running over with a vehicle.
 ==See also==

v t e Krishna
Forms	Bala Krishna Gopala-Krishna Govinda Jagannath Radha Krishna Shrinathji Vāsudeva-Krishna Vithoba Other names
Consorts	Radha Ashtabharya Rukmini Satyabhama Jambavati Kalindi Nagnajiti Mitravinda Lakshmana Bhadra Other 16000 - 16100 Junior wives Rohini
Other relatives	Aniruddha Arjuna Balarama Devaki Kamsa Kunti Nanda Pradyumna Samba Subhadra Ugrasena Vasudeva Yashoda More
Worship	Sects Krishnaism Vaishnavism Festivals Krishna Janmashtami Gita Mahotsav Holi Pilgrimage circuits 48 Kos Parikrama of Kurukshetra Vraja Parikrama
Holy sites	Associated with Krishna's life Mathura Gokul Govardhan Hill Vrindavan Dvaraka Kurukshetra Jyotisar Bhalka Other sites: Guruvayur Nathdwara Pandharpur Puri Udupi
Epigraphy	Hathibada Ghosundi Heliodorus pillar Mora Well Naneghat Vasu Doorjamb
Texts	Bhagavata Purana Gita Govinda Mahabharata Bhagavad Gita Krishna's role Brahma Samhita Uddhava Gita
See also	Svayam Bhagavan Avatar Dashavatara Vishnu Guru–shishya tradition