Bhaktivinoda Thakur (Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Bengali: ভক্তিৱিনোদ ঠাকুর; birth name — Kedarnath Datta; September 2, 1838 — June 23, 1914) — outstanding philosopher and thinker of the Bengali Renaissance, reformer of Gaudiya Vaishnavism who stood at the origins of this tradition's revival in the late 19th — early 20th century. The most influential Gaudiya Vaishnava spiritual leader of his time. Along with his son Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati (1874—1937), he is considered the inspirer and founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism's preaching in the West.

Kedarnath Datta was born in the Bengali village of Birnagar into a traditional Hindu family of wealthy landowners. After receiving primary and secondary education in a rural school, he continued his studies at Hindu College in Calcutta, where he became acquainted with Western philosophy and theology, and befriended such outstanding figures of the Bengali Renaissance as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, and Shishir Kumar Ghosh. After graduation, Kedarnath first worked as a school teacher in rural areas of Bengal and Orissa, then entered service in the Legal Department of the British colonial government. By the time of his retirement in 1894, he held the position of district magistrate.

In accordance with Hindu traditions practiced among representatives of the higher castes, Kedarnath married at age 11. His wife Shyamani bore him a son and soon died of illness. From his second marriage to Bhagavati Devi, Kedarnath had 13 children, one of whom — Bimal Prasad (Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati) — later became an outstanding Gaudiya Vaishnava preacher and spiritual leader.

Kedarnath belonged to the so-called bhadralok — the Bengali intellectual elite of the Bengali Renaissance era, which sought to rationalize traditional Hindu beliefs and customs. In his youth, Kedarnath devoted considerable time to comparative research and analysis of various Indian and Western religious and philosophical systems, trying to find among them a simple yet intellectually satisfying path. He attempted to reconcile Western thought and traditional beliefs by distinguishing phenomenal and transcendental aspects from religion. In his works, he successfully combined modern critical analysis with Hindu mysticism. At age 29, Kedarnath made his spiritual choice, becoming a follower of the medieval Vaishnava mystic Chaitanya (1486—1534). From this time, he devoted himself to deep study of the Gaudiya Vaishnava religious-philosophical tradition and eventually became a respected spiritual leader of Bengali Vaishnavas. Kedarnath authored more than a hundred books on Gaudiya Vaishnavism, among which notable theological treatises include "Krishna-samhita" (1880), "Chaitanya-shikshamrita" (1886), "Jaiva-dharma" (1893), "Tattva-sutra" (1893), "Tattva-viveka" (1893), and "Harinama-chintamani" (1900). From 1886 to 1910, he also published a monthly magazine in Bengali called "Sajjana-toshani," using it as the primary tool for preaching Gaudiya Vaishnavism among the bhadralok. In 1886, in recognition of Kedarnath's literary and theological-philosophical contribution to Gaudiya Vaishnavism, he received the honorary title "Bhaktivinoda" — the name under which he was destined to enter history.

Bhaktivinoda actively criticized a number of Gaudiya Vaishnava currents that he considered apasampradayas — heretical sects that had distorted Chaitanya's teachings. He is also credited with discovering Chaitanya's birthplace in Mayapur, where a temple was erected at his initiative. Bhaktivinoda founded and led the nama-hatta preaching program, which popularized Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy and practice in rural and urban areas of Bengal. It was Bhaktivinoda who pioneered the spread of Chaitanya's teaching in the West: in 1880 he sent copies of his theological works to R.W. Emerson in the USA and to orientalist Reinhold Rost in Europe, and in 1896 he presented copies of his book "Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: His Life and Teaching" to a number of American, Canadian, and Australian university libraries.

The revival of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, at the origins of which stood Bhaktivinoda, gave rise to Gaudiya Math — one of the most dynamic missionary movements in early 20th century India, founded by Bhaktivinoda's son and spiritual heir — Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. In 1966, Bhaktisiddhanta's disciple — A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896—1977) — founded in the USA a branch of Gaudiya Math — the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which successfully spread Gaudiya Vaishnavism throughout the world.