The events of the rest of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's forty-eight years were recorded in the diary of Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, another of His intimate associates.
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta is divided into three sections, called līlās, a word that literally means "pastimes"—the Ādi-līlā (recounting the early period of Lord Caitanya's pastimes), the Madhya-līlā (recounting the middle period), and the Antya-līlā (recounting the final period). The notes of Murāri Gupta form the basis of the Ādi-līlā, and Svarūpa Dāmodara's diary provides the details for the Madhya- and Antya-līlās.
The first twelve chapters of the Ādi-līlā constitute the preface for the entire work. By referring to Vedic scriptural evidence, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja establishes that Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the avatāra (incarnation) of God for the Age of Kali—the current epoch, which began five thousand years ago and is characterized by materialism, hypocrisy, and dissension.